Does anyone have a diagram of what's supposed to go to the three terminals on the 85 starter?
Also, I've gotten the starter to click in and rotate the engine a bit by throwing a wire directly from the pos terminal of the battery. this is a pretty small cable, like most of the wiring inside the car (not like the huge honker that goes to it from the factyory). So, I've gotten the engine to crank (fan and belts turn), but it's always for only a little bit and never enough to start the car. The battery is nothing too good, but I had it hooked up to another car in a jump-start when I was trying to start it. Any ideas on what I can do to start the damn thing? And if anyone's got that diagram (there's three terminals on the starter, two big bolts and one clip, and the FSM only mentions two terminals, and I have no idea which ones they are).

Most of the time, I can get the starter to spin without clicking in, but I got it to click in (connect to the flywheel) a couple of times yesterday, so I figure it's got to at least be good enough to start the car.

Help, please. I need to start and move this car (got it for free from a guy who just wants it off his lot).

 

One "big" terminal gets the positive battery cable, the other has the strap coming out of the starter.
The spade terminal gets a smaller wire (8-10ga) that activates the starter. This wire is black, with either a white or yellow stripe, and should have a plastic end over the terminal.

 

Looking at the starter from the back, as in the diagram, if I connect the pos battery cable to terminal 1, I get the starter to spin, but not to click into the flywheel. Which strap are you talking about going into the starter? And, assuming that I've got the starter completely disconnected from the cables that are supposed to go to it form the factory (as I am now assuming they are crap and don't work), what do I have to run from the battery and to what locations on the starter to get it to spin the engine?

Edit: the car's been sitting for 2 years, and the previous owner did a real buther job on the wiring in places I didn't know they could, like ripping one of the fuel pump wires right out of the connector. The wires around the starter look beat to hell.

 

By the way, the car is an auto.

 

bump.

 

The big + battery cable goes to #1 in your pic. The spade terminal gets the ignition source and the neg cable is grounded to the block by the starter. #2 terminal gets nothing.

 

Can I just hook up another 12V + to the spade to simulate the ignition source and get the starter to start the car?

 

That can work, provided you also have power going to the ignition system and fuel pump, at a minimum. Engine will not run without power to the ignition system, nor will it get fuel without the fuel pump running.
The alternate +12V should be run thru a switch of some sort, as it only gets power when the starter is engaged.

 

If the rest of the wiring is itact, use a remote starter. They sell them at parts stores. Connect one lead to the pos on the starter, the other to the spade, hit the button. Key must be in on/run position.

 

The car makes clicking noises and one or two of the dash lights light up when I turn the key, just no power to the starter when I twist it all the way. Also, I've gotten the engine to turn over, but never very much (even when I had jumper cables hooked up to the car). I wonder if I need a large gauge pos wire to the main terminal?
I know the fuel pump works (I checked it off of the car, and it whirred nicely) But how do I check if it's working on the car? Also, how do I test the ignition system?

 

The main/big pos battery wire goes directly to the starter, the smaller one goes to the fusible links on the strut tower. A fully charged battery, or a charger with a jump fuction seems to work better for me than jumper cables.

If the starter is clicking when the key is turned to the start, that part of the ignition is good.

Do you have a copy of the FSM? If not, the link is in my sig line.

 

I read the fsm up one side and down the other, but all it had for the starter was two lines going in. kinda confisuing with three terminals at the starter.

 

The middle, big one, sits there, that's it. I hooked both the + and - to those 2 lugs once, yes the starter will click, but it won't turn over. Ground wire has to go to the block, next to the starter.