Yarf

The post with the braided wire on it is the output of the solenoid. When the solenoid is energized 12VDC is passed from the solenoid contacts to the starter motor. The is a low resistance path to ground the motor windings. If you have checked the wires, cables and grounds from my earlier post I would take the starter back and have it checked. BTW if the starter is not loaded during test the test will not indicate starter performance while installed under load.

peanut

have you checked with the cables disconnected from the starter ?
Have you checked both the old and new starter ? Do they give the same readings ?

EJnMN

Got a new starter... that didn't help. I did some experimentation last night. Made a rubber insulator with gasket material so that the only thing that stuck through it on the installed starter was the positive pole off the starter... so that I wouldn't short it out some how.

1. Figured I would just isolate the main wire from the battery to see if it was the problem. Used jumper cable positive side to run power from the positive pole of the battery directly to the positive pole on the starter. Left everything else wired normally, so the solenoid would engage. Exact same results. Sound that you'd get if you turned the crank over manually and relatively quickly for one revolution. No real motor noise, no spinning noise. Same as all the other times.

2. Took a 450amp jump starter and hooked it up, positive to the positive pole on the starter, negative to the frame, turned it on, tried to start it. Same thing. Same results, Same sounds.

3. Drove the truck up and connected the jumper cables from the trucks battery... positive to the positive pole on the starter, negative to the frame. Ditto, exact same.

Out of ideas now. Started thinking back to ground... like the ground on the battery... but if that were the case, attempts 2 and 3, above, would have circumvented that problem. It's not like the motor isn't getting spark... doesn't rotate enough to tell if it has spark or not... but was running on the push start when parked. It was running weird when parked... like not holding idle without revving a little... not terribly, but noticably off... I figued it was just due to some flaw in the starter or something like that. If it was something from the starter wire to the alternator or something else, the motor would turn over and over and over and just not start... no where close to that... maybe one revolution per try.

The engine does turn manually... its not seized. I set a torque wrench at 50 lbs (lowest it would go) and it turned the engine without clicking.

peanut

Have you tried to bypass the engine to chassis earth strap yet ?
You need to use the heavy duty cables and crocodile clips that are used to attach a battery from another car when you 'jump start' a car.

Open the bonnet and put one connector on the top of the engine and one on the bodywork where you can get a good connection to bare metal like the nuts on the strut turret

Until you do this I cannot help further I'm afraid.

EJnMN

Peanut is the winner!

Took a jumper cable and connected a couple different engine spots to a couple different ground spots. Turns over and starts.

Should have read more carefully the first time! I figured that what I was doing with the others to ground would have sufficed, but I see now the error in my ways.

Thanks Peanut!!

EJnMN

D'oh... found the source of the problem.

When I replaced the air oil separator, I reassembled the grounding strap on TOP of the plastic AOS leg instead of under it. Worked for a while through the bolt, but must have jiggled to the point it didn't connect that way.

Easy fix.

peanut

well done got there in the end. The important thing is you're car is running again.
Always do the simple checks first .
Post a pic of ya car sometime

EJnMN

Not a picture from this season, but one of the track liveries I've had. See also the Avatar. The colors are from some really wide vinyl tape I found on line. I've got Fuchs for the road, black cookies for the track. Just DE at this point... haven't got the money for extensive track time.

peanut

very nice, understated graphics and black always looks good on a 944 doesn't it
Glad you've got it running again.