ok, I just finished wiring up the redtop I put in the bin of my project car, go to test it and everything works (lights, blower motor etc) except the starter is all fucked up. Now this is the first time I've cranked this thing in over a year, so putting the battery in the bin might not be what caused this problem. Here's what happened: i hooked up the battery and the starter just started going by itself. I checked all my connections and everything is hooked up like stock, odd. I swap starters just to see what would happen, this time it does nothing. It has power at all the right places but won't crank when you turn the key, nothing. I put the other starter back in, and the same thing. So it went from turning nonstop to not turning at all, even though its got power at the right posts, and signal wire is only hot when you turn the key. WTF is up with this? If you guys need more detail or something let me know, but i've been out there for a few hours and I'm about to break something, so I decided to stop for a while. TIA
Sean

ps, oh yea, I also have installed a FC fuseblock up under the hood, but everything seems to correct there also, so I'm not sure what the hell is going on.

 

try both starters off the car on a bench or vise. Try to see if you can get either one to work correctly by using jumper wires and a battery. Maybe you have two bad starters and/or solenoids.

 

Sounds like you connected the main (+) cable in the solenoid; not the actual starter.

 

I connected everything just like it is on my 83 S. The big main wire from the battery goes on the left post, the wire that tells it to go plugs into that spade connector, and the right post is the one that goes to the hot start and sub zero bottle and all that crap that isn't there anymore, but for some reason still needs to be on the starter for the starter to function (had problems on the S when that fuseable link burned up, wouldn't crank) Oh and the wire that goes from teh solenoid to the starter itself is on that right post as well. Everything seems to be set up the same as the S, but it just does nothing when you turn the key. I guess I'll have to try jumping things, but I'm not sure exactly how to go about it, that second post (the right one) with that hot start wire and **** on it confuses me for some reason. I'm lost right now......

 

i have the same goddamn problem on my fc right now...i checked the starter by hooking it straight to the battery and it only does a small crank it does not spin...this is the second brand new starter i got in the past few days...the first one did the same thing so i thought it was defective and brought it back....can somebody please help my car is jacked up right now and im bleeding cuz i dropped a wrench on my head...im so pissed right now

 

Anyone else have any suggestions? Can anyone explain to me why that stupid wire going to the hot start has to be there for it to work, that seems kinda dumb to me. I'm going out there to work on the car some more right now, so we'll see what happens....

where in jersey are you white rice?

 

ok a new devlopment, well kind of. I put a shitty old starter I had laying around in to see what would happen, it still doesn't turn over when you turn teh key. So I starter probing around with my test light to see whats going on (as I have been with the other starter) and a few things are different. For some reason on this old starter the tab that connects to the ignition switch is hot all the time (wtf, thats not right) and when you turn the key the second post (with the wire going into the starter and the other wire going to the hot start) it gets no power. Leading me to believe the solenoid is bad on this one. I took a small wrench and put it between the 2 posts and the starter turned, solenoid did nothing but it turned at least. After this happend I took the other, newer, starter i've been using all along and starting messing aroudn with it and a spare battery and it does nothing, no combination of jumpers etc will make it do anything, so I guess its shot. After seeing that old starter at least turn i'm almost tempted to go buy another starter with the thought that maybe the solenoid is bad on this one... Kinda risky and pricy, but I'm out of other ideas.
Just for the hell of it, can someone just confirm that I have this thing wired right.... I have the battery main wire on the left post, and the other post is the one going off to the hot start, and also has that exposed wire going into the starter, this is right isn't it?
Sean