March 26, 2025
Welcome back, everyone! I trust you had a great winter! What a world we’re in now, huh? Nevertheless, the fun continues!
Join me as the summer progresses!
-BK
Well, Emma decided to throw another tantrum.
For those following along, Emma is my 1965 Mustang with a 289 V8 and a 1970 RUG-AV 4-speed Toploader transmission swap. This week’s drama? A starter that just won’t crank.
Symptoms:
- Turn the key: CLICK-CLUNK. No vroom vroom
- Power to the cabin vanishes after the failed attempt
- Manually jumping 12V to the S-terminal: same CLICK-CLUNK – No vroom vroom
- Bench test of the starter manually connected to 12V: spins like a champ – starter is OEM, shown above from 1962
- Engine crank turns manually and I can watch the flywheel move, so it’s not seized
- Battery holds 12.6V, even during ignition attempts—no voltage drop
What this tells me:
- Starter motor is good
- Solenoid clicks, but doesn’t pass current under load
- Battery and starter ground connections might be suspect
The smoking gun?
When I manually triggered the solenoid with a jumper wire, I got the same CLICK-CLUNK but no vroom vroom. So, the solenoid energizes, but the high-current contacts inside MIGHT NOT be closing properly.
Combine that with the fact that I’m sometimes losing all cabin power after the attempt, and it’s pointing squarely at the solenoid or a high-resistance main power connection.
Next steps:
- Clean and check every ground and power connection on the starter and put it back in
- Replace yet another solenoid with a high-quality unit (on the way!)
- Possibly upgrade the starter to a modern high-torque unit
- Pray to the Lord Baby Jesus that it’s not the battery – which is basically brand new
Moral of the story: just because something goes CLICK CLUNK with no vroom vroom doesn’t mean it’s doing the damn job.
Stay tuned for the next episode of “Emma vs. My Sanity.”
#Mustang #1965Mustang #StarterTroubles #ToploaderSwap #OldCarLife
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