8N electrical problem? won't crank

[Uncle Bob]

When I try to start all I get is a click that is likely the starter solenoid. I don't get repeated loud clicks...just one quiet click. I have replaced: Battery, Starter solenoid, Starter, Starter switch, wiring harness. I have jumped the starter and verified that it works. I have cleaned the housing where the starter connects to make sure there is a ground. I checked and cleaned all connections when replaced the wiring. Once I jumped from the battery to the starter and it cranked slowly, but only got the crank with the jumper cable.
Any ideas??? Please!!

 

[Ross Pugh(NC)]

It sure sounds like you have a almost dead battery, or a bad connection somewhere.

 

[old]

Poor connections on the battery cables and or your cables are just plain bad. Cables can look just fine but inside be bad and you can't see that. Also your cables need to be heavy ones not the one you buy for a car or truck you need 0 or 00 cables
Hobby farm

 

[Peter, Covington, LA]

When you get those repeated clicks you refer to, it means the battery has enough juice to pull in the solenoid, but as soon as the load of the starter hits the voltage goes to zero, the solenoid relaxes, and the cycle repeats....rather quickly.

If you're getting only one click, it means that the solenoid is pulling in, but not energizing the starter for some reason.

On the other hand, the solenoid's click should be quite loud. You refer to a rather soft click. That could be the internals of the switch, not the solenoid itself.

Try this: Use your jumper cable to jump across the solenoid. If the starter spins, it means the solenoid isn't making connection. There could be two reasons: The solenoid is faulty, or it's wired wrong.

The coil of the solenoid picks up its "hot" juice from the Battery terminal on one side of its case. Your starter switch, connected to the small terminal, supplies "ground" to the other side of the coil, energizing the solenoid which makes a circuit across the two big lugs.

If you have the battery connected to the lug that should be the output, then the solenoid coil is getting ground from the starter switch, but not hot juice from the battery.

If your solenoid has two small lugs, then it's the kind that was used on later autos (the explanation is lengthy), and you should try moving your starter switch wire to the other small terminal.

By the way, if jumping from battery to starter gives you a slow spin, it probably means the jumper cable can't handle the amperage. Jumper cables, of the homeowner variety, are designed to handle only enough juice to charge one battery from another car's alternator, and can rarely handle the load of a starter, much less a 6 volt starter which draws twice the amperage of a 12 volt.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Thanks for the detailed advice. I'll double check the install of the solenoid. and jump across if I have to. If the install is correct and the jump again tries to crank the engine...what would be the next step?

 

[Anonymous-0]

when you push the start button and it clicks, hold it in about 20 seconds, then immediately feel of both battery cables and if either one is hot, then you most likely have bad cables, or bad connections. RP

 

[Danny in CO]

UB,

I agree with OLD below. Check your battery cables. They should be either the braided wire type or about as big as your thumb (0 or 00 gauge). Also, be sure that your connections are "clean, bright, & tight". Typically when a solinoid just clicks, it can be a bad battery, bad cables, or a stuck starter. Since you say it will crank using jumpers cables, that seems to eliminate a stuck starter and bad battery.

Also, you say you changed the solinoid. Are you sure you got the correct solinoid?

Good luck,
Danny

 

[Don B]

If the install is correct and the jump again tries to crank the engine...what would be the next step?

Replace tjhe solenoid.....there are plenty of new bad solenoids out there. don b

 

[Dunk]

Have you tried bumping the starter on the side with a hammer when you push the button?

It has werked many times fer me.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Locked starter comes to mind.Dead spot on the starter armature.Jumping the solenoid with a cable should make it crank.

 

[Kenster]

Don, did you have any luck getting it started? My 8n did that a couple of months ago. I remembered a 73 Maverick my wife had when we met doing the same thing. I'd whack the starter with a hammer and it would fire right up. Tried it with my 8n and got the same result, though I used a rubber hammer on my tractor, which I treat a lot better than I did my brides old Maverick.