hey guys. i have a question i hope someone can answer. i am a new member with a 64 olds f-85. it has a v-8 330 2 barrel. i'm about to start restoring it, but need to get it runnin first.

i went to get it started yesterday and it won't completely turn over. i have an old battery that i used a big dodge ram 350 deisel to jump start it with. after i attempted to start it, i could turn the ignition off, but when the positive jumper cable was put back on the battery, the car would still start on it's own.

any ideas what i'm dealin with? ignition switch? ignition coil? faulty wiring?

 

That wasn't a 24 volt Diesel, was it? That mighta fried something.

My money says you have either a stuck starter solenoid or a crossed wire at the solenoid. There are three wires to it- the (+) battery cable, a purple wire from the ignition switch, and a yellow wire to the coil. The batt cable goes to the big post on the solenoid, the yellow wire goes to the terminal marked R and the purple goes to the terminal marked S.

You need to get the 5-volume 64 Service Manual set if you're gonna work on this thing, or for now at least the electrical volume. It has full-color wiring diagrams that show wiring gauges and colors to everything. Invaluable book and it should be available on CD, though I'm told scan quality is not the best.

 

i appreciate the quick reply rocket. i'm pickin up a multimeter after work, and i have a new battery. my first purchase was the $30 olds service manual [700-pager, boy that's when they knew how to make manuals!].

i didn't think about his battery being 24-volt. i picked up some starting fluid when i got my battery, so hopefully i can put in the new battery, and with the printout of the wiring diagram and my multimeter, i can find out if i'm getting spark, if i can see gas in the carb, and trace the problem.

i don't know how to test the starter or ignition switch, other than with the multimeter. do you think i am missing anything else?

i'll post a reply when i get it solved. thanks again - i appreciate it.