Okay, I know I have read this some place in the last week, attempting to turn over the engine and one of the terminals on the firewall (in this case the one nearest the driver on the right side) become hot and sparks and smokes... where ever i read it said "this is caused by..." and that is all I can recall... damn it.
still no turns over, a few revs and a flicker of the fan and nothing. still no power in boot either.

 

Those firewall posts a "+" battery voltage and are the main voltage distribution junctions for the various sub-systems, including the starter. If they're loose or corroded, excessive resistance could create a lot of heat when a heavy load....such as the starter motor...is introduced. And/Or a faulty starter, drawing excessive amperage, could overheat the cable and the post itself

Cheers
DD

 

I think I read it in context of the loose connection.
Aren't faulty starters very rarer, like they are very robust and simple so not much goes wrong?

 

Agree with the starter scenario, but they are 30+ years old now, and also add the fact that some owners crank the engines for very long periods tracking all sorts of engine starting issues.

The starter of ANY car is NOT designed for extended use without a rest period. Short, 2 to 3 second spurts is the design spec that I remember from the old days.

 

No, they are not robust. The starter solenoid will go first. I replaced the starter on my XJ6 twice. Every vehicle I owned that was/is over 10 years old had its starter replaced.

 

Agree, I've replaced and rebuilt a plethora of starters of various genre.


The design id not for constant duty. Far from it. "A crank or two ought a do it".


If not, "sumpin" is wrong. fix it, or add to the problems...


One of my college chums was a young guy with a wife, and a 41 Ford V8 with a very tired engine. It took lottsa cranks to build compression to fire. I helped him pull the starter a few times to "rebuild" it and get some more miles from the old Ford. Cleaning the armature and new brushes worked.


NOTE:


No cooling fans on these simple DC motors. Clue???


Carl

Carl