Starter motor issue?

[WarEagle]

So, on my 300 ci, I turn the ignition key and the starter turns the engine 3-4 times, then pauses for a second, then turns 3-4 times, then pauses, etc. But the engine will not fire up.

I tried jumper cables in case the battery was low, didn't help.
I am getting spark.
I checked connections, all are tight.

The only thing I did prior to this was remove the ballast resistor from the coil hot wire. I installed a Pertronix last month and left the resistor in but decided to bypass it as per the instructions.

It is a smaller, high torque starter. I have not taken it in yet to test as it is a pain to remove from behind the long tube headers.

Any suggestions as to what else to check before I remove the starter and bring it somewhere to test?

Thanks,

[cep62]

It might be trying to start at the wrong time ? did you remove the distributor or even turn it?

[71Fe2O3]

Did it start before you took out the resistor?
I suggest restoring it to a condition that worked and going from there.

[WarEagle]

It might be trying to start at the wrong time ? did you remove the distributor or even turn it?

I did advance it slightly while it was running. The motor seemed to smooth out, like the timing had been retarded. I will turn it back and check.

[WarEagle]

Did it start before you took out the resistor?
I suggest restoring it to a condition that worked and going from there.

It did start before removing the resistor. However, I am still getting spark from the coil since removing it.

[colnago]

When I first installed a Pertronix in my truck, I pushed the ring with the magnet all the way down on the distributor shaft. It ended up being too far away from the sensor, so it never provided a spark to the plugs. Once I realized what I had done, I raised the ring so the top was level with the top of the sensor. The truck started right up.

My truck is a beast to start in the morning. Definitely not one of those "turn the key and go" situations. So, the starter has to crank several times before the engine starts up. Do you have another starter solenoid you can swap in? If not, I think you can manually bypass the solenoid (you might have to google that one, though). This might help to determine whether you have a bum starter, or a bum solenoid.

Just thinking out loud,

Joseph

[WarEagle]

When I first installed a Pertronix in my truck, I pushed the ring with the magnet all the way down on the distributor shaft. It ended up being too far away from the sensor, so it never provided a spark to the plugs. Once I realized what I had done, I raised the ring so the top was level with the top of the sensor. The truck started right up.

My truck is a beast to start in the morning. Definitely not one of those "turn the key and go" situations. So, the starter has to crank several times before the engine starts up. Do you have another starter solenoid you can swap in? If not, I think you can manually bypass the solenoid (you might have to google that one, though). This might help to determine whether you have a bum starter, or a bum solenoid.

Just thinking out loud,

Joseph

It turns that the brown wire to the ignition post on the solenoid was not getting power after I removed the resistor. After hooking up a switched hot wire, it is starting again.

Thanks for all the suggestions.!!

[WarEagle]

When I first installed a Pertronix in my truck, I pushed the ring with the magnet all the way down on the distributor shaft. It ended up being too far away from the sensor, so it never provided a spark to the plugs. Once I realized what I had done, I raised the ring so the top was level with the top of the sensor. The truck started right up.

I noticed that my rotor was scraping the contact points on the inside of the dizzy cap. This was not happening before the Pertronix was installed. I had to shave off 1 mm or so off the bottom of the rotor so it would sit lower on the shaft and lower in the cap.