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My starter has become intermittent. Sometimes with full battery charge, it will not activate starter. However, I can bang on the solonoid and it usually starts working.. Question...is it best to send it out for a rebuild or is it a thing a DIYer can do.


What companies are recommended for such a rebuild?

first test if it starts better if you connect the wire from battery and starter switch with a bridge (attention, danger of short circuit), in this case the starter switch or the wire might be faulty.

When you remove the rear cap on the solenoid, you will find a large round copper washer. If the side you are looking at is nice and smooth flip it over, turn the copper bolts that touch this ring 180 degrees and see if that doesn't resolve the problem. IF some previous owner already did that, buy a repair kit which will contain a new ring and new copper bolts.

Oh, disconnect the battery first.

First question I would ask is if you hear the faint click of the relay coming in or if the solenoid does shift the pinion when you try to start but the motor doesn't turn. If no action at all, possibilities are: The ground if you still have the safety circuit, the contacts on the small relay in the solenoid case that actually bring in the solenoid. If you still have your PB connected in place of the carb switch then the other common issue of a misadjusted or faulty carb switch is moot.

If the pinion shifts but the motor doesn't turn until you hit the solenoid then the contacts inside that connect the battery to the starter are suspect. There is a slim chance the plunger is sticking in the bore and not bringing the disc into full contact for the battery connection to be made but that would be hard to diagnose without seeing if the pinion is making full mesh with the flywheel.

On the send it out or DIY, it kind of depends on how comfortable you feel working on things like that.

It is not complicated but on that solenoid you really do need to watch the disassembly order when you remove the nuts on the copper bolts. The nuts have to come off before you can remove the cover but there are some rubber and fiber insulating grommets, washers and a sleeve that will come off too. Those insulator pieces have to be put back in the exact order to insulate the bolt connections from the cover and from some of the steel supports inside. Another thing is the rubber is old and brittle and a chunk may break off.

Along that line, parts could be an issue if you need some. I doubt the rebuild kits for that solenoid are going to be a quick find. Perhaps some of the vendors would have one but it might need to be up to a rebuilder to utilize something generic or rework a replacement component made for another solenoid.

If you do decide to tackle it, if everything seems to work except the motor doesn't turn until you hit the solenoid, the most likely place to look would be the copper disc and/or the two copper bolt heads. Note the disc on this old solenoid is fairly rough but the bolt is worse. It has a semicircular wear pattern from the disc making contact over the years. Contact surface has recessed down to the point the disc may not make good contact. Possibly the bolt could be turned 90 degrees to bring a new surface into contact or possibly a small fiber washer the thickness of the recess could be placed under the bolt head to elevate it high enough the disc can make good contact again.

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Fantastic information!!
Is it best to remove the starter before removing the solonoid?
I am quite comfortable with such tasks.

Thanks Randy. Hopefully this will work!

I think it would be easier to remove the starter and place it on a bench.

In addition to the large nuts and the copper buss bar to the starter terminal that also comes off, the cover is held by two terminal screws going to the coil (also with insulation) and two screws which hold the actual cover. There is a gasket behind the cover which may stick.

You may be able to just turn the bolt in place but if not, to remove the relay and contact assy from the solenoid, there is another screw on the rear which comes out. One of the large solenoid coil wires is soldered to a plate under one of the copper bolts. The bolt needs to be completely out so the plate can be freed and assy removed. Bolt kind of slides thru as you pull the relay assy away and a washer or part of the insulation may drop as the bolt comes thru. Trying to do all that leaning over the fender and then not dropping something or being able to reach everything would be a challenge.

Thanks. Will remove!

Robert, FYI - I disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled the starter when I had the Clipper. I did not do anything with the solenoid as it was functioning without any problems. I have photos of the starter disassembled if you are interested. Email me and I will provide them to you. It is a heavy piece of equipment. Good luck. JWL

Just sent you an email about starter pics.
I am really enjoying the car. It has never left me stranded. Believe it or not, it has broken down in my driveway each time:
1. Carb died of old age..had Daytona rebuild it.
2. Fuel pump died right in front of garage.
3. Twice starter solonoid has hung up but banging on it got it started.
4. Carb control clip fell off linkage before I got up the hill. I rolled back into my driveway!!

I drive the car a lot in order to stress the systems so I know what to repair before a long caravan trip...so all is right on schedule.

New set of diamond backs just installed..rides like a dream but tires are noisy...I guess I will get used to it!!

Pic of classy valve stems on car with full chrome regalia!!

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