Bad starter?... car will not start

[v12horse]

Oh man, I went to go start my car today and the starter turned very slow and then I attempted to start it again and the starter stopped and now when I turn the key to "start" the starter does not make any sound at all. The only thing I hear is the relay under the dash.

I have been reading up on the fusible link, the solenoid, and the starter. And I am not sure which one it could be. I don't have my service manual so I am really hindered. I have an early 1974 260z. Any help on this would be great as I am trying not to spend a lot of money. Where should I look for a new starter if that is the case?

p.s. When I was looking around in the engine bay I noticed that I am missing the dipstick. I know that I didn't forget to put it in 2 tanks ago. What could this be from? Do they jump out?

Ben:cry:

[MikeW]

Are you sure your battery is Ok? The starter turning slowly might indicate a drained battery.

I've never heard of a dipstick jumping out. It's long enough that it would have to come way out before falling out. Even if there was somehow a pressure buildup in the sump I can't imagine it getting blown out.

[v12horse]

The lights, clock and radio work fine. The amp meter reads straight down the middle.

[Bambikiller240]

I check that the battery connections are clean and in good order, then I'd check the status of the battery itself. The fusible link is basically a wire that will self destruct if subjected to excess current. If it is damaged, most times it would be apparent by visual inspection. (It is the short wire the goes from the wiring harness along the framerail and the starter)

Ben, let me check. I "may" have an extra dipstick for you. I'll get back to you later this afternoon or evening.

As for what happened to the dipstick, I once owned a Datsun 1200 and the dipstick in it disappeared. It is located similar to the Z dipstick and it turned out that if I wiggled the dipstick with the engine running, it could contact one of the counterweights of the crankshaft. I guessed that either the stick somehow hit the crank, or that blow-by pressure from the engine pushed it out of the dipstick tube.

[v12horse]

Thanks a lot Carl. The connection on the battery on the negative side is not great, so I am going to clean the terminals and then tighteten the bolts on the battery cables. I will keep everyone posted.

P.S. I am really interested in the dipstick Carl. Thanks

Ben

[ChrisA]

Hey Ben, I have a dipstick if Carl doesnt. Send me your address and its yours.

Chris

[Bambikiller240]

Hey Ben, I found the dipstick that I thought I had stashed away. Amazing, it was in the first place I looked.

Send me an email and we can make arrangements.

[v12horse]

Thanks a lot for the dipstick Carl. You saved me from having to get one off ebay.

Chris, thanks a lot for the offfer on the dipstick. Since Carl lives only 15 minutes away from my house it was easier to go through him.

I will be checking my battery and getting new battert cables on tuesday. I will tell you guys how everything goes.

Ben

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by v12horse

Thanks a lot for the dipstick Carl. You saved me from having to get one off ebay. ................

Ben

You're welcome Ben.

[frank13]

You gotta love it here! :devious:

[v12horse]

Thanks Mike for mentioning the battery. The more I thought about it the more I thought it was a draining battery as well because there was enough power for the headlights and radio, but not enough for the starter motor, and it looked pretty old. I took the battery out and had my local Sears test it and sure enough it was a bad battery. So, I bought a Die-Hard with a 3 year warranty.

Now, I am going to phone Chloe and get new battery cables, tray, rod, and the battery frame. Both of the cables and the frame are corroded pretty bad. I will keep you guys posted.

Thanks for everyones help,

Ben

[v12horse]

Well, that was faster than I thought. I just called Chloe at Midwest Z and I ordered the parts. This is going to be my weekend project. She didn't have the positive cable, only the negative. Does anyone know where I could buy an oem Positive battery cable?

Thank you in advance,

Ben

P.S. I didn't know this, but if you ever buy parts from midwestz.com mention that you are a member on 240z.org and you will get 10% off!