Okay so I have 3 wires not hooked up I am not sure about. One is a white wire, One green with red strip & one solid red coming off the coil side of things. I get nothing when I turn the key to start. No click or anything from the starter. I tried using a screwdriver to jumpr the starter. I only get sparks & nothing else from the starter. I am so damn close but I am missing something I bet is simple.

With this being a conversion the wiring is a screwy thing anyway. I appreciatte any things I can try Oh yeah this is for my buick 215 v8

There are two big red wires that usually connect to the battery. On a stock 914 you would see 4 red wires connected to the battery. Two of those go to the alternator, the other two to the dash. One runs to the ignition and the other to the fuse panel. In some installs the two big reds get hooked to the alternator. You would then need a wire from the alternator to the battery. You are missing one of these links. I think. I'm not sure how yours is wired. It looks like you still have a relay board.

If jumpering the starter doesn't work, the starter is dead, most likely.

The white wire is for the AAR, make sure that one is taped off well.
The green/red wire is for the 'idiot light' or, more technically, oil pressure switch light.
The red wire...

Is there a way to test a starter on the bench?

Yup, send juice to it and see if it engages.

Jumper cables. Connect the + to the 8mm stud where the battery cable goes. Hook the - to the case of the starter. Then jumper the + to the spade terminal. Shoot a pic and I'll annotate it if I didn't explain that well.

No that makes perfect sense. Was just missing a step with the test part on one out of the car. I did get a try & some smoke out of my starter on the car. IT did not turn the motor over.

I am afraid my motor is locked up. Just from sitting. I put some Sea foam down the plug holes. Letting it sit & going to try to break things loose tommorow. Guess my luck working on 914's is holding out huh

jamie, if the engine was locked up you'd still hear the selonoid engaging. one large red wire from the battery and one smaller red to the post on the starter. yellow to the spade connector next to the stud. is the plug with green, brown and red wires plugged into the relay board in the engine compartment?

k

Yeah I hooked up to the 2 thicker red wires to the positive battery terminal. Starter still doesn't work with the key. With the key on & jumping the terminal the selonoid did come on but them smoke. Starter definately isn't turning the motor. Tried to move the car in gear to break it free but no luck. Going to work on it a little more tommorow. See if I can get it to break loose. I put some see foam in each spark plug hole. Letting it soak tonight. I'll put some more in tommorow before church. When I get back I will try to get it to break free. This motor was running great when I put it on the stand. It had oil in it too . Such is life

What do you guys recommend is the best way to break it free. Just jack up one side of the car & get one wheel to twist with a little breaker bar help?

Or hook it behind my rig with the flat tow kit & drop the clutch while moving?

Good luck... locked engines are sucky. Do you have the spark plugs out? Just to make sure it's not hydrolocked. There is no shortage of dumb/crazy ideas to free it up. Besides the ol' tow-n-clutch-dump, there is the spray starting fluid in whichever cylinder has the valves closed, then install a spark plug and fire it off.

Not saying it's a good idea.

pull the plugs and turn it over with a flywheel tool. it shouldn't have "rusted" it's an aluminum block..... does it iron liners?

I just had a thought. Amazing in itself i know. I have not taken this starter off yet. Maybe this starter is what is completely locked up. Im going to pull it this afternoon. Im hoping it will just be that starter. Its kind of a pain to get off with the adapter plate

Probably not your problem. For the starter gear to behave as a flywheel "lock" would mean both the solenoid and the overrun clutch are out of place and locked. More likely the starter itself is bad. A def. solenoid can actuate the gear ("click") but not engergize the starter motor. Should pull the starter anyway. You can test both theories. Good luck!

it could be. pull it apart, starters are pretty simple, i've had to tear them apart on the trail, in the mud, in a hole, in the cold, soaking wet......

might be as easy as disassemble and freshen the brushes and lube the bushings and clean and lube the bendix.

Get a big breaker bar on that crank and break it loose! Strange that your engine would lock up just from sitting. You sure it diddn't drop during your move?

Jamie,
Since you just rebuilt the transmission is it possible something is binding, totally unrelated to the engine itself when you put it back together?

absolutely maybe!

No that is totally impossible . Like I could screw that up

Okay anything is possible. I am really leaning towards that starter being toast. Not only would explain all the problems I had with it. It is also very fixable. I didn't get to it today. Just enjoyed being a dad & letting the wife & kids wait on me all day . I even took a nap . Pitiful I know & I won't get to do much with it tommorow because of work. I am off the rest of the week & will get to it first thing tuesday morning. Just be a bit of a pain to get the starter off. The nut on top has the ribs on the starter to hold it in place. That is no big deal on a normal motor as you get to the bolt. On my motor that bolt head is on the adapter plate & hidden. Anyone have a trick for getting the nut to come off? Probably just have to pull the tranny with adapter plate to do it. Just means unbolting the rest of the stuff involved . Oh well maybe the sucker will start with a new starter in place? I will make sure to test one on the bench before putting it in though

If the bolt is still metric I would put a head-nut back on, once you get it apart. 15mmATF vs 17mmATF with the same thread, you might have an easier time next time...

Okay I got the starter off tonight. It wasn't locked up at all . I don't see how it would be my tranny after the rebuild either. I can spin my wheels just fine. Also with it in neutral I can't get the motor to turn with the bolt up front.

So I pulled the plugs & put some more oil Dea Foam penetrating oil down them. Letting it soak & putting more in tommorow morning. Then I'm thinking I'll try the flat tow kit. Tow it & drop the clutch . Which gear would I do it in? 2nd? Or what else might I try before that?

so you bench ran the starter?

try and put it all back together and turn it over with the plugs out.

there are no bolts the can bottom out to the flywheel and lock that up when the tranny and every thing is installed?

Aren't I better off just leaving the starter out when I try to break it loose. Just one more thing that could cause a problem?

no

it holds the tranny on with 1 of 4 bolts!!!!!

it should not matter if the starter is bolted on unless you can feel that the starter nose cone goes to deep and makes contact with the fly wheel. if does theres yer sign!


i would get it to spin over with breaker bar on the crank with the plugs out then spin it with the starter, then on the starter with the plugs in.

oh! and make sure you've got the battery charged up and run the charger while your spinning it over.

If your tranny is the problem and if you flat tow and pop the clutch. you will shread your tranny. Just to be safe, I would unbolt it pull it just far enough away to make sure the main shaft spins. Reach your hand up there and spin it. You wont even have to take off the CV's. If it spins free, put it back and pop the clutch in 3rd gear.

Doens't the main shaft turn with the diff?

not until you put the tranny in gear

main shaft is top shaft in the case, the final drive is the bottom shaft with the pinion gear on the diff end.

I've had it in gear with the wheels off the ground. I spin one wheel & the other spins opposite. Does that mean it isn't turning the main shaft even though it is in gear?

it's an open diff, that will happen. you need to make sure the tranny is in neutral and either block a tire or drop one down to the ground and then spin the tire that is in the air.

you might have the gear selector [slider forks out of position and locking the tranny up]

you will have to drain the tranny and remove the shifter selector console and look insiiide and make sure the groove or open spot is in the correct posistion [neutral] and then reinstall the selector.

i'm pm'ing you my number

So either way I need to remove my tranny. With the tranny off if my motor still won't turn over. Then my rings must have froze to my clylinder wall. If my motor turns then it has to be my tranny causing the problem, In which case I need to drain it & pull the gear selector. In neutral with the shift fork out of it the 3 forks should all line up?

you dont need to pull the tranny to check the shift forks. just the side shift console, where the selector is.

i had trouble when i did mine after i droped the tranny and broke the ear the holds the shift bar bushing and had to put another in.
you can see and move the forks with a screw driver to get them into place. its kinda bitch to put the selctor in with out geting them of of place but it can be done.
you have to shove the shaft up in the console as you snake the console into place

My money is on the tranny, seriously doubt it's your engine Jamie. I wouldn't drop the clutch...you could have a mess on your hands.

You should have to disconnect the CV joints to pull it back far enough.

I know you've heard this from me before, but why don't you throw it on a trailer and bring it down to Mark. He'll have it running in a couple hours...

Other than automatic transmission fluid, which I don't think applies, what does "ATF" mean here?

The Cap'n

Funny rob

Okay so after soaking overnight I used abig breaker bar this morning & got it to move. I bench tested another starter & after finding it good put it in. I still get nothing when I turn my key from the starter . Is that my ignition? With the key on I jump the starter & it turns over. After wondering why it sounded so funny for a second. I remembered I didn't have my spark plugs in it. So got out from under the car & got those back in. Put my wires back on & got back under to jump the starter again. Turned over just fine & sounded pretty normal. A little different getting that sound from under the car as opposed to the driver seat. Anyway my battery had run down. So I put it on the charger & came in to report .Still didn't quite start but I think only because my battery was so low

ATF = across the flats

Great progress! Ignition key guts gone bad?

trouble shoot from the ignition switch to the starter. use the wiring diagram and check at the connections [like at the 11pin and 9 pin of the old relay board] could be a bad switch.

It's Alive! The one red wire I couldn't figure where it went. Light bulb went on & I tried connecting it to the starter. Boom she fired right up with the key. Bled the brakes & now just have to burp the radiator

Wow.

Congratulations.

Nice! I just had that feeling myself.....you know, the one where you're baffled and you go through all these radical solutions in your brain, talk to your friends and then the light bulb turns on and you slap your forehead and wonder why you didn't see the easy answer days ago

See you Thursday Jamie.

Sweet!

Nice work Jamie!!!

Took a spin to the local tire store. Getting new rubber but nothing spectacular. Got here &they was leaking water. Some idiot forgot to put the rad cap back on
Luckily being genius I am I fixed it

dumbass!!!

Awesome! wish I was there!