Please Respond To Starter ??????????????

[SUPER'BURB]

I put a new starter on my rig and now it will only run with the key in the full crank (start) position. When I let it roll back to the run position the motor dies.

What did I do wrong?

Any help is apreciated, QUICK help is really apreciated (I need my rig tomorrow).

Thank you for any help.

 

[SUPER'BURB]

No body has any idea?

Is there a constant power that runs through the starter?

 

[HarryH3]

Did you leave the main power feed wire off the starter? There are 2 wires that go to the big post, the battery cable and the power feed to the rest of the truck.

The wire that fires up the starter should be connected to the stud that is closest to the engine block.

 

[1-ton]

You may have wired it up wrong. Back in the old days before HEI ignitions, there where two small terminals on a starter solenoid used...one was to complete the circuit and engage the starter, and the other was to bypass the alternator voltage regulator, so that the points type ignition would get a hot full voltage spark only for the few seconds it took to crank the engine over. This small terminal that bypasses the alternator voltage regulator was only hot while the key was in the full turn crank position. You may have connected all the small soleniod wiring terminal ends to this terminal.

 

[pauly383]

I took everything off my starter except the purple solenoid trip wire , and the battery cable . Simplified it . Since the other wire runs from the fusible links to the battery anyway ( and alternator ) , I figured it didn't need to be on the starter , and deleted it .

Now there is no power wires down there to burn up , OR , hook up wrong . And its been running for 4 years like that . 3 on the current battery .

 

[SUPER'BURB]

I am getting power when cranking so, unless I have it wrong, I don't think I have the main power on the wrong terminal.

1-TON's discription of the problem sounds correct but I have an HEI on my junk, will that make a differance?

Pauly your aproach sound like the way to go and I will probably do it when I have a free saturday, but I just need to get it running and don't have much time.

Thanx for the responses and please keep them coming, if you have an idea tell me.

 

[diesel4me]

I agree...

1-Ton has it right--you put the purple wire on the wrong stud on the solenoid..just swap it to the innermost one nearest the block like he suggested,and it will likely solve your problem..it wont hurt the HEI at all,don't worry about that--no harm done!..

I have switched all my GM trucks red wires with the fusible links at the solenoid too ,like Pauly said--back to the battery positive terminal,just like the way GM used too in the 72 and older trucks--why the ever moved them to the solenoid is beyond me--90% of all wiring troubles in the 73 up trucks is due to those wires melting inside the "conduit" pipe bolted to the bellhousing,only an inch from the hot exhaust manifiold.. if the fuse links burn up for whatever reason,now you need to pull the starter to fix them! DUH!!..anbd the stud holding the battery cable on would always crack the plastic cap on the solenoid..

I found on my 79 C10 those wires were too short to reach the battery--so I took another identical harness from a boneyard truck,and used an old junk ford style solenoid on the firewall ,just as a "junction block" to bolt the two ring connectors together,so I wouln't have to splice or solder them-(solenoid doesn't do anything,I just used it because it had an isulated base,and I was too cheap to buy a junction block)-now I have 2 pairs of fusible links!--double protection..I've run it that way 2 years with no trouble at all..same with all the other trucks I had..sometimes the "old" way os the better way..

 

[SUPER'BURB]

Guys thanks for your help, again.

I was able to drive my burb to work thanks to you, again.

YOU GUYS ROCK