Re: starter problems
There's a big difference in starter motor turning effort for a motor with and without spark plugs. So even a poor starting system will turn over a motor without plugs.<br /><br />It's a bit hard to follow your voltage measurements. Are you saying that you measured 13V at the battery side of the solenoid and 4.7V at the starter motor terminal but only 0.3V across the solenoid? If that was the case you would be dropping 8V in the cable between the solenoid & the starter motor which suggests a bad connection & a lot of heat somewhere!<br /><br />Looks like you have either a bad solenoid or a bad cable or connection somewhere. Measuring from a good earth or perferably directly from the battery -ve terminal, work through the system and measure the voltage at each point in the circuit while cranking the motor under load: battery +, solenoid battery side, solenoid starter motor side, starter motor +ve terminal and starter motor case. The difference between these measurements will tell you where the volts are being dropped.<br /><br />You need more than about 9.5V directly across the starter motor for it to operate correctly. Any bad connections will also be getting hot so that will give you a clue. Make sure your battery is in good shape. The battery voltage shouldn't drop too low when cranking.<br /><br />Check your earth connection on your starter motor also. If this is bad, you should read a voltage on the starter motor case.
