Scott
Your starter, like most, is case grounded. Often the case gets some corrosion and won't make a sufficient ground. Clean under the bolt heads with a brass wire brush or Dremel and Scotch-Brite disc also clean the mating faces where the starter meets the bell housing. Make sure the two bolts that hold the starter are also clean. A bench griunder with brass wheel works well for cleaning bolts up. Then do the same for the engines ground lug.
Using a volt meter check the white wire that comes off the back of the rubber push start button for 12v when you activate it (it should be white but may not be at this point). This is the energizing voltage for the starters built in solenoid (technically a magnetic switch).
If you have the starter off you might as well bench test it by sticking it in a vice and using a spare battery and some jumper cables to test it. You definitely want it in a vice or the torque will lauch it off your bench!
Connect the ground of the jumper cable to the case and run a small 12v pos wire from the battery to the small "S" term where the white wire connected. With 12v to the "S" term simply touch the positive clamp of the jumper cables to the big B post where the battery cable connected. If the starter spins it is most likely good and one item will be eliminted.
Your starter, like most, is case grounded. Often the case gets some corrosion and won't make a sufficient ground. Clean under the bolt heads with a brass wire brush or Dremel and Scotch-Brite disc also clean the mating faces where the starter meets the bell housing. Make sure the two bolts that hold the starter are also clean. A bench griunder with brass wheel works well for cleaning bolts up. Then do the same for the engines ground lug.
Using a volt meter check the white wire that comes off the back of the rubber push start button for 12v when you activate it (it should be white but may not be at this point). This is the energizing voltage for the starters built in solenoid (technically a magnetic switch).
If you have the starter off you might as well bench test it by sticking it in a vice and using a spare battery and some jumper cables to test it. You definitely want it in a vice or the torque will lauch it off your bench!
Connect the ground of the jumper cable to the case and run a small 12v pos wire from the battery to the small "S" term where the white wire connected. With 12v to the "S" term simply touch the positive clamp of the jumper cables to the big B post where the battery cable connected. If the starter spins it is most likely good and one item will be eliminted.
Thanks for all your comments! It was actually productive to go thru all those exercises, I think.
