RE: IML: starting my 64 after a long sleep

[Ken Lang <imperialken@xxxxxxxxx>]

Mark,

It could be nothing more than a faulty battery connection.  If the battery
connections are not tight and are corroded, the current required by the
starter will burn the connection.  One way to tell this for sure is to watch
the dome light while trying to start the engine.  If the dome light goes out
when you hit the starter and stays out then it is a faulty battery
connection.

On the other hand, it is an old battery.  The best way to check it is to use
a DC voltmeter across the battery.  With everything turned off, a fully
charged battery should stay around 12.5 volts.  During cranking it should
not drop below 10 volts.  If it does you could have an old tired battery or
the current drain could be severe enough to pull the voltage down to that
level.

You mentioned that the engine has not been started for several years.  Have
you tried to rotate the engine by hand to make sure it turns.  If it's
frozen you'll need to free it up before trying to start it with the starter.

Ken
67 Crown 4 Dr Ht
68 LeBaron 4 Dr Ht



-----Original Message-----
From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mark Elliott
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 11:52 AM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: starting my 64 after a long sleep

I am in a position where I need to move my 64 out of the garage.  The 
car has not been started for several years (3-4).  I charged the 
battery up, poured a little gas down the carb, and turned the key, 
and nothing happened.  There was a single click (like the solenoid 
firing), and then nothing.

Any ideas on the cause of the nothing?  Is it likely a bad 
starter?  Could it be a bad battery (the battery is 7-8 years old, 
and has been sitting most of that time).  Could it be something more 
serious?  Is there an easy way to tell (in case you haven't guessed 
already, I am not terribly mechanically inclined).  I could hear a 
very quiet whirring sound that could have been the starter spinning, 
but I can't be sure.

Thanks for any information you can offer to help,

Mark Elliott
1964 Crown 4door in pieces in the garage (but it needs to be moved 
out of the garage)


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