# Starter Problem



## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Guys,

See if you can figure this one out. 

69 GTO, 461 Stroker engine.
In order to start the big engineI have a really nice mini starter made by CVR. 
It was shimmed correctly and attached to the engine. 
Car battery is brand new AC Delco with 850 CCA and 1090 CA. 
I have a remote selanoid mounted next to the battery.

When starting the vehicle the experience is very similar to what it is like when your battery is almost dead but has just enough power to start the engine.

When the engine is struggling to start I usually hear several loud cliciking sounds like the starter is engaging the flywheel and then pulling back and then banging back into the flywheel. Today I actually heard it grind because it engaged the flywheel, then backed out and then engaged it again.

I know the battery is good and I know the starter and remote selanoid are wired correcly. What could be causing this?

-JW


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

When you've eliminated all of the impossible, that which remains - however unlikely - must be the cause. If you're sure everything else is "right", then it must be the starter.

Go get yourself a reman factory starter and install it - see if the problem goes away. If you have headers on the car this could be a major pain. I bought a backup mini-starter (Summit house brand) for my car to have on-hand "just in case" because installing a factory starter would be a huge job on my car with the combination of the headers and the Milodon kick-out pan.

Bear


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Is it possible that the remote solenoid is too weak for my starter? I don't know anything about selanoids.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

I s'pose it's possible. Has it ever worked right? A solenoid is really just a big switch - a relay. It uses a small amount of power/current to engage a big honking amount of power/current to operate the starter. I suppose if the contacts inside were extremely burned/pitted/dirty they wouldn't be able to pass enough power to fully engage the starter.

Bear


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

It was working fine with my stock starter and 455 engine. As soon as I put in the 461 and the mini starter I started having this problem. Everything is wired exactly the same as it was with the stock starter and the 455. Do selanoids come in different power ratings? Maybe the mini starter requires a more powerful solenoid.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Nah, if anything they don't need as much of one because they're usually a reduction gear drive starter instead of direct drive like the factory one, so they don't pull as much current. That the factory starter was working ok is even more evidence that the problem is in the new starter.

Bear


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Did you re-measure and re-shim for the mini-starter? If you didn't and just used the same shims you used for the factory starter, that could also be the problem.

Bear


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

jtwoods4,

A few other things to check;

Are your ground connections good and attached metal to metal?
Is the block grounded?
Are the + and - battery cables new?
Try connecting a set of jumper cables from the battery + to the solenoid parallel to your positive battery cable and attach the neg jumper cable to the battery - and the other side to the block. Try to start the engine. Then touch the other side of the solenoid which goes to the starter with the + jumper cable and see if the starter acts the same while bypassing the solenoid.


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Yes the engine block is grounded. I connected the same grounding cables that were on my 455 engine before I did the engine swap. Everything is connected exactly the same as the old engine. I will try your suggestions tomorrow afternoon.


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## hayes68gto (Jun 19, 2012)

*Ground*

I had the same issue. The ground cable was the issue. I changed the ground cable and created a better grounding point and it worked fine.


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Is there a way I can test ground? Some sort of meter or device?


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Use a standard volt meter and place the positive lead of the meter on your positive battery terminal and touch the negative lead of the meter to the block, core support, frame and firewall, verify you have the same voltage that you read when touching the negative battery terminal.

You may still read voltage with a loose connection and under load not have enough current to start the engine.


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Okay thank you I want to test everything before buying a new starter


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Well I tested all the grounds and they are good. Climbed under the car to check the starter connections and low and behold, one of the starter moutning bolts had come loose. One of the bolts that holds the starter to the mounting block had also come loose. Unfortunately I have to drop the tranny and remove the bellhousing to adjust


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Oops my mistake I can just drop the starter and then tighten the front mounting bolts..... duh


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## jtwoods4 (Dec 22, 2011)

Sorry guys, a loose starter. Such an amateur mistake. Now that I have it tightened I will see if I have the same issues.


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