Removed AC ... now won't start

[neoxman]

I removed the AC in my 1973 240z and now it won't start. I can hear the relay on the passenger side "clicking" but starter doesn't crank. Any ideas?

Rob

[genomz]

is the battery fully charged? battery cables connected to the right terminals and secured? are the power and ground wires hooked up correctly?

[BuDavid]

maybe you pulled a wire by mistake (if it is not low voltage as genomz said).

check the area down there.

[neoxman]

Battery is fully charged... i could try brushing up the terminals and tightening them down, but it was running fine as my daily driver until i messed with the AC... must have pulled something ... every once in a while the starter won't start... however it only happens once and starts up right after that. could it be a bad relay? I don't know anything about the fuseable links but could that be a problem too?

[BuDavid]

seems to me that it is something like a relay also.. I'm not an electrecal expert but either relay or bad contacts.. the ignition switch wiring is ok under the steering wheel? I guess he didt screw anything up over there right?

sorry for not being able to help:(

[genomz]

i would double check your connections first. if it starts up once in a while and you hear it click, the relay should be fine. clean the connections, and make sure they are secured tight and you are not grounding the starter to a painted surface.

let us know what you find.

[JimmyZ]

If you have an oil leak this can lead to a premature failure of the starter. It might just be that by coincidence the starter took a dump.

Have you tried manualy switching the starter to see if the starter turns? Do this by unplugging the blade connector from the solenoid and touching a bridge wire to the + wire. (Hot terminal on starter from batt) This should be the first order of business. If the starter does not turn but the click is healthy then try giving the solenoid a few "taps" with the end of a hammer or something. (This vibrates the internals and sometimes frees things up to make better contact. (A temporary remedy) Check connections at batt next. From your description these items are all that it could be. Seems that the rest is working fine.

[neoxman]

That was it... i unplugged both the white and black wire going to the solenoid and used a bridge wire (aka screwdriver) between the terminals, and it kicked over. Turns out the black connector was a little grimey and oxidized. I must have bumped it when removing the AC, just enough to give a poor connection. Thanks for the troubleshooting help guys!

Best regards

[BuDavid]

glad to hear that..