10 replies to this topic

[H.M.M.]

Just managed to get everything connected after my engine swap.
When I turn the key and just get the solenoid click. The only electrics that where removed from the swap, was the starter, alternator, coil and dizzy. I thought the battery was too flat to turn the starter. Not the case I tried bumping it with my missus car.
Am I missing something. All the earth straps have good connections.
She fired up well before the swap too.
Any help or pointers to look at would be good.

Thanks
Paul

[Beej123]

Could just be the motor is a bit seized, give it a thwack with a piece of wood and a lump hammer and it might fire right up.

Also, when jumping, are you letting the battery charge for 5 minutes before you turn the key?

[MiniElliott]

I had this when I swapped my engine. Make sure the battey is fully charged and all conections are good. Check the solenoid itself. Mine got damaged when the engine was removed. ( Mine is mounted on the inerwing).

Did the engine turn over easily before the engine was fitted ?
Also is the starter corect for the new engine ? What type of flywheel did your old engine use ? Is it the same as the new one?

However it is most likely to be eletrical

Edited by MiniElliott, 26 August 2012 - 12:43 PM.

[H.M.M.]

Yep defo electrical.
Just removed the starter to try and release it, very smooth and easy to turn.
I was using an inertia starter which was working fine, although I have the newer engine with a pre engaged motor I swaped it to see if the starter was fubar.
Just put everything together again and lost all ignition power. The power to non Ignition (lights) work.
Is there an unline fuse that may have blown?
Also with the pre engaged starter dose it need the one power point? Like the inertia one?

Just lost for where to look, as the electric are a real mash up.

[1984mini25]

You can't swap over starter motors without swapping the flywheel/clutches as well.
But if you have gone from having a separate solenoid on the inner wing to a piggy back style, you need to do a bit of rrewiring. Or the simple way i've got round it is to leave the wing mounted solenoid as is and just make up a cable for the new starter motor.
You just join the large bolt for the main power on the stater motor with a short bit of wire to the large spade connector on the solenoid. Then everything works as normal without any major rewiring.

[tiger99]

I would suggest that you do a quick check of the battery terminals and the battery and engine earths before wasting time on anything else, as these often give trouble. Pot type battery terminals always fail sooner or later (they spread, and the self tapper is all that carries the current, badly, causing there to be power available until you turn the key, whereupon the terminal goes open circuit and power is lost temporarily) and should be replaced with the split clamp type, easily available. The battery earth to the boot floor is often corroded, and the engine earth, often at the top steady bar, is often found to be loose. Some models had it in a much better place, from a clutch housing bolt to the inner wing, and you can move it there or add a second one if in doubt.

If the battery terminals and earths are ok, next thing is to check and clean the main battery connection at the solenoid, the thick black battery cable, which will also have a bunch of brown wires on the terminal. These are the live feeds to the alternator, ignition switch and light switch etc, and are unfused. One of these brown wires may be adrift, or corroded or broken at the terminal.

Check that when you turn the key, you get 12V on all the white circuits (ignition switch controlled, no fuse).

[H.M.M.]

You just join the large bolt for the main power on the stater motor with a short bit of wire to the large spade connector on the solenoid. Then everything works as normal without any major rewiring.

What ampage wire would you use, obviously quite a high rating?

Can I not just use the bolt which holds the cable going straight to the starter?
This would save fabricating a spade connector?

[H.M.M.]

All the terminals were cleaned and wire wooled when the engine was removed. So the terminals are ok. Battery box is good.
I think I've burnt out the solenoid as I have lost all power, not even a click. But I'm getting the battery charged over night before I do anything too rash.

[MiniElliott]

You carn't swap starters between verto and pre verto flywheels (they have different ring gear). If you were using the inertia starter with the new engine (which I presume is a Verto clutch) it wouldnt be able to spin the flywheel due to the different gear. Also the pre engaged starter has the solenoid attached to the starter motor so you mat have burnt something out if you car also has a wing mounted solenoid.

[1984mini25]

Nope, if you keep the original solenoid on the inner wing all it will do is power the motor. But with the piggy back starter the solenoid also fires the starters into the ring gear. Hence why you need a short cable (I just used the heaviest guage I had) to jump the power up to the solenoid as well.

It does also mean you now have 2 solenoids, but it's a lot easier than having to extend wires or if you ever need to switch back.
But I never had any problems with doing that way, as all the wing mounted solenoid does is switch the stater on and off and the later fires the pinion into the ring gear of the flywheel.

Edited by 1984mini25, 26 August 2012 - 06:03 PM.

[tiger99]

I think it very unlikely that you have burnt out the solenoid. Is it earthed correctly? You should check that 12V does actually appear at the appropriate terminal when you turn the key to the start position. The wire is coloured white/red, and comes from the ignition switch to the coil terminal of the solenoid.