Hi all! My son and I are restoring a 1975 Maverick. We built a 250 inline for it using the original head. When we turn the key to start, the starter relay/solenoid clicks but is only putting out 5 volts on the starter side when the starter is connected. When the starte is not connected it is putting out around 12 volts. New: battery, starter relay/solenoid, starter, all cables, ignition switch, and ignition control module. Good ground from starter bolt to frame. Have battery gounded near the voltage regulator and starter relay. Does it need to be grounded to the engine as well? I am at a total loss. Any suggestions? Is it something really obvious?
Thanks for the quick responses! Since it's already past midnight, I reckon I'll wait until tomorrow to fix the ground wires. That explains what that ground wire-looking wire was hanging off the fire wall tha I removed! I'll post an update tomorrow, er uh later this evening!
Your engine ground needs to be as big as the battery cables - the largest current draw in your car is the starter. A few smaller cables can be used for chassis grounds.
So if I move the new cable, 4 gauge battery-type, that I have going from the starter bolt to the frame, and have it go from the starter bolt to the firewall, will that count for the engine to firewall ground as well as the starter ground? If this sounds stupid, well it just might be! I'm used to working on VWs and they just seem a little easier, although this Maverick project has been a lot of fun. Zeke wanted a red white and blue engine so that is what we did. Red header, white valve cover and air filter housing and blue block, head and oil pan, with the other parts being black and a black and blue fan. Listen to me ramble. I haven't made it out to the back to effect any of the corrections tonight. I got home later than I had hoped to from work and with one arm still imobilized from surgery, and the boy in a bad mood over some school stuff, I'm at a stand-still. Maybe after while though under a good halogen work light! ) I sure do apreciate all the great, quick advice. Y'all are a friendly bunch of folks! I might just have to find a Maverick for me once we get Zeke's running!
make sure I have a minimum 4 ga wire from the batt to the block. A 10 or 12 ga wire from the neg on battery to a spot on the shock tower and then at least one usually two 10-12 ga wires from the engine to the firewall or frame rail.
Make sure your negative battery cable goes directly to the engine block,or if it's long enough,one of the starter mounting bolts. you should also have ground wires from the engine block to the frame and the body. All your heavy cables should be at least 6 guage,4 would be better! That is your + battery cable to your solenoid,your solenoid to starter,and your - battery cable to your block or starter mounting bolt. The other grounds can be 8 guage.
FAILURE! Here is what I did. Re-installed the ground wire on the firewall, twisted copper about 6 gauge, and connected it to the top exhaust/header mounting bolt. Negative batery cable to alternater mounting bolt, with smaller wire going off to the chasis side wall near the strut tower. Starer is still 4 gauge battery-type wire from mounting bolt to frame. Alternater is grounded to another bolt on the chasis side wall near the strut tower. Without the starter connected we got 10+volts on the output side of the solenoid. (crappy volt meter that has 10 scale and then jumps up to 250 - volts jumped past the 10) Connected the started - 4 gauge relay to starter cable - and when we turned key to start position, the solenoid did not click as loud, showed 0 volts coming out, and then the starter started smoking. We quickly disconnected the negative cable on the battery. That cable and the starter cable were both hot, but not too ot to handle. The smoke smelled more like melted plastic than electric if that makes sense. After that I checked the battery and it showed 0 volts - completely dead, and it's a new battery. So I connected the charger to it. It started off drawing 7 amps on the charger - slow charger - so I know it was completely drained. What would cause it to lose all of its charge like that? Next I will get a longer cable and remove the ground cable we hooked up to the starter, replacing it with the negative battery cable. What else am I missing? How do I check to make sure the selonoid and voltage regulator - both new - are still good? Could we have fired those? I have the 5 volume Ford Shop Manual on CD ROM. I bet the answers are biurried in there. Any good navigation tips for that beast? Thanks for all the help, and patience! Hopefully y'all are getting a few chuckles out of this, rookie mistakes and all! ) Eric
