Hi all - I have a 72 cutlass convertible - 68 toro 455 - m20 Muncie - still running points. Took her up north (Michigan) for scenic drive weekend - ran fine did fine - a lot of stop starting - car is a click “vroom” easy start car - I noticed a couple of times it did seem to have a hesitation like big electric draw feeling to it but started all the same. Sunday pack her up (rainy weather coming but just cloudy) drive about 15 minutes to east Jordan and stop for food - go to leave and nada - the gen light comes on with the key (normal) but not a sound with key in start position - I put the battery charger to it and nada (I’m on a steep hill) so I roll backwards and pop the clutch and she fires right up - drive to Eastport - north side of torch lake - it starts to sprinkle out so we pull over in a unused lot - idling I go to put the top up and the draw from the top motor stalls the car - no start - use the battery charger and it gets the top and power windows up - people there had a good battery Charger so charge it up - this time ign just click click click - so we push start it and I drive it 2.5 hours home - otw we stopped on a hill to put top down (sun and hot) no issues with top down - leave it running to get gas - car runs great - home to garage - go to put top up and it wants to stall - try reving it to get top up - no dice - still wants to stall - back it in garage top down - shut it down - go to restart it - nothing - no click nada - gen light comes on …. Where would you guys start? Is there a systematic check list for diagnosing it that I could follow? Feels like a starter to me (2 year old starter) but top up electric draw stall would be a separate issue then - any help / ideas is appreciated!… want to add - ignition lock cylinder appears to be getting a little sloppy - sometimes when I turn it off - car remains running but I can remove key - I have to turn it back a little further past off - to stop the engine

 

What is the battery voltage?

 

Was this car originally a manual trans car, or was it converted from an automatic? If converted, were the purple wires from the NSS moved to a correct clutch safety switch or not?

In any case, this is troubleshooting 101. The heavy purple wires are the START circuit, from the ignition switch through the clutch safety switch through the firewall connector, to the "S" terminal on the starter. If you aren't getting power at the starter, trace the purple wire with a test light to figure out where it stops. If there's 12+ volts at the S terminal when you turn the key, then the problem is either the solenoid or the brushes in the starter itself.

 

After battery voltage check with engine off, I work connect a digital voltmeter and start car and see what voltage is to see if charging system is working, and then turn all accessories on and see what your voltage reading is, and last try using top and see what voltage reading is.

Bob

 

If the battery voltage is low, the starter solenoid will at least click. If there is no sound at all, it's highly unlikely that this is a voltage problem. The easy test is to just turn on the headlights. If they are not unusually dim, voltage at the battery is not the problem.

 

it’s an original manual car - I put the battery on the tender for a while - when I turn it over I do get a dull click but won’t turn - I’ll wire test what you mentioned when I get back to it - the ignition key lock barrel is very sloppy - I have to make sure I turn it back past off to kill the gen light / Parking break light - thanks for the direction

 

Fully charge the battery with a real battery charger and run a discharge test. You need a batter load tester like this one to do that, but it will give you a good indication of the health of the battery.

 

After you confirm your battery is good. Check your battery cable connections at the battery terminals, at the starter and especially the ground connection at the engine block. Make sure they are clean and tight. You should also check the connections at the main lug on the horn relay. A loose or dirty connection at any of these locations can cause a host of electrical issues.

 

Thanks Joe - that did the trick - turns out my battery was toast - new battery - alternator is charging at 14.42 - back on the road 😎