70roadrunner383

Hey everybody, me and my dad have been having an issue with our power master mini starter for our 1970 roadrunner. It's a 383 4speed. When the ignition is turned to start we just hear a single click which is the starter gear extending but it does not turn. So we took the starter off and I had it tested today and the starter worked perfectly fine at autozone, we have replaced the the starter relay and still nothing, everything is grounded good as well and the starter is getting power but something is not letting the motor turn. we are at a complete standstill and are in need of help, I will answer any other questions you have asap. Please help!!

Boat Guy

try checking the starter relay.

Mr.4spd

Gotta check if the engine will turn over by hand to see if it's locked up. Then check the battery

Skwerly

have you run a hot directly to the starter? could be your switch.

70roadrunner383

The starter relay is brand new but we will have to check for power running through, the battery is also new and working. We did check to see if the engine would turn by hand and it did. We did a test by unbolting in the starter but leaving the wires connected and when i turned the key we still just got the click but no rotation. I'm gonna double check that relay now. I will also try the hot directly to the starter.

RacerHog

Might need new cables?
If all that is good... The starter is no good...
(The meaning of this is. when you have a load on the starter it does not have enough power to turn the motor... The free wheel is fine)
Amp draw test will tell you if the starter is no good also... Should pull no more than 180Amps Max....

440roadrunner

EASY to eliminate the relay.

1....."Jumper" (screwdriver, etc) the two largest bare terminals on the relay. Starter should engage and run. BE CAREFUL that you have the trans in park, or neutral

2.....Now becomes more difficult, depending on headers, exhaust. Jumper directly across the two starter terminals. If necessary, get under there and carefully clip a pair of test clip leads onto the two terminals AKA remote starter switch. These test leads must be large enough to carry the solenoid current. The "largest ones" Radiosh#t sells will work. Again, jumpering them together should result in the starter cranking.


IF YOU are CERTAIN that the solenoid is what you hear and not "just" the start relay, then....................


This MIGHT be a bad main battery cable..........the big cable. If not, it just about has to be something wrong with the starter.

Here's the deal. OLDER (wound field) starter solenoids had to windings..........a pull in winding and a hold in winding.

The "hold in" winding is ALWAYS connected. It is the magnet coil inside the solenoid which goes from the solenoid terminal to ground. Whenever the starter is cranking, this winding is activated, and "holds" the solenoid IN

HOWEVER. The "hold in" winding is NOT "usually" strong enough to PULL the solenoid in, so there is a larger, heavier, "pull in" winding.

This winding works DIFFERENTLY. This winding is connected from the solenoid terminal to the starter motor terminal.

Here's how this works. This winding is therefore in SERIES with the motor armature to ground

The first instant you engage the key, current flows from ground, up through the starter motor armature, to the starter motor terminal between the motor and solenoid, THROUGH the heavy pull in winding, out the solenoid terminal and back to the key.

This heavy winding causes the solenoid to "really" bang in. AS SOON as the solenoid pulls in, the contacts "make" in the solenoid and runs the motor.

What this does, is to put 12V onto BOTH ends of the "pull in" winding, and it is no longer in the circuit.

Now, as the starter cranks, only the hold in winding is in effect.

WHY????!!!! !!!?? ? ? am?? I telling you all this?

Because IT MIGHT BE

that

A........Modern mini starters may not need and may not have a pull in winding

B.......It might be that even if they do, the solenoid will sometimes still pull in

And so, IF the main starter cable is bad, the solenoid may be pulling in but not motoring.

HOW TO TELL?

"Gingerly" get under there and "clip" a test lead carefully to the main big starter terminal. Not the small solenoid terminal, the big main starter cable

Hook your meter to this cable, and have someone hold the key into "start." With the problem "showing" that is the starter "made" it's one click, measure "if" you have voltage at the main starter terminal

pro-tech

I agree with 440RR and Bob the Racerhog...You can use a V8 Dakota starter from your local parts store for a lot less money...Bill

Boat Guy

You know for sure it is the starter that is clicking when you turn the key? And this starter has started the vehicle before hasn't it? If it hasn't, I suspect a wiring problem.

70roadrunner383

The cables are brand new so I don't think those are a problem and the starter was working fine just a week ago. I will check up on all the things mentioned by 440roadrunner and see what we get, thanks for all the help guys I will get back as soon as i try them out!!!

440roadrunner

One of my sayings..........

"New" does not mean "good" as in "functional"

70roadrunner383

True!!

RacerHog

Oh Gosh... Dont tell him that... His head will swell-up....lol

Mr.4spd

Don't forget the ground (negative) path, it's just as important as the 'hot' side.

Coronet 500

Yes check ground! Had the truck not start at the dump after hopscotching the power side found a bad battery to block cable, drove home with a jumper cable clamped on.

70roadrunner383

So we finally figured it out and sure enough the battery cable was shot so we slapped on new and better cable and problem solved!! Thanks a bunch for the help guys!! See you on the road!!

RacerHog

Hate it when that happens....

Glad you got it fixed....

pro-tech

Good job happy motoring...Bill

BBODIES

Question everyone hope someone can help::: I got a stroked 440 in a 67 GTX I am getting ready to put my fourth mini starter in after the second one took out my ring gear on the torq conv I called bouchillon performance got no answers after researching I seen a lot of info that some blocks you have to grind down part of the C section of the block so I did worked for 6 months (number 3). now comes the 4th pulled the starter and inspected no rub marks on the housing or on the C section of the block starter gear is fully engaging the ring gear. starter number 3 was mated flush bolt and top nut installed with no binding and torqued. has anyone ran in to this problem before any help would be appreciated !! its getting expensive after a new 3500 stall converter thanks All !!!