Re: Intermittent Starting Issues

Posted by DavidPackard On 2022/9/1 18:16:41

Pipesargent;

At some point you will need to develop evidence on which systems are good, and finally which system is erratic.

As HH56 pointed out binding post ‘GA’ is the source of current for the instruments, turn signals, and the starting circuit. You mentioned all three of those circuits in your initial posting, so I would try is to bypass the ignition switch and ‘hot-wire’ binding post ‘GA’.

I’m also biased on the negative side about the Carter starting switch, so I would also add two wires and a SPST switch as a parallel circuit that electrically mimics the Carter CarStarter. With that switch you can conduct a start attempt with any throttle position you desire, and if the engine cranks 100% of the time (GA not hot-wired) you could concluded that the Carter system needs some investigation. Others on this forum have reported success by exercising the Carter contacts by depressing the throttle several times with the ignition key OFF. When I had my unit apart I was taken how simple the switch is, but I was concerned on what ensured positive contact of the ‘W’- shaped contact spring to the blocks. You need two low resistance contacts for that system to succeed, so in my opinion clean contacts are a must, and perhaps some tarnish or fuel residue is the root cause of your problem . . . but that leaves the instruments and turn signals un-explained . . . I think I would ‘hot-wire’ ‘GA’ as the first diagnostic test.

dp