<VV> starting problems

[Sethracer at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/10/2011 4:17:35 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
edmonds01 at bresnan.net writes:

I did as  you suggested and connected the positive battery terminal post to 
the positive  coil post and the car runs great.  I then jumped from the 
positive  connector on the solenoid to the positive coil post and the engine 
does not  start.  This tells me there is a problem somewhere in the solenoid.  
 Am I on the right track?
Thanks for you help.
Clyde
 
I don't think it is a bad solenoid, Clyde. When the engine is  running - 
after the start - no current runs into or out of the solenoid. The  current 
comes to the back of the car via a wire from the ignition switch. The  current 
flows to one end of the resistance wire at the big connector at the  
firewall. It travels down the resistance wire and the wire makes a U-turn inside  
the harness and exits out to the plug to the starter. At that plug, the  
resistance wire is crimped to another, copper wire that goes to the  coil. (At 
the coil, the same place I had you jumper to). That is how the  coil gets 
its power while the car is running. The resistance wire is what drops  the 
voltage down by the time it gets to the coil. When starting- while cranking,  
really - the resistance wire is bypassed, via that crimped connector, as the  
solenoid feed a full 12 volts out to that connector, and out to the coil.  
That is why your engine is trying to start. It is getting that feed from the 
 solenoid. Once the switch returns to "on" the coil has to rely on the 
current  from that resistance wire - and it poops! (to use a technical term). So 
it seems  that the solenoid is doing it's dual job, first cranking the 
motor and second,  feeding 12 volts to the coil during cranking. It is something 
in the feed to the  resistance side of the coil which is failing. Sometimes 
the ignition switch or  the terminals in it fail. There are a few 
connectors between the switch and the  resistance wire, any of those could be causing 
an "open" in the circuit. The  main connector in the engine compartment is 
the easiest place to check, and,  because of the tough environment, a likely 
place for corrosion. (This applies to  late models, I am not sure how the 
earlys are connected here). The connector  under the dash, actually where it 
snaps into the back of the ignition switch is  easy to reach and check. 
 
Good luck with your sleuthing. Let us know what you find!  - Seth  Emerson