when i try to start my car the starter only turns the motor around 140 rpms. the battery is a brand new optima red top, i removed the starter and had it tested at a local autozone and they said it is good. i checked the voltage at the batt. and is 13.0 volts and the voltage at the starter is 12.7. i tried push starting the car and it started ran for a while and stalled and wouldn't restart. the motor is a fresh rebuild with under a mile on it, which i know a new motor can be hard to start but the starter should still be cranking faster? is the autozone test useless? not sure where to go from here? thanks in advance

 

Grounding issue? Take a multi meter and go around checking the continuity.

 

if u put voltage directly to the starter.. does it spin fast?

 

ottoman - in autozone the starter did spin fast.

 

Was that with it out of the car?

Cos it needs the load of the engine to prove whether there is a problem in the starter itself.

I think you need (as mentioned previously) - with it installed in the car - to take a lead directly from the battery the starter, and another directly from the battery to the solenoid, and see how it spins then.

If it is still poo, then there are only two possible outcomes
1) The starter is poked
2) Something in the engine is seizing

 

the car push starts fine..so the motor isn't seized

u need to run direct current to the starter/solenoid

and see what happens..

 

The OP wasn't exactly clear about whether the car push started fine.... cos he said it ran for a bit then stalled?

Was the stall his fault, or the engines....

need more info!

 

Sounds like your starter isn't getting enough current, causing it to spin slowly and is most likely the result of too much resistance between the starter motor and the negative side of the battery. If you have an ammeter, you can check your resistance to ground and the continuity of your battery cables.

Need more info to address the stalling issue you mentioned

 

thanks for the ideas will check tomorrow, when the starter was tested it was at autozone with the starter out of the car. when i push started it and it stalled it was the car, but i'm going to do what was suggested and see what happens. thanks again

 

okay. first off continuity checks wont do anything and it needs to be a cranking voltage. And amperage is the same throughout a circuit regardless of resistance. resistance affects available voltage which would cause a slow crank.SO just check the voltage at the big cable of the starter while you crank it over. If it is more voltage than about 12.2V while cranking then the starter is probably bad.

 

Hello all I know this is an old post but what was the outcome. I have put a fresh built engine in mine. It fired up first turn of the key, ran for about 30 seconds and died. Wouldn’t start unless towed and now won’t start on a tow. Again it only run for about 30 seconds and now with a brand new battery it’s very slow cranking. Any help would be amazing
thanks all
Jamie

 

That is concerning... did the engine crank much faster the first time it started?? Vs now

Also when u did get it running did it have oil pressure?

U may want to try spinning the engine by hand with the spark plugs out,, with a ratchet on the main pulley and see if it feels normal or is extremely hard to turn. If it seems unusually hard to turn u may look at taking all the accessory belts off to rule them out. The fact it won't run pull starting either now would put me more suspicious of something wrong with the engine

 

Hello yes it did crank faster to start with. And yes it’s hard to turn over by hand now. But I also just found out the gearbox is not put in properly and it’s like a metallic sound when it ran. Not the engine, the gearbox is metallic in sound (grinding) Now I wonder what damage that will do to the engine because when we tried to tow it, it locked up and we lost the back end. Gearbox back out time.
I am a little lost on this one never had it before.

 

I built the engine with loads of oil in. And I also cranked it loads of times with fuel off to build pressure. Could that be it? Also I I took out the plugs and dropped 5ml of 2 stroke in the chambers

 

You could have a little back pressure if you have a lot of oil in the compression chambers, but that should blow out with a couple cranks and definitely after it fires up. You should get your gearbox fixed first, that could be your problem. Too late now, but i would never tow a car that's not on a trailer, but if i did, i would remove the driveshaft.

 

I hear you makes good sense. I was towing it to get it started. But I’ll remove box and sort that before I go any further