Help!! Stuck in the middle of no where - it just died

[chiliuk]

Had to do a bit of wild camping last night as I am in the middle of no where :confused:
I am in a 65 split with a 1776 and she just died from tick over. I tried to keep her alive but she wasnt for having it. Once she died, she wasnt for starting, both lights are coming on at the dash, but when I turn the key for starting - nothing! Not even a click from the starter. She did do this earlier yesterday, but then started after I left her for a bit, but I think my luck has run out.
The battery is reading as healthy (12v), and I've fitted a new earth strap. She's also running a leisure battery but not sure if that could have any implications.......HELP

[Slow 1200]

jump the starter terminals with a screwdriver, see if it turns, if it does it's most likely a bad ignigion switch

[Clara]

[ChrisFred]

This might be stupid, but it has happened to all of us...

did a cable come loose? check your distributor, starter, etc and come back to us!

[olliehank47]

Agree with all the above advice.

Given your battery condition, not even hearing a "click" from the solenoid points to either a poor ignition switch connection or a dying/dead solenoid rather than a faulty starter motor, but these things are always difficult to diagnose from afar.

The solenoid performs two functions--it pushes the drive gear into the flywheel and also closes an internal switch that shunts voltage directly from the battery connection to the starter motor. If the solenoid fails to get enough voltage or if the internal coil fails, you will get no "action" on either function and no "click", which is the sound of the solenoid doing its job. Jumping the battery connection on the starter with the ignition connection on the solenoid supplies the solenoid full voltage from the battery, directly. If it now starts, the fault is electrical supply to the solenoid connection (ignition switch, high resistance along the wire, or even a failing coil inside the solenoid.) If jumping the terminals gets you a "click" but no start, your problem is the motor itself (windings or bad connection/ground) or even a faulty internal solenoid switch (rare.)

This is probably more info than you need, but you'll want to fix the problem so you're not stranded again. Hopefully, you can narrow the cause so a fix is easily obtained.

Keep us updated.

[MrPolak]

Have you tried push starting it? Have a few friends around? Is there a hill you can let it roll down with ignition on and pop the clutch in 2nd gear once up to speed?

[lowindO]

Hard start relay
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[chiliuk]

A hard start relay did actually cross my mind, but with it cutting out whilst I've been driving for a bit thought it maybe something to do with the ignition (its a bit of a guess though).

I'll try and jump the battery connection on the starter to see what happens. The starter motor was reconditioned only 6 months ago, but I suppose you never know how long they last.

She fired up this morning and we managed to get to Newport (we are at wedding there and we are staying in a hotel tonight), she drove really well apart from when we got in the car park, and on ticking over for a few minutes, it happened again, just cut out Having been stood for 4 hours, she just decided that she will turnover when I try to start her Could it be a heat thing?

[olliehank47]

[Eric&Barb]

The other common parts are the battery cables and body to transaxle ground cable. Have you cleaned all of these on BOTH ends?

Do you have those cheap repair battery clamps that are clamped onto the ends of the battery cables?

Bad, only should use to get back home:

If you do use the above, you need to take that extra connection apart for a good soaking in water/baking soda solution to neutralize battery acid. Give all connecting surfaces a good wire brushing also and repeat at least twice a year, Spring/Fall.

Went with a friend on a 200 mile round trip. Halfway thru it started to die at stop signs and needed push starting. Turned out to be the battery ground cable had one of those replacement battery clamps and the battery acid had gotten in between the clamp and cable end, resulting in corrosion in that extra connection. Replaced with $15.00 ground cable and all was well.

Oddly enough two years later same trip with same friend and his bus resulted in same problem again. Replaced the ground cable one more time and no more problems for many years afterward. So even with new parts things can go wrong.. A new battery cable with swedged on battery clamp results in a gas tight connection that should not allow battery acid or oxygen into it that will cause voltage drop or even complete loss of connection.

When you get moving again have the battery load tested at your FLAPS where they can do a load test, just in case.
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[Red Fau Veh]

That is solid advice and I will add that when testing a battery in the car, always test for voltage at the battery clamp, and at the terminal itself. A thin layer of corrosion can build up on the posts and inside the clamps that can't even be seen really, but it can cause voltage drop. Also you might benefit from adding a Ford style relay switch to your starter. They provide direct current from the battery instead of the juice having to travel through the wires to the ignition switch and all the way back to the starter.
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[chiliuk]

I'll cleaned up the earth strap I've got, and maybe see if I can go and get another. I was also thinking about disconnecting the leisure battery to see if that makes a difference.
Although I havent bridged the starter yet, I think I will try and get a hard start relay sorted!!

After contemplating over a beer last night, I was thinking that as it was dying at tick over, maybe it could be something as simple as the earth connection - although with it dying off after a fair few miles I cant seem to get out of my head that heat might have something to do with it.......

[Clara]

[chiliuk]

OK, this is what I have done, I did a general google search and came across a forum for really early fords, with a few guys who had early vw's (can't remember what it was but I can find out), and the symptoms that I experienced with it cutting out sounded just like a 'Vapour Fuel Lock'. The general take on it was due to the change in mixture for fuel (more alcohol) so that the boiling point was reduced (it was really hot when it was cutting out). What a lot of people did was to wrap the metal part of the fuel line that goes through the fire wall and over the cylinders with tin foil, and hey presto......it hasnt cut out since. Another trick was to put clothes pegs on the fuel line...although I can't imagine that the heat transfer rate of wood is too great I might still try it, or see if I can source some aluminium pegs

As for not having any power when wanting to restart after its been running for a while, I installed a 'Hot/Hard Start Relay', which wasnt the easiest whilst parked in a church car park 220 miles from home. It's been fine since and coupled with the above tin foil modification, its started everytime on the button!!

thanks for all your help...no doubt I will be calling on it again soon

[flemcadiddlehopper]

[MrPolak]

Interesting thing with tin foil. I usually see that used in hats.

Sooo... you COULD have push-started it if the hot-start relay helped.