2024 Canadian Poncho Calendars are Now Available! CLICK HERE

 

 

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: 66 Strato Chief no go


A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 35601
Date:
66 Strato Chief no go


When I started switching my car to 4 speed , I unhooked battery, and removed steering column.     I added, a new positive battery cable, and added a quick connect for starter....   While column was out, I turned on ignition, and new starter cranked over!  yea!   I took purple wires, from neutral safety switch, and joined them together.. STARTER still worked.. While column was out, the headlights did not work..  The quick connect was carefully re-installed using small wire to small wire to coil, and med wire to med wire to ign and large wire to large wire to battery..Last night, I installed used steering column from Pariesienne with console, and pluged in the 2 wiring harnesses.. The headlights work, but car wont turn over.........

__________________

 



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

You had two switches on the original column, right?

If so, did one have two green wires to it? If so, that is back up lites as I recall.

If so, did the other one have the purple wires? If so, that is neutral safety as I recall.

You have put a jumper on the purple ones?

This is all from memory, I haven't looked in the manual yet.

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 35601
Date:

Yes Carl, I did join the purple wires together, and when the column was out the car wound turn over..   I installed the other column, and now it is totally dead at ign.. If I turn ign on the signals will blink... Is there a wire in the column harness that would be different ,in a 4 speed column, versus auto shift column?  I will look in electrical diagram      thanks so much 

__________________

 



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

So you have no battery power to the ignition switch?

Or do you have no power leaving the ignition switch for the starter when you turn the key to crank?

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 35601
Date:

I have power at switch, to activate signals..  but no power to starter..     yes

__________________

 



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

So if you can light a test light at the ignition switch (battery power i mean, key is off) and no terminal lights up when you hit crank, to me that means the switch is not working. Or is my thinking on this flawed???

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 35601
Date:

sounds better, than my no idea at all   I will try test light on switch tomorrow...The gas guage had turned upside down, while column was out,and went back to normal, while I was trying to start it ,and had held the ign switch on   Thanks

__________________

 



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

Looking at a wiring manual for a 65 Impala (I suspect it's the same) it looks simple. Purple wire out of the ignition switch goes through the neutral safety switch to the starter. I would test at the safety switch for power in and out when hitting crank, assuming that you know the red into the ignition is live. If nothing at the safety switch, then check for power on the purple coming out of the ignition when hitting crank on the key. Should be pretty simple to nail down.

Oh, and if there is power leaving the safety switch but not making it to the starter, it looks like the only connection is the bulkhead connector at the firewall.

And of course if you have power live at the starter on the purple when you hit crank, then there is solenoid/starter trouble.

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



Uber Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 3463
Date:

i wonder if the bulkhead connection is ify, would explain the no headlites also...
get your testlight out carl2.

__________________

 








A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

My Acadian had bulkhead issues when I drove it regularly in the 90's. My brother taught me years ago that those connections get "green" on the terminals in those connectors.

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



Uber Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 3463
Date:

it's called 'ford green' biggrin
my 2nd car, a '62 impala would quit the odd time turning a corner. wiggle the connector would get it going again.

__________________

 








A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 26766
Date:


"Ford Green". I like that! I'll have to use that next time as a substitute for "Green Death"!
  Todd


69 belair wrote:


it's called 'ford green' biggrin
my 2nd car, a '62 impala would quit the odd time turning a corner. wiggle the connector would get it going again.




 



__________________

Todd
Site Founder

Like us on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/CanadianPoncho

Canadian Poncho World Headquarters - Prince Edward Island

 



Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 18
Date:

On a Chevy, the two wires to the starter are not terminal specific. On my '66 Grande the wires ARE terminal specific. Try swapping the position of the two.

__________________


A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 35601
Date:

ok

__________________

 



A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

Zsled wrote:

On a Chevy, the two wires to the starter are not terminal specific. On my '66 Grande the wires ARE terminal specific. Try swapping the position of the two.



Do you mean the two smaller wires going to the solenoid on either side of the positive cable from the battery?

 



__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 18
Date:

Carl Stevenson wrote:

Zsled wrote:

On a Chevy, the two wires to the starter are not terminal specific. On my '66 Grande the wires ARE terminal specific. Try swapping the position of the two.



Do you mean the two smaller wires going to the solenoid on either side of the positive cable from the battery?

 




Yes. On my '66 Impala it doesn't seem to make any difference but on my '66 Grande Parisienne it does. It stumped me for a long time because I had the Chevy for many, many years before I got the Pontiac and just assumed the circuits were the same on both cars. There are a lot of other small wiring changes between the two Canadian GM divisions. For example, Pontiac does not seem to have a lot of ground wires, they rely on common chassis ground for a lot of stuff that Chevy has a specific ground wire attached to the body for that component. Radio speaker connections springs to mind...

__________________


A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

That doesn't make sense to me if I understand the circuits correctly.

One wire should be purple and I believe a 12 gauge wire. It should go to the inside terminal on the solenoid closest to the engine. It is live when the key is in crank. It makes the magnet pull in the solenoid that pulls the drive to the flywheel, and also makes a 12 volt connection for...............

The other one (forget the color) goes to the outside terminal and only gets power once the solenoid is engaged. It's sole purpose is to feed a full 12 volts to the coil during cranking. As soon as the key is released from crank, this wire goes dead and the coil gets 9 volts from a resistance wire.

For that reason, I think there is a problem if either wire works on either stud. Sounds like someone has done some rewiring.

And with that said, as always, I willingly stand correction if I am wrong on any of the above.

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 18
Date:

Carl Stevenson wrote:

That doesn't make sense to me if I understand the circuits correctly.

One wire should be purple and I believe a 12 gauge wire. It should go to the inside terminal on the solenoid closest to the engine. It is live when the key is in crank. It makes the magnet pull in the solenoid that pulls the drive to the flywheel, and also makes a 12 volt connection for...............

The other one (forget the color) goes to the outside terminal and only gets power once the solenoid is engaged. It's sole purpose is to feed a full 12 volts to the coil during cranking. As soon as the key is released from crank, this wire goes dead and the coil gets 9 volts from a resistance wire.

For that reason, I think there is a problem if either wire works on either stud. Sounds like someone has done some rewiring.

And with that said, as always, I willingly stand correction if I am wrong on any of the above.




Logically you are right. I'm just relating my personal observations from working on the two different cars. I'm just sayin' that the Chevy will run with any configuration but the Pontiac won't. Then again, that's probably why I kept frying starters in them old daze... smile.gif

__________________


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 608
Date:

hmmm, I swapped a 6 cyl out for the current 327 in my 66.
And at some point grabbed a better harness from a donar car (had V8).
Sometime after I realized, I had 3 small wires that went to the starter????
Sometimes the starter doesn't crank, have to jump the big terminal to the inside small terminal with a screw driver, starts and runs. Been while, have to look at it again.


__________________
65 Catalina 2+2 421 4bbl,  Auto, White, w/red interior, Buckets w/column shift.

66 Grande Parisienne, 2dr HT, 327 4bbl, Auto.

Had the 66 since about 83 and the 65 since 88.
Both still require a lot of work.


A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

Usually an intermittent is solenoid time.

Are you saying you had a 6 cylinder Grande Parisienne? I thought they were all V8's.

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 608
Date:

When my buddy got the car, it was a 6cyl, I'll have to check the VIN, back then I'm sure you could order it any way you wanted it, but I'm also sure they were all v8s.
I got the 68 327 from the same buddy, out of his uncle 68 Pontiac wagon, it's a small journaled 327.When i was having it rebuilt, the guy wanted to know where I got it from, they don't see many small journaled 327. I think it might have been just 68 for that.
Of course, since I had that motor rebuilt, it's changed a bit, found some 1.94 heads off another 68 wagon with the factory 4bbl and dist and heads, we took all those parts, sunk about $1800 into the heads (about 20 years ago).
Hmmm, now it sounds like time to freshen that motor up....LOL
Maybe I should get the car started first.
Gary

__________________
65 Catalina 2+2 421 4bbl,  Auto, White, w/red interior, Buckets w/column shift.

66 Grande Parisienne, 2dr HT, 327 4bbl, Auto.

Had the 66 since about 83 and the 65 since 88.
Both still require a lot of work.


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 608
Date:

Oh, my original thought was, solenoid has been replaced a few times, also replace the ignition switch twice looking for the problem.
But it's a new century since the last time I worked on it, maybe this time I'll figure it out.
Hmm, posting here will help to didn't have the internet when I was working on it before, this should be easier.
Just need to keep a laptop and camera in the garage when i'm working now.
Gary

__________________
65 Catalina 2+2 421 4bbl,  Auto, White, w/red interior, Buckets w/column shift.

66 Grande Parisienne, 2dr HT, 327 4bbl, Auto.

Had the 66 since about 83 and the 65 since 88.
Both still require a lot of work.


A Poncho Legend!

Status: Offline
Posts: 48634
Date:

Years ago my Acadian did an intermittent no start. I finally figured out it was low voltage at the solenoid crank wire but could never cure it using the factory harness. I mounted a remote solenoid down low on the inner fender near the starter and it worked flawlessly after that.

It must be either the old wire or a bad connection that makes it do that.

__________________

1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles 

1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars

Page 1 of 1  sorted by
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.

Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us
.
Support Canadian Poncho!
Select Amount:
<
.
.
.