mcampbell26915
Active member
Hello, I have been having a very hard time figuring out why my '72 wont start or even crank.
quick back story, it drove fine until I stored it for 12 months without starting it or driving it (I know, big mistake). did a quick tune up 2 weeks ago (replaced fluids, drained and replaced gas, charged up the battery, etc) before trying to start it. I tried starting it after that and it just clicked. Not the typical fast paced clicks associated with a dead battery, but just one click sounding like it was coming from the starter. so thats when I began trouble shooting, here is what I have done so far:
Tested the battery since it did sit for a year and found that it was holding charge. I also borrowed a friends new battery (730 cca) and saw the same results, so I dont think the issue is the battery.
- Replaced the start solenoid
- Replaced the starter
- Replaced both battery cables and terminal connectors
after doing all of this, I tried starting it and it still did the same exact thing- "click". So then I thought that the engine might be seized, so I got a 24" breaker bar and hand cranked the motor to make sure it wasnt siezed. It did have some resistance, it wasnt the easiest thing to turn, but it also wasnt that difficult either, it definitely wasnt seized.
So just now I thought maybe the brand new starter solenoid I bought was defective, so I jumped it by connecting the two ends of the solenoid with the key in the "on" position. When I did this, there were sparks and I heart it crank one time (first time ive heard it crank in a year). But after that one crank, nothing happened even if I held them connected together- no sparks or crank. So I thought id try it again with a freshly charged battery so I charged the battery back up to try again and this time there were significantly less sparks when I jumped it and no crank at all, just a tiny bit of sparks and then nothing.
I cannot seem to figure out what the problem is. Any help would be sincerely appreciated, I want to get this thing back on the road!
Thanks in advance-
Matt
quick back story, it drove fine until I stored it for 12 months without starting it or driving it (I know, big mistake). did a quick tune up 2 weeks ago (replaced fluids, drained and replaced gas, charged up the battery, etc) before trying to start it. I tried starting it after that and it just clicked. Not the typical fast paced clicks associated with a dead battery, but just one click sounding like it was coming from the starter. so thats when I began trouble shooting, here is what I have done so far:
Tested the battery since it did sit for a year and found that it was holding charge. I also borrowed a friends new battery (730 cca) and saw the same results, so I dont think the issue is the battery.
- Replaced the start solenoid
- Replaced the starter
- Replaced both battery cables and terminal connectors
after doing all of this, I tried starting it and it still did the same exact thing- "click". So then I thought that the engine might be seized, so I got a 24" breaker bar and hand cranked the motor to make sure it wasnt siezed. It did have some resistance, it wasnt the easiest thing to turn, but it also wasnt that difficult either, it definitely wasnt seized.
So just now I thought maybe the brand new starter solenoid I bought was defective, so I jumped it by connecting the two ends of the solenoid with the key in the "on" position. When I did this, there were sparks and I heart it crank one time (first time ive heard it crank in a year). But after that one crank, nothing happened even if I held them connected together- no sparks or crank. So I thought id try it again with a freshly charged battery so I charged the battery back up to try again and this time there were significantly less sparks when I jumped it and no crank at all, just a tiny bit of sparks and then nothing.
I cannot seem to figure out what the problem is. Any help would be sincerely appreciated, I want to get this thing back on the road!
Thanks in advance-
Matt