Engine will not crank...

[85crownHPP]

If you didnt find a volatge drop anywhere, then you have a bad "new" starter, a poltergeist, or the motor is locked up.

[gadget73]

yeah, there isn't really much else in the circuit. You've replaced and verified all the electrical parts. If you're getting 12v or so at the starter while its trying to crank, its not electrical. Its either the motor turns stupidly hard, or the new starter is a POS. Can you rotate the engine over by hand with a breaker bar? The bolt on the front of the crank is 15/16".

[LTDMan83]

Another Update...

OK, as per Gadget's suggestion I tried to turn over the engine by hand with a socket/ breaker bar, and the engine did turn over fairly easily.

So, I went back to Advance and demanded a New Battery as a replacement for the 2 week old one. They gave me another New Battery without even testing the one I brought back. I bought another Positive Battery cable as well, a 6ga black one this time, the one I was using before was 2ga and had clear insulation.

The engine will now crank at normal speed for about 5 seconds before cutting off, which still doesn't seem right, but 5 seconds of cranking should be enough to start the engine, anyway. My old '87 would only need like 1/2 a second of cranking before it fired.

This engine still doesn't fire, even though I changed the Fuel Filter, and it now has Fuel Pressure, and spark, but that's a whole different matter.

Thanks for the help guys, I know it's hard to diagnose a problem just going off of someones description.

The saga continues...

[91waggin]

Is the cable still getting hot? That still seems to me like a warning sign that's not getting addressed. It's possible that the improved cranking is because of the new battery, and it'll go back to how it was after you take the good charge off of the new battery.

And your DAMN SURE that the starter you're using is absolutely working? The starter might have an internal short which is why the cable might be getting hot (if it still is).

Perhaps you should find another mang in the area to help you out for a day or two, just to have a fresh pair of eyes on the problem. My grandma always says "two heads are better than one, even if one is a cabbage."

Also, what kind of ignition system are you running? Is the distributor installed correctly? It's not turned 180*, is it? That might be why you're not getting a start after five seconds of cranking. Just thought I'd throw that out there, since it's happened before.

[Lincolnmania]

if you replaced the battery cables, i'd bet 5 bucks that you got a dead one.......everything is made in china now.....i've had several dead out of the package discount auto store cables......i only shop at napa now

[86VickyLX]

Is the distributor installed correctly? It's not turned 180*, is it? That might be why you're not getting a start after five seconds of cranking. Just thought I'd throw that out there, since it's happened before.

I can back that up. When I replaced my oil pump, I had that problem. Try this. Unplug the coil wire and try cranking the engine, see if anything changes. Just a thought to try with 91waggin's idea.

[Nathan in MI]

Even if the distributor is 180* out of phase, it would still fire, even though it wouldn't actually take off and run. Plus, we don't have any information to suggest that he ever removed the distributor, so that also makes it seem highly unlikely, barring the possibility that gremlins snuck in in the middle of the night, removed the distributor and spun it around. It's beside the point anyway as it should be able to crank for more than five seconds at a time.

[LTDMan83]

Thanks guys, I Will try all your suggestions. I am on my 3rd New Positive battery cable, with the same results as before.

The positive cable is still getting hot, but not as hot as it was before, everything seems more grounded and stable now, after I installed the ground strap going from the rear of the engine to the firewall.

The starter was removed from my parts car, and I tested it before pulling it out, by pulling the coil wire, and cranking the engine over for a good 20 seconds, it was fine at the time. Could the starter really have died just because I removed it from the old engine. It was a re-man motorcraft unit, which said it was re-manufactured in 2001.

If the dizzy is 180* off, then it must have been the gremlins. The only things I have maintenanced/ replaced/ installed on this engine are:


2G Alt and Complete Harness
Spark Plugs/Wires
Dis Cap/Rotor
PCV Valve/Screen
Complete HO Upper Intake
Oxygen Sensors/ Harness
POS & NEG Battery Cables and Battery
Ground Strap going from the back of the engine to the firewall
Fuel Filter


I only know one mang around here who is more Mechanically inclined than I am, and he is too busy with his life to come and help me out for free. So I am pretty much going at this alone.

It should be able to crank for more than 5 seconds at a time, but I am seriously out of ideas, when it comes to this thing cranking right; and on top of that, the Fall "Idiot Season" is coming at work, so I'm gonna be seriously busy for the next couple of months, and won't have much time to even work on the car at all. I'm just not gonna have the time to plug away on this problem again for awhile.

Maybe I'll get lucky, and the re-man starter just shat the bed right after I pulled and installed it. :shrug:

[91waggin]

Even if the distributor is 180* out of phase, it would still fire, even though it wouldn't actually take off and run. Plus, we don't have any information to suggest that he ever removed the distributor, so that also makes it seem highly unlikely, barring the possibility that gremlins snuck in in the middle of the night, removed the distributor and spun it around. It's beside the point anyway as it should be able to crank for more than five seconds at a time.

Stupid gremlins...lol. It was just a thought; I don't have any first-hand experience with what happens if you do that, but it seems to happen from time to time around here.

It really seems like the only variable we have left here is that starter. Everything else has been replaced at least once and has been tested good. Take the starter down to the parts house and have it bench tested. Especially if that cable is getting hot still, even if not so much, it just seems like it might be drawing more current than it ought.

If the starter turns out bad, you might be able to get a j/y one in good condition rather than shelling out even more money for a new one. Sounds like you've already thrown plenty of money at this problem, which sucks.