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240 that won't turn over

So I gave my 240 to my cousin as going to college car and my dad drove it down. The next day they tried to start it and they had to push start it. I didn't ask how that went, but hopefully they popped the clutch out in second gear. They figured the battery must have been dead, but that wasn't really the case. The car has been sitting in their driveway for about a month now and the front wheels are no locked up, which makes it impossible to try and push start it again. Finally, they called me and I checked out the car. When you turn the key, I don't hear anything happen as if the starter is dead. I don't remember if there was a surge in power, but I don't think there was. Does the car need a new starter or should I check some fuses first?

Thanks for any trouble shooting advice you can give, Erik

As for the front wheels locking, I hoping to try and break them free once I get the car going.

Reply to
Erik
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From a point at sea, to the circles of your mind, this is Erik:

Make sure the battery is fully charged. The starter uses a LOT of energy, so a battery that can light up the dash may not necessarily have enough juice to turn the starter.

Check the battery connections are OK.

There are two wires going to the starter motor - a big fat red one that comes directly from the battery, and a smaller one next to it, with a spade connector that pushes onto its terminal. Check that both of these connections are sound.

If these all check out OK, pull off the smaller wire and take a fly lead from the terminal to the battery +ve. For safety, connect it to the starter terminal first, then to the battery. Be careful not to short out this wire to anything else, or big sparks will fly (in fact, you could acheive the same thing by linking the big starter terminal to the small one, possibly by bridging them with a screwdriver, but accessability may make this more difficult).

This should make the starter turn. If it does not, the fault lies in the starter motor. If it does, the fault is in the key-switch or the wiring.

How do you know it's the front wheels that have seized if the car won't move? Could it be the handbrake to the rear wheels?

Reply to
Stewart Hargrav

If the starter works by shorting it, and you think it is the solenoid, then look on the underside of the solenoid for a second male spade connector. I have found this on both my 740 and 240. Once mine wouldnt start, and I moved the wire to the 2nd connector and it has been working since, this leads me to believe there are two sets of contacts internally on the solenoid.

Reply to
Jack in Dallas

Reply to
Erik

Just give the rims of the wheels locked a good belt with a hammer, should do the trick.

Griz

Reply to
Grizly Adams

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