Ok...big problem... I just got a new carb 350 in the car.
SO! problem no.1 when you go to start the car, cold, the starter chugs
about 2 times before it spins faster and starts the engine. after it runs for 5 mins if you shut it off it the starter will keep chugging and not want to start again. also smoke comes from the solenoid if you try to start it when its hot. I replaced the starter 2 times already and its still the same problem although a little better now. I went and had the alternator checked and its good. I was driving the car for a while and it died on me when I was on the freeway, the car was getting spark in and out but it eventually died. I left it on the road for about 3 hours came back and it started again and I limped it back home. I replaced the ground and ignition cables because at first I thought it was a grounding problem.

Problem no.2 today I took the car to oriellys to see if I fixed the problem with the new starter and to buy a new fan belt. while I was replacing the belt some random smoke came up from the starter area when I moved the wire to the alternator. Now my car has no power whatsoever, acc, starter ect. now I am going to guess that this is just because the fusible links on the starter shorted out because I put the wires to close to each other.
The problem about the chugging starter and the intermittent ignition still remain. I am going to put a new ignition switch in and a new neutral safety switch and see what happens.

Any other ideas? Thanks for the help guys.

**edit** forgot to mention it has a new battery and when I was at oriellys they checked the ignition system and it was low voltage at first but went up to normal after it ran for a minute.

another edit. The volts gauge reads between fifteen and eighteen (I think those are the numbers at least)

Little shame pic of lucy

 

Check that your flywheel & starter gear gap is right.
Check the wires to te starter--make sure they are right.
Do you have any wires pinched between the starter & motor? Any wires melted to the exhaust?
What kind of starter is it-- stock replacement, aftermarket, aftermarket mini, aftermarket high-torque?

Volts are BETWEEN 15 to 18??

I don't see how a new neutral safety switch would help, unless it's not working at all.

ALWAYS disconnect the NEG battery cable when you're working with the electric stuff.

What modifications have been done to the car?

 

Only mod is a new 350 engine. I disconnected the battery when I installed the starter. The wires are connected properly because no.1 I drove the car on its own power to the place it died and no.2 it has done the same thing with 2 separate starters. the starters were stock replacements. The volts on the car not running with acc on is 13, when cranking it drops to 11 or lower and when running it goes up and down from 18 to 15. The wires are not burnt up from what I can tell.

**edit** I guess that no.2 does not really make sense....but it did the same thing even when I got it back from the mechanic and we KNOW it was wired right then.

 

Gremlins should be !!
Sorry but that's the extent of my .

Yup, Lucy is a nice & clean looking ol' gal!!
Good luck

 

Lol thanks I have been working pretty hard on her. one way or the other I will get this sorted out but thanks for the help!

 

Update... OK so I am still having some problems...

The problems that still remain are a blowing fusible link and a slow starter. Now for the HUGE story.
After I got it back from the parts store I replaced the ignition switch and the neutral safety switch. Tried to start it, the starter did the usual "spin slow then speed up" thing. Started fine but the volts gauge pegged out at 18. stopped the engine...Dead fusible link going from the starter to the alternator. Just for giggles I stuck a jumper cable to the frame then to the engine block, No more blowing out alternator link. I put on a grounding strap from the engine to the frame. Seemed to solve the problem. I notice that my harness is now sparking off of the engine block, my brilliant brain decided for me to take it for a ride on the freeway. Blew the fuse again and replace the fuse on the highway. Bring it home replace the crappy metal heat tape I used to cover my wires with electrical tape and solve the sparking problem. Take the car for a drive, seems fine. end up at autozone to get some stuff... slow starter again to the point it did not want to start. Get a guy out there with an analyzer to check the system = new alternator. Somehow get it started and bring it home. new alternator installed and now I am having my damn fusible link blowing again. the car will start but once it is running the link blows immediately. It looks like the wiring has been modified in a big way up by the distributor. There are 2 red wires coming from the starter... One goes to the ignition switch and one goes into a mess of 4 other wires. two of those wires are the charging and battery terminals of the alternator, another wire goes to the blower motor relay? and the other goes to some weird *** pigtail that looked like an ecm deal. I am going to try to put the wires back where they belong next.

Does anyone have any ideas? I am really getting tired of this stuff...

Btw I already replaced the wires from the top of the engine down so there is no way that there are melted wires or anything down there.