Hey all, I am in desprate need of help. I got my 1974 Nova to turn over Friday, then the starter went out. I replaced the starter hooked everything back up, and now I have no power to anything. I am 98% sure I hooked everything back up properly. At this stage I've unhooked, and rehooked, every wire relational to the battery, starter and alternator, like 60x.. All my fuses look okay, and I have yet to find anyone who owns a multimeter near me to check the wiring.. But I'm confident there is no shorts as no fuses have blown? I even tried jumping it just incase the battery was low, and nothing happens. This is my only way to work currently so I really need some help!! Any knowledge y'all got to lay on me I appriciate! -M
If you have power to the interior, but starter won't crank-
Bad or misadjusted ignition switch under the dash attached to the column.
Bad or misadjusted neutral safety switch, also under te dash on top of the column.
Misadjusted shifter collar or backdrive linkage from the transmission, so column collar is making it appear to the neutral safety switch that the car is in gear, blocking power to the starter.
If no power to interior at all, then a blown fusible link wire in the last 8" of the harness to the fuse box down at the starter.
I'm betting on the fusible link at the battery post down at the starter.
X2 two on the link being blown. You can make you own test light with a couple pieces if wire, a soldering iron and some elec tape and a taillight bulb. or buy a cheapo from the box store.
Start at the battery, test each wire ...... ie
battery pos and neg posts.... light should light
Battery cable from the battery to the starter.... at the starter ... light should light.
Wire from the battery to the alt..... at the alt... light should light etc......
when you find the other end of a wire and the light doesn't light..... bad wire.
I am done with fusible links going to the starter. I use a maxi-fuse now. It sounds like the link is blown or a wire is off the starter and you may have missed it.
Sounds to me like you forgot to hook up the main accessory wire back up when changing the starter. On a mid 70s, they were usually connected to the same lug as the big wire going to the starter. On earlier models they were connected right to the pos of the battery.
My starter has a big post, where the red pos cable connects, then 2 smaller wires that run up into the engine bay and dissapear behind the carb. One is black, and one is green *but is supposed to be yellow* do both the smaller wires go on the right post on the starter?? Sorry haha, I'm new to the V8 scene..
Green wire goes on inboard small stud closest to the block, the other to the outboard small post.
There should also be one or more Red or Orange wires with a large ring end connected along with the positive cable from the battery to the large post on the starter.
Sounds ignition related. Most HEI distributors i'm accustomed to will have the battery wire (which you have connected), an ignition wire that runs from the 'S' post of starter to your ignition, and if you're running a neutral safety switch (which will cause a no start condition if switch or wire bad), there should be a wire running from it to the starter. Have you tried jumping the starter with a screwdriver?
Alright guys, I ended up getting it figured out. Somewhere along the line another wire got yanked out closer to the cab when I was pulling the old starter. Thanks so much for all your help!!
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