1956 trouble starting

[DiIanni]

The car was starting as it should, but recently when trying to start the engine all I get is a clicking sound seemingly coming from the
lower area of the right side of the engine. Might this simply suggest a problem the with starter motor?

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[ICON 56]

It could be one of two things. the battery or the starter. How old is the battery,

 

[DiIanni]

It could be one of two things. the battery or the starter. How old is the battery,

Unfortunately, I don't know the age of the battery. Thinking that it might be the battery, I did have the it on a charger for quite awhile.
I am guessing that it probably is the starter.

 

[DiIanni]

Engine won't turn over but gets a clicking sound. Would that probably be the starter solenoid or the starter motor??

 

[biddle]

Engine won't turn over but gets a clicking sound. Would that probably be the starter solenoid or the starter motor??

Why would you created a new thread for the same exact question 3 hours after the first one? I'm merging your duplicate post with the existing one.

 

[cokefirst]

Are you sure the clicking sound is coming from the area of the starter? Generally the click sound is made when the starter relay (solenoid) is engaged. The clicking can mean that there is not enough power in the battery to turn the starter or the starter is locked. If it continues to click while holding the key in the start position, then that is an indication of a weak battery, if it click once, and does not continue to click, then that is an indication of a bad starter or a loose or broken connection between the starter relay and the starter.

If you have a voltmeter, have someone check the voltage of the battery when you try to start the car. if the battery drops to les than 10 volts, it is likely the battery. try and use a set of jumper cables to a known good battery. If the car starts, your problem is the battery. If it still clicks, it is probably in the starter or cable between the starter and the starter relay. Diagnose first, replace parts later.

As a side note, it could be the starter relay is bad but that is unlikely. Many of those relays got replaced because the problem was the battery or starter. They do fail, but not often.

 

[rspon]

Sounds like a dead battery to me. Take it to a parts store and have it load tested.

 

[lsbarchitect]

I'm experiencing a similar problem with my 56. Over the past few week's I've noticed when I turn my key to start the engine it sometimes does not start the engine, then it will.... Yesterday while driving back from a Cars & Coffee my car just died and I initially couldn't get it restarted, then I was able to turn the engine over and the car started and got me home. Once I had it home I repeatedly tried to start it and it would initially work, but then wouldn't. Again, sometimes when I turned the key it would make a clicking sound by in the engine compartment, then nothing. I ended up replacing the starter solenoid as I thought it was the problem, but no. As I continued to try and start the car, the engine would sometimes turn, but not fire. I did check the battery and it's just 18mo old and appears to have plenty of juice, so at this point I'm not sure what I'm looking at; Starter? Ignition Switch?, Coil?......????? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Goldwinghg]

I'm experiencing a similar problem with my 56. Over the past few week's I've noticed when I turn my key to start the engine it sometimes does not start the engine, then it will.... Yesterday while driving back from a Cars & Coffee my car just died and I initially couldn't get it restarted, then I was able to turn the engine over and the car started and got me home. Once I had it home I repeatedly tried to start it and it would initially work, but then wouldn't. Again, sometimes when I turned the key it would make a clicking sound by in the engine compartment, then nothing. I ended up replacing the starter solenoid as I thought it was the problem, but no. As I continued to try and start the car, the engine would sometimes turn, but not fire. I did check the battery and it's just 18mo old and appears to have plenty of juice, so at this point I'm not sure what I'm looking at; Starter? Ignition Switch?, Coil?......????? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Could possibly be the ignition switch.

 

[arnaudvdc]

I had the same problem over the weekend. It rained a bit and it just wouldn't start anymore. No contact it seemed.
It started just fine a couple of hours before so it had to be something simple (or stupid 🙂 )

I tried a lot but this solved the problem. Maybe it's the same for you...

At first I thought it was the solenoid but when checking with a voltmeter the power coming from the battery was not close to 12V.
I figured the battery was not charged enough so I used a charger for a couple of hours but this didn't help.

In the end it turned out that due to corrosion on the battery cable and/or the solenoid cables connectors (It's the little black box located on the driver side underneath the windshield, look for the one marked 'S') the cables didn't send enough power to the solenoid, meaning not contact to starter engine.

I used sand paper to remove all rust and debris on the battery connectors as well as on the solenoid.


Detach your battery + and - for safety reasons
Clean, with sandpaper, the inside of the red + and black - connectors of the cables (not the battery)
Do the same for the little bolts coming from the solenoid
Connect all the cables back making sure there is enough surface connection.
Make sure the battery is still good
Try starting

If you have a volt meter, this sure helps

Good luck & let us know how it works out.

 

[BCTbirdironman]

First post, similar problem. I have a 1956- bought about 3 months ago. Shortly after, would not shut off. I pulled the wire from he distributor... No more problems until the other day. Cranked the engine, didn't catch, turned the key again- nothing. Not even a click. Battery charged. Can't even get the lights to turn on, can't start it by arcing the screws on the starter. Totally dead, nothing when turning key. Welcome ideas!

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Charging a battery doesn't mean its good, a flaky cell or broken post can have weird symptoms. Maybe take it to an Autozone or such and they can load test it. You could also have a generator that's not charging.

Have someone measure across the battery terminals with a meter, engine off, if you get upwards of 12.6V or so that's decent. Measure during cranking, if the battery voltage doesn't dip down into the 9V range you have bad connections, if it goes below that you have a bad battery.

With the car running at a fast idle you should measure between 13.8V and 14.2V or the generator is not working.

 

[BCTbirdironman]

Thanks. Took the battery to O'Reillys- where it tested good. So the issue is not the battery. What makes me agree is that there had been np battery weakness, including the crank immediately preceding. Then nothing..

 

[74 Harley]

Sounds like bad a bad ground.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Hence my battery measurements suggested above, if the crank voltage doesn't drop near 9V you have bad connections/corrosion so the system can't draw enough current. You can keep using a "wet finger in the air" or do some diagnostics.