SPONSORED LINKS

Starter will not turn the engine over

Tiny
CA1970
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 CHEVROLET CAMARO
  • 5.7L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 98,000 MILES
Car had a blown engine, so swapped it out with another LT1 out of a 1996 Impala SS. New engine did not come with the starter, so used starter from Camaro, found out that starter was bad, so bought a new starter. Mount new starter and turned engine over 1/4 a turn then started clicking. Replaced battery with new battery, same thing. Put on new positive cable, same thing, determined new starter may be faulty, replaced it, same thing but now wont even turn 1/4 turn, just makes loud click and nothing, wont turn engine. Checked to make sure engine spine free. It does, can turn by hand from harmonic balancer bolt and ratchet. Kind of stumped as to why 2 new starters will not turn the engine over, it's like it's not getting enough voltage to it, but new battery and new positive cable. Any suggestions?
SPONSORED LINKS
Wednesday, June 17th, 2020 AT 10:31 AM

7 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
This could be a wiring issue so we should check the two wires at the starter for what the voltage says. First the black wire should be 12 volts at all times. The purple wire is the control wire so it should have 12 volts on it when you are cranking the engine. Take a look at the wiring diagram for more detail on this.

However, I think we need to check to make sure the starter is for the correct engine. Even through they are the same year and engine we just need to make sure the starter for your vehicle fits the engine out of the Impala. I am sure they will bolt up but the ring gear in the starter may be of different lengths or even cut different so it could be binding.

If the part numbers are different for the starters on the two vehicles then we need to check voltage at the starter and if that is okay, I would get the starter that fits the Impala.
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Wednesday, June 17th, 2020 AT 12:19 PM
Tiny
CA1970
  • MEMBER
  • 36 POSTS
Did some research on the LT1 engine, Both the Camaro and Impala that used them both used the same starter with the 153 tooth Flex plate. So I'm leaning towards a short somewhere.
Another question I have. On the starter I know 2 wires for sure, the red positive cable and the black trigger wire. There is a 3rd wire that comes down in same harness as well, a purpleish wire, Is this wire suppose to mount on the opposite side of the trigger wire on the solenoid? Or is it the PCM ground that grounds to the block?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Wednesday, June 17th, 2020 AT 1:34 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Great research. I agree that a wiring issue is likely at this point. You will want to measure voltage on both wires. According to the wiring diagram, the black is the hot wire so you should have 12 volts there all the time. Then it shows a purple wire is the trigger wire and should have 12 volts when cranking the engine.

Then the way it works is both wires are grounded to the case and the PCM just energizes the trigger circuit when it needs the engine to crank and the relay closes and the hot wire turns the starter.

I would suggest checking voltage there and then if we don't have 12 volts we can figure out where it is going.
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Thursday, June 18th, 2020 AT 7:49 PM
Tiny
CA1970
  • MEMBER
  • 36 POSTS
Okay, I currently have 5.74 volts from battery to hot post on starter, which makes no damn sense as it has a new cable, battery is charged at 12.86 volts, zero voltage going to trigger wire on solenoid with ignition switch in the on position. All connections are tight and as far as I can tell the ground is good and secured. What am I missing? Been upside down under this car too long and brain is mush at moment.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, June 20th, 2020 AT 1:36 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Okay. We need to try a voltage drop test on that wire. The way to do that is put your red lead at number one in the diagram (positive battery post) and then the black lead from your meter on the B+ wire on the starter, number 2 on the diagram. Tell me what your voltage is between these two places.

Then you will have 0 volts on the trigger wire in all position except for start. In other words, it has to be in the cranking position for the trigger wire to have 12 volts.

However, let's tackle the hot wire on the starter first because 6 volts is not enough to turn the starter (obviously).
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, June 20th, 2020 AT 8:47 PM
Tiny
CA1970
  • MEMBER
  • 36 POSTS
Voltage 5.6 volts, hooked PCM ground back up and went to 12.36, thinking I may have a bad ground somewhere, with PCM ground hooked up, it tried to turn the engine over (maybe an inch, then started clicking ( like dead battery) battery fully charged, just have a feeling a ground is off somewhere and can't find a diagram that shows all the engine grounding points. :/
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020 AT 11:29 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
So the PCM has two grounds listed below:

G110 - Front of Left Cylinder Head
G120 - Right Side of engine block

We have a diagram of the G110 showing the location but not the G120. However you should be able to trace the black and white wire from the PCM to the location of this ground.

It appears you are on the right path. Let us know what you find. Thanks
Images (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020 AT 7:59 PM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Engine Not Cranking Over Content

Starter Not Working
GUIDE
Starter Not Working
This guide is designed to help you identify whether the issue with your non-working starter motor is due to an electrical problem or a fault within the starter motor itself...
VIEW MORE

Sponsored links