Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

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Steve Jelf
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Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:10 am

1973 Suburban (Chev 350) had to be towed home. It has a recent battery (January 2021). The lights and horn work. But turn the ignition switch and all you get is a solenoid click. Sounds like a bad starter, doesn't it? But there's something else going on. The car died at a stop sign. I restarted it and drove about a mile, and it died in the road. A bad starter wouldn't cause it to die. Any suggestions on what I should look for?
The inevitable often happens.
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TXGOAT2
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Re: Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by TXGOAT2 » Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:25 am

Does it have the original electrical equipment? Points type distributor or HEI electronic? I'd check the battery state of charge and cable connections, etc. and look for any evidence of trouble at the starter solenoid terminal cap. If the cap cracked, it could affect the starter operation and possibly the ignition via the ignition resistor cutout lead. The point-style ignition system has a wire going to the starter solenoid. I think the HEI style ignition also has one, but I'm not sure. A typical GM starter solenoid has the positive battery cable attached to it along with a heavy body feed wire on the battery cable terminal and two smaller gauge wires on seperate terminal posts, one of which activates the cranking function and the other one feeds battery voltage to the ignition system by eliminating the ignition resistor during cranking. Another thing to check would be to make sure that the engine is electrically grounded to both the body and frame. Many vehicles have one or more ground connections from the engine to the firewall and to the frame. These sometimes fail and cause various issues.


Norman Kling
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Re: Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by Norman Kling » Mon Oct 18, 2021 11:05 am

I don't know whether this would apply to your problem, but what happened to me. I have an 03 Ford v6 F150. I usually drive it a couple times a month, and when I do, I usually go at least 30 miles. I use it to pull my trailer with the T on it for tours etc. Since COVID it sat sometimes a month or more without being driven. It came time for the semi annual smog check. I also took a load of bottles and cans to be recycled, so took frontage roads so the load in the back would not blow away. Drove about 15 miles to the recyclers. Then about a block to the smog check. I signed in and the man came out to get the truck to test it and it would not start. Cranked away until the battery died. It would sputter and cough but not keep running. So I had it towed to the Ford dealer and they found the fuel pump had died. They had to drain the tank and put the new pump into the tank. Then it ran fine and I got it smoged. So I took it home and parked it. Next time I got to it it was so dead the whistle on the fob to unset the alarm and allow me to operate the starter was dead. I charged the battery and it started right up and ran fine. For about a month every time I went to start, the battery was dead. I bought a new battery and same thing happened again. Finally I happened to look out at night and saw the dome light was on. I turned that light off and have had no more problems since. That little light was enough to run the battery dead when it sat idle for weeks at a time!
Norm


Norman Kling
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Re: Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by Norman Kling » Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:28 pm

I would suspect a problem between the alternator and the starter, or a bad battery. Maybe the alternator is not working properly. If you stop for a signal or stop sign, there is not enough juice to keep the lights working at the same time. Many years I had a 96 Buick and was driving from San Diego north and almost to Lodi I turned off at the ramp and the engine died at a signal. Had it towed in to the Buick dealer and they replaced alternator. The air conditioner was on and there was enough electricity when it was at road speed, but not enough in the battery to keep running at idle. Apparently in that car, the voltage regulator is in the alternator.
Norm

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CudaMan
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Re: Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by CudaMan » Mon Oct 18, 2021 5:34 pm

Sure sounds to me like the battery is run down due to a weak or dead charging system.

Put a full charge on the battery, then start the car and check the system voltage. If it's only 12 volts, the alternator and/or regulator are suspect. A quick way to check if the alternator is charging (if you don't have a voltmeter) is to use a screwdriver or something steel and see if the back of the alternator (by the rear bearing) is magnetic. If it is, then the alternator has at least some output.

If the system isn't charging and you want to determine if it's the alternator or regulator, temporarily (a few seconds at most) "full field" the alternator by applying 12 volts to the brushes. If the alternator output goes way high, then the regulator is at fault.
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Duey_C
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Re: Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by Duey_C » Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:03 am

Battery, alternator or possibly ignition switch? The switches can get flakey. The solenoid? Shouldn't be.
When was the last time you replaced the brushes in the alternator? Else the diode trio crapped out?
Brother's Datsun 200SX MANY years ago. Rev it up at highway speed and it got weird. I said "brushes". He fought me.
Coerced him to go to the store, we installed new brushes in that likely ND alt. Vroom!
Had the same on my '06 Buick today. Click. click, click. Just to confuse me, the door locks were clicking up and down at the same time...
Computers. :roll:
Gave it ten amps for ten minutes and vroom. Went to town. Once home, the charger couldn't slake the battery's want for more juice.
I needed to give the chickens their light for the night so that's unfinished. The loader runs good now tho.
Fresh alternator. Almost two year old battery so I wonder about the battery. I'd driven it just 5 days ago.
Your '73 stalwart Chevrolet Suburban has no computer to get in the way thankfully.
I still like typing that full name just to mess with ya Ford guys. I adore my Ford T's.
Keep us posted.
Since I lost my mind mind, I feel more liberated


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Re: Dead Chebby: Diagnosis?

Post by TXGOAT2 » Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:32 pm

Any progress?

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