i've got this odd electrical problem... i put in a new starter in my 86 camaro (has a 305 lg4), because the old one cracked and quit on me. Now with the new starter in, I've had a few different things happen. Sometimes, it starts as it should. Another time, the battery light stayed dimly lit, but the car started and the light stayed on. Then later without changing anything, the car started without any problems. Then on my last try starting the car, it tried to turn over, but didn't, so I turned the ignition off and took the key out, but it kept trying to turn over itself without the key in. It completely drained the battery (to .6 v) and did so very quickly. Could there be some kind of short in the new starter causing this? Or could it be something in the ignition? Anything else I should look at?

 

Check your wiring to it. Also, do you have the purple wire (wire with small lug) going to the post marked "S"?

 

I'll check again, but I matched the wiring to the way it is on my 85...

 

Just picked up a new starter for my 305. the old starter was never hooked up when i got the car, so i never got to see how the wiring was on it. this new one has three posts. the one big one for the battery, and the two other big lug wires on there. A small post with an S which i hooked the purple wire off the harness to. Then another small post labeled (i think) D. I think that goes to the distributor. my engine won't turn over, click or nothing. WTF?!?!?! do i need a wire running to the dist just to crank it over? what am i doing wrong? even if i take a screwdriver and put it across the big post and the small "S" post, it sparks a little but still nothing. The battery reads 12.44V with nothing, then when i touch the S on the solinoid it slowly goes to about 12.37V. WTF IS GOING ON?!?!?! im getting so very frustrated its killing me.

 

Hey Need4Speed1387,

How is that car coming along? That second small post is marked "R", it is for a remote starter unit. You should have two to three wires with the large terminal lugs besides the battery cable. Have you checked the fusible links on those other wires with the big lugs? They all go on the top big post and the lower post is the strap for the starter. No wires go from the starter to the distributor. Did you require any shims when you installed the starter?

 

What is this top and bottom big post you're talking about? do you just mean the battery wire goes on before the others? What's the strap for the starter? im so confused. I didn't need any shims, i checked the clearance between the flexplate and it's fine. what bothers me is that if i run a wire strait from the battery to the S post it doesn't do anything.how can i bypass all of the ignition and just turn the starter over?

The car is ready to drive, just having these little stupid problems holding me up. Got the engine bay painted all black and it looks awesome!!! got some pics but i dunno how to reduce the filesize.

thanks for the help

 

I may have mis-worded my post. On the starter solenoid, You have the two small posts marked "R" & "S". You have the big stud and below it is a post with a threaded hole in it. The battery cable and the wires with the fusible links go on the big stud. There is a brass or copper stand-off post (either a short or long one) that goes between that post with the threaded hole and the strap on the starter. A bolt goes through the strap & stand-off post connecting them to the starter solenoid. This strap I'm talking about is actually two straps on some starters and are called the series and shunt coil connectors that connect to the brushes around the armature inside the starter.

 

All the fusible links are fine, and the purple wire shows 12 volts when key's in start. everything is hooked up as you said, but yet i still have nothing. i am so aggrevated right now i need to go break stuff.

 

I'm not saying that this is the case here, but we might be looking in the wrong direction. we are assuming that the problem is the starter. Have you looked at the ignition switch being bad or out of adjustment, P/N switch being out of adjustment, 20 amp fuse on the sidewall being blown, gear lever not fully in park. All these conditions will keep power from going to the starter when the key is turned. If it is a manual, there is the clutch neutral switch. Just a couple of thoughts I had.

 

yeah the starter is getting all the voltage it needs. when the key is turned to start it gets about 12.3 volts at the purple wire. that to me means it should crank over. even when i bridge the gap with a screwdriver it makes a little spark but still nothing.

thanks for all the help

 

Okay, is the solenoid any good or maybe a bad starter out of the box. It has been known to happen and I hate it when it happens to me. Especially when I have put several hours, numerous cuts & bruises, cramped muscles to take it apart and put it back together only to find out the part they sold me was bad. I definitely feel for you man.

 

could bad fusible links cause the problems i'm having? i couple of my fusible link wires are frayed but they're not touching anything, which i know isnt good, but would this cause the eratic starting problems i've got? where would i look if there was an ignition problem? If I remember right, i got 2 attached wires that go to one post on the starter with fusible links in the hood compartment, the positive cable on the big post, and a black one with a red stripe on a small post.

 

Yes, the fusible links could give a problem like that. The black/red cable coming off your battery cable goes to the alternator. You can also check the ignition switch which is mounted on the side of the steering column, the ignition module in the distributor, the ignition coil.