Date:         Sun, 28 Jun 2015 17:48:34 -0400
Reply-To:     Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Testing the starter question
Comments: To: Jeremy Stovin <jjstov@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To:  <D1AFF348-B369-4B81-B276-08F80DB27BD3@yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Yes you may want to put an alligator clip on one end of a wire that is long
enough to reach from the starter to the front seat.  It doesn't need to be
very thick just for voltage checks.  The most useful info would probably be
the voltage where the very short cable with very fine strands goes from the
solenoid into the body of the starter, while holding the key in the start
position during the "click, but no crank" situation.
   If you get something close to the battery voltage there at that time,
your starter is probably at fault.  If not, the solenoid is not making good
contact.

This is assuming that you have good solid ground connections at the
battery, the engine to body on the left side of the engine compartment, and
from the front of the transmission to the frame.

To ground a meter to the body, I often use the shiny part of the door latch
at the frame or the seatbelt anchor.  You should get near 0 ohms from one
to the other if you have a good connection.

You can load test your battery using your voltmeter while cranking.  The
voltage of the battery shouldn't drop below 11 volts or so while cranking.

Good luck,
Larry A.


On Sun, Jun 28, 2015 at 2:55 PM, Jeremy Stovin <jjstov@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Still have starting concerns for my '87westy.
>
> A lot of recommendations to do a voltage drop test, between solenoid and
> positive terminal. How??? Is there a place to get extra extra long wires
> for my multimeter?
>
> Volt test on battery looks good, but will like invest in a load tester
> also.
>
> What grounds should I check?(where)
>
> The concerns with a hesitation at the first crank. Then it starts. Once,
> only once, I drove around on errands and when leaving the last stop, it
> would not start. Heard a click, but nothing. No crank. I towed it home,
> checked it a few times and about 24 hrs later, it started no problem. Not
> sure what changed.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Sent from my iPhone