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65 Mustang No Crank

5K views 28 replies 13 participants last post by  baloo 
#1 ·
I have read and troubleshot all the suggested, but I am legit losing my mind over this. I just put a 302 in the 65 and when I turn the key, I get the loud click in the solenoid. I bypassed the neutral safety as I now have a T5. I have 12v on the battery side of the solenoid; when key turns I have 12V at the starter post. I have replaced the starter. I have sanded and replaced the block ground. I still get one click and nothing. This is my first build, not new to working on cars, but this one has me scratching my head.

I am thinking the solenoid is good if I am getting the click and 12V to the starter.
 
#2 ·
1. So the starter does not turn at all, but you hear the solenoid click
2. ...and you have replaced the starter..., and your battery is strong..
3. If so, i'm sure that you have made sure that the engine turns easily when you put a socket on the crank....such that you know it's not frozen or too hard to turn...
4. If #1-3 are true, I feel your pain. I dont have anything.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I had a similar problem a few times. I thought it was the solenoid so I bought a Standard products solenoid. Same thing...click. I tested the battery with a voltage meter and it showed 12 volts. I kept checking all the connections. I finally inspected the ignition switch and found that the connector the is secured on the post on the back of the ignition switch with a nut, the nut was loose and wouldn't carry enough power to start the car although, the dash lights and fuel gauge would work when I turned the key to on. I tightened the nut and the car started, The most recent time (last summer) it turned out the battery would show a 12 volt charge on the meter, it had an internal short and would handle the load when turning the key. I took the battery to Walmart and had it tested the test result showed the faulty cell. I replaced it with a Walmart battery, no more click. It started right up. Another time is was a dirty battery cable connection, and another time it was a bad cable from the battery to the solenoid. The cable looked good on the outside but there was green corrosion under the insulation.
 
#5 ·
I had a similar problem a couple of times. I thought it was the solenoid so I bought a Standard products solenoid. Same thing...click. I tested the battery with a voltage meter and it showed 12 volts. I kept checking all the connections. I finally inspected the ignition switch and found that the connector the is secured on the post on the back of the ignition switch with a nut, the nut was loose and wouldn't carry enough power to start the car although, the dash lights and fuel gauge would work when I turned the key to on. I tightened the nut and the car started, The most recent time (last summer) it turned out the battery would show a 12 volt charge on the meter, it had an internal short and would handle the load when turning the key. I took the battery to Walmart and had it tested the test result showed the faulty cell. I replaced it with a Walmart battery, no more click. It started right up.

Will be trying tonight
 
#8 ·
Are you have the right blocking plate for your flywheel? If you have a new trans or motor, could have the wrong blocking plate for the flywheel. Some blockign plates have multiple mounting points for the starter...

Have you tried jump-starting to rule out a bad battery that cannot carry the load? You can try running positive to the small terminal on the solenoid to bypass the ignition switch, I think you power the S terminal but it won't hurt anything if you power the wrong terminal.

You can also try running a jumper cable from the solenoid to the starter, or from ground to the motor, or positive to the solenoid to rule out a bad cable end.

That's about all I got...
 
#9 ·
Do you have the correct flywheel installed? Another test is to pull the starter but leave the wiring connection on it. Ground the starter to the block with a jumper cable and see if the starter gear spins. You should be able to hear it from inside the car or grab a friend and have them listen for the starter whine.
 
#10 ·
I vote for a bad/corroded cable, either battery to solenoid or solenoid to starter. Sure, your VOM will show 12V passing through the cable but maybe only one single strand of wire out of the dozens inside that cable is carrying the 12V. And I guarantee you a single strand of wire that carries 12V won't turn a starter.
 
#11 ·
Are you sure you have the correct wires shorted together to bypass the neutral safety switch? I had this same problem when I installed a TL in my auto car. I had the wrong wires shorted. I did a complete write up on it and posted here. I’ll try to find the thread.
 
#14 ·
Had a similar problem on my friends XJ.
He bought a reman starter from Autozone a few months ago then started having problems again. Brought the starter back to AZ where they tested it And said it was good.
Battery fully charged And tested good.
We put it back on the engine. Solenoid would click but not spin. Pulled it out and tested the starter with battery and jumper cables. Worked perfectly.
Replaced cable from battery to starter.
Checked voltage.
Checked grounds.
All good.
Got a NEW starter from AZ. Finally it worked, started, and ran perfectly.

Personally I think parts from autozone are crap.
 
#16 ·
My first test would be to connect a jumper cable to the starter side of the solenoid, then touch it to the positive side of the battery. The starter should engage the flywheel with a clank. Then try to turn the engine with a wrench on the crankshaft bolt. If you can turn it, then hold the jumper cable on the positive side of the battery to see if the starter will turn the engine. You may have to pull the spark plugs if this is a new rebuild. This takes away the compression resistance to the starter. You may have to do this to be able to turn the engine with the crank bolt.
 
#18 ·
If you can't turn the engine by hand (with the plugs out), your starter won't be able to turn it. If you can't turn it by the crank bolt, why not? If the engine & trans are installed, the trans torque converter may be locking up the front trans pump and locking up your engine. One step at a time, starting from square one.
 
#23 ·
I have read and troubleshot all the suggested, but I am legit losing my mind over this. I just put a 302 in the 65 and when I turn the key, I get the loud click in the solenoid. I bypassed the neutral safety as I now have a T5. I have 12v on the battery side of the solenoid; when key turns I have 12V at the starter post. I have replaced the starter. I have sanded and replaced the block ground. I still get one click and nothing. This is my first build, not new to working on cars, but this one has me scratching my head.

I am thinking the solenoid is good if I am getting the click and 12V to the starter.
Make sure your transmission is in neutral and jump the battery side post of the solenoid to the small terminal closest to it, if it doesn't crank, the starter or the solenoid is probably bad.
Take the starter to AutoZone and have them test it. IF something is wired up wrong you might be hearing your voltage regulater clicking.
 
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