dreaded selonoid chatter
 

1966 Mustang GT convertible restored between 2004-2008 to concourse standards. Driven only about 500 miles since then, and very seldom over the past 5 years. It has always started after several long attempts due to lack of fuel in the carb. The first battery I put in at the restoration died a couple of years ago of age I guess. I didn't want to spend another $300 for the exact replica, so I got a smaller one just to crank it up or drive it out for a few miles once or twice a year. It had been fine until about 6 weeks ago when it wouldn't start in a parking lot. Jumped it and had to wiggle connections, but it eventually fired up. I do keep the battery charged and it reads 12.5 sitting, 14.5+ with a charger on it. I ALWAYS USE A 60 AMP CHARGER when starting it up. But this time, all I get is the RATTLE/BUZZ like it doesn't have enough juice. IT HAS PLENTY OF JUICE.

I RUINED MY CORRECT BATTERY CABLES BY SPLITTING THEM FAR ENOUGH BACK TO CHECK FOR CORROSION, checked the mounts on the fenderwell unit, but did not follow the cable down to the starter itself. ALL the connections are still like new. Sadly, at 70 I cannot remember which component is the troublemaker when the dreaded death rattle starts happening. Is it the unit on the FENDER, or do I need to get down to the STARTER itself???

Needless to say, the car needs some electrical TLC (Rally Pac clock has stopped and the tach is lagging), because it has not been driven nearly enough. But RIGHT NOW, I need to start and run it.

Wait. Didn't we used to bypass the solenoid on the fender by taking a big pair of pliers and jumping across the two large poles from the battery cable to the starter cable? And didn't that require wearing heavy gloves or risking getting shocked or spark burns? Is that still a quick way to either start the car or find out if the solenoid is good or bad? Recommended or not?

Messy, damages terminals, may prove nothing. One will not get "shocked" by 12 volts. In the service station, we used a "remote start" switch which was a push button, momentary contact, with 2 leads having alligator clips. One clip goes on the Battery + terminal, the other on the small terminal closest to that. Depressing the button does the same thing as the ignition switch in "start" position, energizes the solenoid, if all is OK, engine will crank. If solenoid fails to pull in, or clicks but fails to crank engine, it may be bad. Starter has it's own solenoid, which drives the starter drive intop mesh with the ring gear. Some have a heavy duty switch function, which does not turn on the starter until engagement, preventing gear clash. Ford has used both types.

Just because the battery shows 12+ doesnt mean that it still has the ability to give up the high current demanded by the starter.

An easy check is to place the volt meter across the battery just like you normally do..You should see 12V. At this point have someone attempt to start the car and watch the volt meter as the key hits the starter position. Its possible that you'll see the voltage sag to 9v or lower like 3v.

As batteries age they often increase in internal resistance this internal resistance can become so great that the battery simply can not meet the demands of the starter the side effect of this is massive voltage sag which you would see in the meter.

What does the battery read when the engine is running? Why blame the battery? Probably the alternator or the regulator is not functioning correctly. The car will run, for a while, without a charging system, but sooner or later it will not start. Check that the battery reads above 13 volts with the car running and headlights on.

Gun was right. After poking around at all the connections and taking various readings, I observed that my battery charger needle was going the wrong direction when I plugged it in to charge the battery. I knew that wasn't right. So, I swapped for a new battery out of my granddaughter's Dodge Neon. VOILA! The Mustang started right up (after pumping gas up to the drained carb). I ran it for awhile, shut it down, then took it for a drive later. Great weather today....70ish and sunny. It really......REALLY....felt good.

Next, I have to work out a few bugs and decide if I should go ahead and buy another expensive original style AUTOLITE battery.

Thanks for all your suggestions, guys.

you could just get one of those autolite top covers yeah?

Those look good in the pictures, but I've never actually seen one on a car. Maybe someone here has seen one?

They are not too bad. Obviously you need the right group size battery and they look fine

I read a long story yesterday by a Mustanger who had one of the expensive Autolite reproductions, had it go dead, then went on a quest for the right size Group 24 battery for the correct fit of the top. He had a hard time getting th ecorrect dimensions, but came close. but the more important thing he did was to cut apart the Autolite repro to see what was inside. Turns out they are NOT actual batteries themselves. The Autolite part is just a case with a smaller battery glued inside. I can't remember the exact capacity right now, but it was NOT what someone should pay $300 for, and not going to last very long. :(