CSX 3288 won't start!!!

[Jim Maxwell]

OK, help me sort this out. The car has been in storage for the winter and I owe several folks pictures of various parts they have asked me about many moons ago. So I finally go get the car out of storage and it won't start. Turn the key, get a fast clicking sound from the relay, but no starter. Sounds like a low battery. So I use jumper cables, that doesn't work, I use one of those portable battery gadgets and that doesn't work, I check all the connections, and even trickle charge the battery and it still does the same thing. Bad battery? Bad starter? Bad relay? Bad cable? (it does still have the original battery cables, amazingly, with the Fomoco labels and all). Any help appreciated. It's a minor production to coordinate getting to the car, so I don't want to have to make too many more trips to get it going. Thanks!

[John Martin]

maybe some bangs on the starter , sounds like it is not engaging

[Tout]

Replace the battery and clean the cable ends, sometimes a dead battery will not let a charge go thru the system. When in storage take the battery out and put on a charger that will keep it a peak charge .
Tout

[weekendwarrior]

Put a volt meter on the battery, could of lost a cell. What type of battery wet,agm,gel? Good ground? If wet cell does it have water?

[SCOBRAC]

check for loose or more likely corroded connections all the amprage in a battery, trickle charger, jumper cables or voltmeters are useless without a clean connection.

[Excaliber]

Because of the production required to get to the car take a new/good battery fully charged for sure. Mount it temporary if you have to. I would check the battery end connections, not just ON the battery post but where the cable goes into the battery cable end connector.

Solenoid is also suspect, there cheap and fairly quick to replace/rewire temporarily. Just get the "standard" Ford solenoid like just about every Ford made in the 60's, 70's and 80's used!

The "clicking" sound indicates a bad connection somewhere (at the bat posts most likely) or a bad solenoid. Could well be the battery is "done" and WON'T take/hold a charge.

Very unlikely the starter AT THIS POINT because the solenoid has not yet engaged to provide POWER to the starter.

[RICK LAKE]

Jim Maxwell Jim did you try and jump start the cobra with another car or truck running with a GOOD set of battery cables? What Happens?? If it is fast clicking, with the car running put the cobra in neutral, parking brake on the take the pos cable and hit the S terminal and starter terminal at the same time. The starter motor should crank the motor, if not you need a starter. Get a gear reduction one, they crank a little slower but are stronger. Have you checked the fluids? Are they all full?? Try and turn the crank over by HAND wrench, make sure it moves. If not put all the spark plugs and crank it over, UNHOOK the coil and fuel FIRST. Let us know what happens. Rick Lake

[trularin]

Check the cables at the solinoid. Or, for a little over ten dollars, replace the solinoid and see if it still has a problem. If the battery is charged and good as you indicate, then you have a problem delivering current to the starter.

Just my opinion and I can't spell.

[wilf leek]

All these potential electrical problems, and not once has anyone blamed we poor Brits or Lucas.

How very gratifiying.

Luck Jim. BTW, is it the stator?

[Ron61]

Jim,

If the solenoid is easy to get to, take one of the remote starter switches and use it while checking connections. And if everything checks out ok, you can bypass the solenoid for a second or two just to see if it will turn over. If it does then you have your problems there.

Ron

[Jim Maxwell]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I'll let you all know what works. I can't access to the car for the next week, but I'll try those things. I suspect a weak connnection is probably the most likely source, but I'll take a new battery with me, since that one has been in the car since I bought it ~3 years ago (Sears Diehard). The ground wire has seen better days, so I'll replace that one, but the positive cable is in good shape. I've got several extra solenoids so I'll take one of those with me, too. Wish me luck!

[Excaliber]

Good Luck! I had my Healey in storage for quite awhile, real hassle to get to it. When I did go to get it I had my Jeep loaded with every kind of tool and parts I could think of. And I needed most of what I took to get it started and out of there.

[Ron61]

But wasn't the Healey an English car? They don't have to be stored to need every tool you have to get them to run.

Ok, Wilf, you can breathe easier now that the English car joke is out of the way.

Ron

[NeedAntiVenom]

Jim,

Stepwise,

1) Using voltmeter, measure the voltage across the battery posts while cranking, if it drops below 10 volts it is likely the battery.

2) Using voltmeter, measure from the battery ground post to frame. If it shows significant voltage while cranking it is the battery ground cable.

3) Using voltmeter, measure from the engine block (unpainted metal) to the frame. If it shows significant voltage while cranking it is the engine ground cable.

4) Using voltmeter, measure relative to the chassis each connection in the postive path on through to the starter (sequentially) looking for a substantial drop in voltage below 10 volts.

The fact that it is clicking indicates that the solenoid is engaging, enabling the starter motor, which then consumes enough current to cause the postive voltage shared by the starter motor and solenoid to drop enough to cause the solenoid to drop out. That releases the solenoid, the starter motor no longer draws current, then the voltage rises enough to engage the solenoid again. Faster clicks tend to be bad connections, slower clicks tend to be bad battery.

Then again, it could just be Lucas... (Wilf - I apologize most unreservedly).

[Dan Case]

Hi. Jim one day earlier this year I got some free time. Oh boy. Let's go out riding in CSX2310. Yep, you guessed it. It did just as you described and I could not start it by just connecting another power source. As much fun as it was, I snaked the battery out, and went to go get a new one. The old battery (9+ years old) had two cells shorted badly. Just trying to jump start it would not overcome the short. I put the new battery in and away I went.....Dan

[Excaliber]

NeedAntiVenom, very good methodical analysis of the starter circuit. But until he get the solenoid to engage it's a bit premature. I doubt the starter is a factor at this point. Low voltage or a bad solenoid is the most likely culprit.

Battery analysis will be difficult without a "load tester", which the starter COULD become, if it would engage!

Couple of shorted cells may STILL read a decent voltage, won't start, won't jump, won't take a good charge, but COULD read a decent voltage with no load on it. I'm betting bad ground and/or bad battery.

Ford solenoids don't generally give you much trouble, but his solenoid could be "really" old and therefore has to be suspect. The internal contacts bad (eaten away after years of starting) or the holding circuit wiring gone bad (age).

The battery in my ERA (6 year old batt) was "borderline" when I got the car. Hard to start when "hot". Then one day, I hit the key and a kind of "thump" from the trunk (where the batt is). The "load" of a hot start blew the battery internally in a split second! No jump, no charge no hope of it coming back. Solenoid click, was all you got!

[Bruce Edwards]

Jim,

Before you spend any money try tapping on the solenoid with the soft end of a screw driver or other item as someone else is holding the key to start. Sounds like a dirty contactor in the solenoid and sometimes a lite tap will clean it off and start the car. If it does it again get a new one. It is very normal to have one go bad and give you a clicking sound. It is not the starter as if the solenoid was working it would only click once. You may want to try taking the battery out of your other car and seeing if it will fire the Cobra.
Just a few more things to try. Good luck and let us know what you find.

[weekendwarrior]

Ernie that was one from a junk yard, Big Al got the good one

[Excaliber]

Ha ha,,,,,,, I should have figured that out by now. No wonder Allan never said anything about needing a battery for HIS car!

[Jim Maxwell]

Thanks again to all for the suggestions. I will post the answer to the problem next week when I can get access to the car again.