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1965 chevelle not getting any juice

5K views 23 replies 8 participants last post by  EOD Guy 
#1 ·
I have a 65 chevelle that I have never had electrical issues with before. A couple of days ago I started it up and pulled out of the garage where it died (from not being warmed up, I think). When I went to start it again I had power at the key (light on gauge when key turned to on) but no sound from starter at all. I checked for loose wires around the starter but found nothing. I had a new starter laying around waiting to be put on the car so I replaced the starter and tried again, nothing. I have checked for a loose or burnt wire but can't find anything. Fuses look good too. Any advice? Thanks
 
#6 ·
Here's how I'd trouble shoot......

Verify you have 12v at the starter..... cable may be bad

Take a screwdriver and very carefully jump the small "S" terminal on the starter to the lg (battery cable) stud if it turns over you have an issue with the "S" terminal wire, it should be purple.

Find your NSS (neutral safety switch) verify you have 12v on the column side of the switch when the key is in the start position, if you have 12v..... unplug the NSS and put a temp jumper connecting the two wires, if it turns over you have a bad NSS.

If you don't have 12v on the column side of the NSS, the wire leading to the ing switch might have an issue It should be connected to the "SOL" terminal on the ing switch, if the wire has good continuity .... might be your ing switch or the pwr supply, should be red.

If you have 12v on the column side of the NSS and when the key is in the start position, you get 12v on the eng side of the NSS..... the purple wire has a break in it some where between the solenoid and the NSS. Sometimes the bulk head connector on the fire wall gets crud in it and the terminals may need cleaning.

Hop that helps
 
#8 ·
Chevy starter wiring trouble

ok guys tell me what is going on. Car was starting just fine for the last year, then the other day i turn the key and get nothing. I traced the wires around and everything seems to be fine. I have power to the entire car, I have power from the battery to the starter. Also have power at the starter end of the purple wire when I turn the key to start. The starter does nothing. I had a new starter ready to install so I went ahead and put it in and still nothing.
The part that doesnt make sense to me is when I am testing where current is going (using a simple current tester with the grounding wire and light in the handle) when I touch the tester to the positive post on the starter then to the "S" post where the purple wire is to be attached my light turns on. To me this means the "S" post is grounded out. Someone please tell me what is going on before I lose my mind! I am getting the same readings from both starters.
Thanks
 
#15 ·
Before you go buying a lot of stuff.........

Verify the pos and neg battery posts are clean, physically scrape them all the way around the posts....... if that doesn't work.

Take a jumper cable and hook it to the pos post on the batt and the other end on the lg starter lug..... if it works, bad batt cable.

Temp swap the battery out with a known good one etc....
 
#20 ·
You know, it may not entirely be the battery.
Check the lugs of the old battery and the cable ends for ANY corrosion. Sometimes swapping batteries, just cleans the attach points just enough to let the current start flowing.
Were you doing your checking with a test light, or did you have a volt meter? If it had 12 volts at the starter, but it didn't crank, it means you didn't have enough current.

I like to test for current before I start changing components with a good load of some sort. It doesn't take much to light up a test light, so its not a good indicator of the electrical system at the component. I like using an old sealed headlight bulb. If I have 12v at the plug, but it won't work, I'll just plug in the headlight to see if I am getting enough current at the plug. If it lights up the headlight, you have sufficient current and the component is bad. If the light does not come on, its in the wiring and not the component.
This method has kept me from replacing GOOD parts, because of bad wiring many times. I have all my guys checking window motors and electric fuel pumps this way BEFORE they start tearing it out.
It takes two seconds and I don't have to explain to the customer why we changed out a perfectly good fuel pump, window motor, lock solenoid, etc, because of a shorted wire or corroded connector.
Just an FYI.
 
#21 ·
It was prob the battery....... but check your voltage across the battery post with it not running..... should be 12 to 13 volts, then ck it with the motor running.. should be 13 to 14 volts. If you don't get a change, it's the alt or exciter wire going to the alt.
 
#22 ·
Second that had problem before in my 64 chevelle new auto wire changed batts worked batt would go dead back to square one alternator nope salt and batt for awhile then again no power ended up being power wire to batt had fusable link and broke just enough cut it where break was works perfect now have 3 batts an 4 extra alts in my garage
 
#24 ·
NOT under any circumstances should you ever disconnect the neg batt cable to ck the alt! The alt wasn't designed to handle the entire load, and you may fry some components when the battery is disconnect and the is a huge surge on the system. The battery acts sort of like an electrical shock absorber.

We all have done it in the past and have gotten away with it, but it really hard on the system.

Much better to use the multi-meter method
 
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