Itinerant Air-Cooled

Your symptoms indicate a dirty or bad connection, probably at the positive battery terminal. Take off the terminal and clean the inside of it where it contacts the battery post. If this is not it keep looking, as somewhere in the large wires going to starter, there IS a dirty or loose connection.

The ignition lights come on, but when I turn the key, there's a single click, then the lights go out and she will not start again.

i would say from the 'single click'..probably starter solenoid malfunction or bad connection at starter

you could try this volt drop test: http://www.excelauto.com/online/Tech.d/strvdt.html

dingo wrote:

The ignition lights come on, but when I turn the key, there's a single click, then the lights go out and she will not start again.

i would say from the 'single click'..probably starter solenoid malfunction or bad connection at starter

you could try this volt drop test: http://www.excelauto.com/online/Tech.d/strvdt.html

I'm with you here; I had a similar periodic no-start issue that seems to have been cured merely by removing and reattaching the 12v to the solenoid. I didn't even clean the contacts. But I had the same issues ~ click, no start/no turn. Then randomly, it would start. Unnerving, but easy to fix.

Best,

Michael L

Lanval wrote:

dingo wrote:

The ignition lights come on, but when I turn the key, there's a single click, then the lights go out and she will not start again.

i would say from the 'single click'..probably starter solenoid malfunction or bad connection at starter

you could try this volt drop test: http://www.excelauto.com/online/Tech.d/strvdt.html

I'm with you here; I had a similar periodic no-start issue that seems to have been cured merely by removing and reattaching the 12v to the solenoid. I didn't even clean the contacts. But I had the same issues ~ click, no start/no turn. Then randomly, it would start. Unnerving, but easy to fix.

Best,

Michael L

Also, if you are going to do this repair, please use DeOx anti-corrosion gel. Florida on the coast is tough on electrical system connections. Every single electrical chore that you do, even replacing fuses, apply a little dab of DeOx to the contact surfaces. When oxygen is not allowed, great things happen.
Colin