back in black

I recently went to start my car to get her ready for the paint shop and the old starter wouldn't go,only chattered so I figured it was toast.This summer after I got headers I had hot solenoid problems and had to jump the starter to fire the car a couple times untill I bought a new mini starter.So I just put it in turned the key and get the same chatter.It's got a new battery with 12 volts to the starter,pinion gear is right clearence from the flywheel,good space between the teeth when I do mesh the two together.The first time I started it the pinion just hit the side of the flywheel,then I manually pulled the pionion out and meshed it with the flywheel and turned the key but the pinion just pulsed (chattered)and stayed in the flywheel,it wouldn't spin.Could it be a wiring problem,key problem,what could I start checking.It was suggested from a friend to trace from the key to the starter???????????maybe a bad switch.Could it possibily be two pooched starters.Any help would be greatly appreciated as excited as hell to get her to the painter!!!!!!!!!!!!

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like a bad battery cable. That's almost never the starter.

back in black

Thanks for your help but I did check the voltage at the starter and have a full 12 volts from the battery,I used the starter as the ground ,do you think maybe a bad ground at the battery to the car??

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

That would be one of the battery cables... the negative one. Just follow it to where it attaches to the motor and inspect the connection there and the cable end.

The other end of the other battery cable, the positive one where it attaches to the starter, might also be where the bad connection is.

bilms01

If you have 12V at the starter you could still have bad cables. Corrosion on the terminals or inside the cable insulation will prevent proper amount of current to flow to the starter. The purple wire to the s terminal only powers the solenoid pull in and hold in coil. With the solenoid energized it closes a contact disk which applies power from the battery cable ot the motor. If the drive gear engages the flywheel the solenoid and ckt from the switch if good. If the motor tries to turn the contact disk is good. If the drive gear doesn't have enough strength to turn the engine assuming the engine or an accessory isn't locked up then it leaves 2 choices a bad starter motor or not enough power to the motor. You can have 12 volts all day long but if not enough current if capable of getting to the starter motor it won't be strong enough to spin the engine.
Disconnect both battery cables and ohm them from the battery + to the starter and battery - to the block, check for resistance from the starter housing to the block. All places should read low ohms lower the better.

back in black

Thanks I appreciate you responce,I will try your suggestions tonight,hopefully that's the problem.

back in black

Well guess what the problem was??
After I went through everything from most obvious to least, it was the most obvious that turned out to be the problem.My brand new battery was a dud right off the store shelf.Like why me!!!! Well one good thing I guess is I have a full understanding of the starter system now.