Thread: Starter Issues on a 52 Caddy

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I am hoping that someone can help out with this. I am having extreme difficulty getting my old 52 caddy started. It is an original 65K mile car with the original 331V8. It is a 6 volt car that has had the starting circuit changed to 12 volt. I just had the starter rebuilt by a shop near my home in So Cal. I had it rebuilt because the armature was grounding out on itself and the starter would not turn over any more.

I get it back and the only thing that will work is the solenoid. It hits hard but the starter will not turn the motor over. It does not even sound like it is trying to turn the motor over. The body of the starter will get a little warm after trying it.

Here is what I have checked so far:
• Took the starter out and it turns freely with no load.
• Check the motor and the flywheel turns freely.
• Replaced the battery.
• Used a good battery from another running vehicle
• Hooked jumper cables from the battery straight to the starter and used a remote starter
• Made new battery cables and ran them from the battery straight to the starter and used a remote starter
Nothing I have done will allow the starter motor to turn while it is connected to the motor.

Took the starter back to the rebuild shop and they bench test it by putting power to it and letting it spin with no load. That is the extent of their test. They claim that since the starter will spin free with no load it is fine. They did not check the amps or voltage load.

I made them test the amps while I was there and it pulled 10-15 amps in free spin. That sounds like it may be a bit low, but I am by no means no much about electrical.

I can not understand how a broken starter will turn over a motor and then will not after it is rebuilt and have it not be the starter.

Any suggestions?

what did they do to convert it to 12 vlt???
if it was the original style armature it should spin it over no problem.
my dad has a old grain truck 53 ford with a flathead and we converted it over to 12 vlts too but did nothing to the starter re modifications spins it over great.

I am sorry I forgot to mention that the starter is also a 12 volt starter from a 53 or 54 Caddy. It is for the 331 V8 but it says on the Delco Remy metal tag that it is a 12V starter.

sounds like the sol. is engauging the bindex, but not the armature. be sure all your grounds are in place and then run a 12v wire from the bat. to the little post going into the starter and see what it does. by pass the sol. or check the voltage on that post when you engauge the starter and see if the sol. is letting 12 v get there.

Here's a no-cost fix that may do it for you - provided everything else is ok.

Pull the solenoid, open it up and take a look at the square head copper/bronze bolt that makes contact with the round gizmo on the starter shaft.
Odds are, it's eaten away to the point where the round gizmo does not make good contact with the square headed bolt.

The fix is easy, loosen the square headed bolt up and turn it 180 degrees so as to expose fresh copper/bronze to the round gizmo and make good solid contact.

As you can see, this is a moving contact and once it wears away the round gizmo no longer seats hard against the square headed bolt.

I've found and fixed several of these on GM engines as well as one on a Nissan or Toyota pickup.
Can't remember which, the older ones all look alike to me....

Great tip. Thanks. Once I get the starter back I can look at it. When the starter was rebuilt they did replace the solenoid, so i hope that this would not be an issue, but stranger things have happened.

Originally posted by itsaposcj5
Great tip. Thanks. Once I get the starter back I can look at it. When the starter was rebuilt they did replace the solenoid, so i hope that this would not be an issue, but stranger things have happened.

itsaposcj5 what i was telling you to do a (few post ago) is by- passing that bolt and a quick way of checking the sol. without taking it off.

I got the starter back from the starter shop and I tested a few things to make sure that there were no shorts in the armature (since that is what was wrong with the starter before) and that the solenoid was good. Everything checked out OK. I put the starter in the car the same way I had before and Presto! It turns over great. I did not change a thing and now it starts terrific. In fact it starts easier than my Wife’s new Mazda. I have no idea why it did not work at all before I took it back and why it works now. Personally, I think that the shop pulled it apart and fixed what ever was wrong. At this point I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I am going to get it registered and drive it. Thanks to all who responded.