starting problem / no power at all

[price9714]

Okay I need help with this one. Changed my inline gas filter last week no problems there , pulled the car out drove around a little parked it in the garage with no problem.

Went out to start the Corvair yesterday and no power . Cranked half a turn and then no power, no lights , no power at all. Hooked up a jumper power pac , the lights can come on , go to start the car and only get half a crank and power pac is drained. Hooked up my other car to the Corvair with jumper cables ....dome light came on , lights will come on . Go to start the Corvair again get half a crank and then nothing ALSO drained the jumper car of all it's power so it would not restart, and the jumper cables get hot enough to burn your hands .

Only thing done to the car in the last month was the addition of a column mounted tach and changing the gas filter . I plan to trace the tach wiring to see if maybe my cat or a mouse has damaged the wiring under the car. Any help would be greatly appreciated .

[spyderman64]

Check to see that the large red wires in the connector near the battery are making good contact. After 50 years it's not unusual for them to be pretty badly corroded.

[bbodie52]

It is acting like there is a direct short to ground when the solenoid engages. The thin wires supporting the tachometer would not draw enough current to drain the power pack or overheat the jumper cables. There has to be a significant current draw that is occurring when the solenoid engages. This would likely be a short within the solenoid to ground or a short within the starter motor.

You may have to remove the starter assembly and then bench check it, or have it tested at an auto parts store.

[price9714]

Got the Corvair running , and have been driving around the last two days with no problems. I think I had just not
run the car in so long the battery was way way down . From now on I will keep the battery tender on it when
it is just sitting in the garage, and later get a new battery since this one has been in the car for like 7 years .


Thanks for your help,
John

[flat6_musik]

Hooked up a jumper power pac , the lights can come on , go to start the car and only get half a crank and power pac is drained. Hooked up my other car to the Corvair with jumper cables ....dome light came on , lights will come on . Go to start the Corvair again get half a crank and then nothing ALSO drained the jumper car of all it's power so it would not restart, and the jumper cables get hot enough to burn your hands....

If this were my car, I would DEFINITELY investigate this further! Jumper cables hot enough to burn your hands is a big red flag! You don't want to watch your car burn to the ground.

[bbodie52]

It is an old battery in that car. I wonder if an internal short in the battery itself could be your problem?