[T3] Mystery Miss

[Daniel Nohejl]

> There's a wire from the starter solenoid that tells the brain when 
> the solenoid is energized. That keeps the fuel pump relay energized. 
> The facts that your pump runs and the lights dim are all consistent 
> with power getting to the solenoid correctly.
> 
> Your starter problem must have something to do with the starter, the 
> solenoid, the flywheel, or the starter bushing.

Jim…..Isn’t there a chance, though, that while power is getting to the solenoid it might not be enough power and that’s why the starter isn’t turning? I was in the engine bay today when Jessica tried to start the car and when it didn’t start, there was a single clearly audible click/tick from the starter. Again, that suggests that (some?) power is getting to the solenoid and that something in the starter is amiss. But this is the rebuilt starter I bought from you a little less than 2 months ago so I don’t know what to think. I’m disinclined to suspect the flywheel since it has a new ring gear and was in perfect shape when the motor went in back in January/February. The starter bushing is only a few years old. 

I’m interested in fashioning the test light from the coil up to the dash, but of the several ways that were suggested, which would be best?  

At this point I don’t recall who brought it up, but the only new wiring we have is the FI harness. The grounds at the case center line are all tight. I have yet to thoroughly investigate the other connectors, but a superficial look/feel suggests that nothing is loose. I know that touch can be deceiving so I’ll have to go further. All other wiring is 47 years old and we all know how that can play out….

If it comes to installing a new ignition switch, I already have a NOS German one so it’s not about expense, it was actually a steal. I just don’t want to go through the hassle of removing and installing if it isn’t necessary. 

I was thinking back on the history of odd and possibly ignition related issues we’ve had over the last year or so and here’s what I’ve got. Maybe laid out like this it paints a different picture?

—Winter of 2015: On 4 separate occasions between February and April, the car randomly shut off without warning while driving in traffic and/or coming to a stop. After swapping out the generator for other reasons, this problem vanished.

—Summer of 2015: Motor would miss a few times and then cut out. Sometimes the cut out would happen right after the missing and sometimes 20 miles later. I changed the coil several times and lots of FI components. After each change, the problem would disappear until the next time. After replacing the CHTS back in September or October,the problem vanished until 10 or so days ago. 

—Spring 2016: The seemingly random missing I’ve been describing.