Welcome aboard, Newbie! Its time to get down and dirty - :-o)
Fortunately for you, the starter circuit is pretty straight forward - no
points/dwell to set, electronics to fail intermittently, or wires to get
toasted by the exhaust manifolds. Just a relay on the fender and a
motor that turns over when its energized.
From your description, it sounds like the starter pivot is sticking.
Its possible that the starter drive (or bendix) is failing too... but I
don't think so, because most bendix fail when the internal pawl is
stripped. So they wind out until you let off on the starter with the key.
The mere fact that the engine turns over when you jumper the solenoid
tells me that the starter motor is working. And that it sounds like its
winding out until the engine shuts off... again points to the pivot,
which is an easy thing to fix!
Far less likely is a failing ground connection - although you may have a
touch of that too. But because you jumped the engine into submission,
lets start with the starter sticking. So just remove the starter and
check it out. Just follow the procedure in the shop manual. (You DO
have a shop manual for your '65, right?)
Ok... first thing is get a 1965 Mustang shop manual - its worth every penny.
Going from memory... start by jacking up the car. Put a pair of jack
stands under it (ALWAYS - before you get underneath a car.) It is also
a good idea to leave the jack raised and under the car as a secondary
means of precaution - just in case a jack stand were to slip.
Now start by disconnecting the battery. Disconnect the negative lead
first, then the hot lead. Disconnect the hot lead on the starter and
remove the 2 (or 3?) bolts that hole the starter to the engine. (I can
never remember which ones have how many bolts!)
Now take the starter back to a clean work bench for disassembly. On the
end opposite the transmission mount, you should see the heads of two
long bolts. These run the length of the starter and connect the two end
plates together with the field magnets. Remove these long bolts and
carefully pull the business end cap (that contains the starter drive) off.
Notice the pivot shaft and how it functions when electrically engaged.
You'll likely need to remove the pivot pint too. Once you have the end
cap off, you'll be able to ascertain the condition of the starter drive,
front bushing and pivot. The pivot mechanism should work rather easily
even though the starter armature is somewhat heavy - if not, figure out
why. Rust and baked-on gunk usually are the culprits here. With a
little cleaning and polishing works wonders here. Try using emory cloth
or light sandpaper here - like 320 or 400 wet/dry. Same with the
bushing on the front of the starter. Hone it out, then rinse it off.
Lubricate it with some light oil and you're ready to reassemble it.
The condition of the starter bendix is a little harder to ascertain.
The bendix serves two functions - it is a one-way gear that engages the
starter with the flywheel to turn the motor, and it acts as a built-in
reverse gear that allows the armature to be 'thrown' out of contact once
the engine starts. (This essentially puts the armature back in its rest
position.)
The way the bendix functions is through the use of an internal pawl and
spring affair. IF the spring (or pawl) get damaged, the bendex won't
function correctly. You can tell if has failed totally by seeing if it
will turn backwards and forwards relative to the armature shaft. If
the bendix spins freely - its bad; replace it. (You'll need a tool to
open up the c-clip on the end of the shaft.) Most bendix failures
however, are partial failures - meaning the spring has gotten weak or
tor one tooth on the pawl ratchet has failed. Neither of these can be
seen from the outside. In which case its simply easier (and pretty
cheap) to replace the starter bendix.
Time to reassemble. Remember to clean everything well (with disk break
cleaner... or my favorite, Berryman's B-12 Chemtool) and replace any
shims and parts in the same order that you found them. Put the starter
back in the car and reconnect the electrical system in reverse order,
ending with the negative terminal at the battery.
That should solve your problem with the starter hanging up. The other
issue... of it not 'lighting up' when you turn the key... may be a bad
ground or more simply, a poor electrical connection - anywhere along the
line. So ... when you get ready to put the starter back in the car,
make sure all electrical contacts between the starter and the battery
are clean - including the union between the bell housing and your (now
spotlessly clean) starter. (This is where the starter is grounded - and
a poor connection here is a kiss of death.) A leaking rear main seal or
a transmission front seal can oil-foul this connection/joint so it
doesn't conduct electricity properly. DAMHIKT!
Now would be also be a good time time to trace down both battery
cables. Open up each electrical connection and clean both ends very
well - use a degreaser and 220 grit sandpaper. Make sure each terminal
contact shines before reconnecting everything. Also get yourself a
good battery terminal cleaner (and optionally terminal sealer). Now
you can 'Go to Town' on both male and female terminals. Check the
positive terminal connections at the battery, both sides of the solenoid
and where it makes contact with the starter. Do the same for the ground
connection side - clean the contact point with the engine block and the
end of the negative battery cable. Also check the ground strap between
the block and the chassis. (It usually is attached to the back of the
head on the passenger side of the car.)
Short... of an ignition switch failure, (no pun intended... ;-o) there
isn't much else you can do (and learn) from this experience. While you
have the starter out, it wouldn't hurt to take the starter to Auto Zone
and have it checked out electrically -- but as I said previously, since
the car started, I suspect that the problem is more likely mechanical
than electrical.
Good luck - and I hope you learn a lot! Now ... for your, penance this
easter weekend - its time to get dirty. Then you can tell us what you
did and what you learned. Now go and sin no more. :-)
all the best-
Michael
jeffrocksjenny wrote:
> 1965 Mustang Starter question?
> Whenever I put the keys into the ignition to turn the car over the mustang will do nothing. All I hear is one click from the voltage regulator. So far I have replaced the battery, red battery cable, and starter relay switch (solenoid). Still no luck. When I apply a screwdriver to the "hot" post on the solenoid to start it, the starter seems to stay engaged now when the engine begins to run. A terrible shrieking sound occurs. I'm not sure if mt next step is to replace the starter or could there be a problem with the ignition switch wiring??? Just throwing out some ideas. I'm a beginner and would appreciate the advice someone with more experience may have. I'm spent more money on this than I would have liked so far. Time to ask for help. Much appreciated. Again, when I insert the keys into the ignition all I still get is a click from the voltage regulator. When I bypass the ignition and use the hot post on the relay switch to start the Mustang a terrible screeching noise occures. I think the starter is not disengaging. When the engine is turned off it sounds like the starter is "winding down". Much apprecited!
>
> Jeff
> 1965 Mustang GT
>
>
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