Help me fix my large pile of crap - Part 2

[turbodaytona87]

Ok, so I park my car, run inside and am back out in 2-3 minutes. I turn the key to the on position and the fan starts running (normal, it was warm), I turn the key to start and "click". Tried a couple of times again, still click. Only the starter seems to be having issues, so I back the car down the driveway, then head down the street and pop the cluctch. Everything was running fine for a couple of miles, then all power dropped out a couple of times but it came right back. I turn the corner, and bam, and completely dead. Nothing, no radio, dash, hazards, seats, windows, etc. I'm almost certain its a dead short, moving the battery cable around to take it off the battery (key off) make a ton of heavy sparking.

Is it possible for the starter to short out internally? What else could short out without blowing a fuse? Alternator?

[moparman76_69]

Check the harness on the passenger side near the engine pulleys. At SDAC last year we had a car acting up during cornering. It ended up being the harness rubbing on the power steering pump pulley and shorting out.

[turbodaytona87]

I'll double check, but the car was acting up on the straight road as well.

[supercrackerbox]

Somewhere a major power source is either shorting to ground, or a major ground is losing and regaining contact with the motion of the car.

Did you ever get a fire extinguisher for your car?

[turbodaytona87]

Not yet, and I'm almost certain its power to ground shorting. The battery terminal crackled like hell when I pulled it off. I'm going to test the main power feeds for a short and go from there.

[86Shelby]

That sucks. Definitely get the extinguisher.

[turbodaytona87]

I will

I pulled off the power feeds and started seeing which one showed no resistance to ground. It was the starter feed. When I pulled the starter out, the starter power feed was completely broken off the solenoid, and the solenoid looked burned. I wonder if the solenoid shorted out or something? Either way, getting a new starter because I don't know whether its the solenoid or the motor. getting myself a nice Nippon starter rather than this heavy beast.

[turbodaytona87]

Well I guess not. Apparently we live in a world where, "Its a Nippon. $25, ready to go" means "Its a Bosch, its not pulled, and there are 5 cars ahead of it for processing so we don't know when the starter is available"

Thank you, Jim Defreece Auto Parts


Edit: Using a different interchange, I found another Nippon locally.

[supercrackerbox]

They made a smaller Bosch for the later years as well, but I like the ND better. I don't think it's really any lighter than the big Bosch, but it's certainly easier to R&R.

[turbodaytona87]

Yeah I picked up a used ND for $35, compared to my big Bosch, this thing is a light weight and much smaller

[86Shelby]

They also sound cooler.

GEAR REDUCTION!

/Roo6.x

[supercrackerbox]

True story.

[turbodaytona87]

If nothing else, it seems to spin the engine over faster