68 442
My car started but would not start a second time after reinstalling starter after a header install. No sound , no clicking, nothing, Battery good. so.....dropped the starter and....
Purple wire was frayed at the connector so I replaced the connector with a new one and made sure the wire was fully seated and crimped well. Seemed to fix the problem.
I have driven the car a half dozen time since I corrected the problem and no issues.
Took the car for a spin today and just went to start it and put it away and I'm experiencing the same symptoms again. No start, no sound, no clicking....Battery is good.
help, what should I look for short of dropping the starter again.

 

Is it an auto trans? Neutral safety switch?

 

stick shift car

 

Does it have a clutch interlock switch?

 

Using the color wiring diagram from the 1968 CSM using either a DMM or (at a minimum) a test light, trace each & every single wire from the battery terminals [both ground (-) & positive (+)], distribution/junction block (Power Take Off), starter/solenoid, IGN coil, VR, etc. Most likely an open circuit or a grounding condition. Be diligent - takes time. Trace every wire. Obviously what you described above "Seemed to fix the problem" didn't fix the problem.

 

no clutch switch.

 

Look under the dash for the purple wire that comes from the ignition switch, it should go to a jumpered connector joined with the wire that runs to the starter. It may also be the starter solenoid S terminal stud had loosened, twisted, and boke the wire inside.

 

I'll look for those issues and see what I find.
But here is what just happened. Before getting a hand to push the car into the garage I loosened the starter bolts and just double checked that the wires were not pinched or squished and tightened the bolts back up. The car started just fine after that. And again a half dozen times. So I just took it for a drive. everything good. Came back, put the car right in the garage and now it won't fire. Same problem/
I'm wondering if this sounds like the starter body is not grounded. Should it be? Electrical is not my thing, if you know what I mean.

 

Yes, the starter grounds to the block through the mounting surfaces and bolts. Is the block painted on the flat machined starter mounting areas? The factory also used a brace on the side of the starter that was for both mechanical support and electrical ground.

 

I'll have to drop the starter and clean up the area for a good ground and see if that helps. I don't have the brace, I do have the starter heat shield in place.

 

Heat shield and brace may be the same thing.

 

Was this always a manual trans car, or was it converted from an automatic at some point? In any case, the manual trans cars use the same dash harness as do the AT cars. Since 1968 does not use a clutch safety switch, the factory used a jumper plug in the connector with the two purple wires that would have gone to the NSS. Be sure this jumper is tightly in place and not corroded.

 

Get a decent test light, it is an excellent tool. Find out if the purple wire is hot at the starter when it won't crank, if hot then check to the tab coming out of the starter to the solenoid for power. This saves time and $$$. It could be a bad starter or solenoid.

Good luck!!!