Waking 2002A from 2 year slumber and have a question

[osbourne]

I'm getting my faithful 2002A (automatic) ready for some serious driving, this season and I've run into a problem with the starter.  I got it fired up a couple of times, with no difficulty.  However, now I seem to be having either a starter solenoid, or starter relay problem.  I'll figure out which one it is, but I'd appreciate knowing WHERE the starter relay is located.  I see one relay on the right inner fender, near the coil and another one on the left inner fender, toward the front.

I have the factory shop manual and it tells me that the automatics have a starter relay, but the 4 speed models do not.  But, the manual doesn't show me where the starter relay is and the wiring diagram is a bit hard for me to follow, with 77 year old eyes. ;)

[TobyB]

 

is not an answer to your question...

 

 

has it attached to the shifter platform.

 

I had no luck finding things on RealOEM, but didn't dig too far.

 

t

[OldRoller]

There is no starter relay. The park/neutral safety switch is mounted on the left lower front of the trans, as noted in Toby's previous post. It also performs reverse light operation. 

Bad switch, or starter solenoid or other electrical connection.

Edited May 30 by OldRoller

[Son of Marty]

Have you tried racking the shifter through the pattern a few times. To check the solenoid try shorting the 2 large terminals with a screw driver if it starts you can rule out the starter. 

Edited May 30 by Son of Marty

[Lucky 7]

When I got my car I had a similar issue, especially when warm. Jumping the solenoid started the car fine. Testing with the multimeter saw 12v at the starter trigger wire, so the ignition was working and current was flowing. BUT the damn thing wouldn’t trip the solenoid.  I finally figured out that I had really low amps on the ignition wire, low enough to not fire the solenoid. I never found the problem area because I yanked everything for my M20, but my thought is that the start wire from the ignition was failing and most strands were broken. A few strands is all it takes for the volts, but you need them all for the amps. 
 

Might not be the issue, but it’s something to consider. Poking around with the multimeter will help you narrow down the problem. 
 

And yeah, as others have said, you don’t have a separate starter relay since the solenoid IS the relay. You do have the neutral/park start inhibitor though. 

[osbourne]

Thanks for the responses, guys.  Curious as to why the factory workshop manual states that the automatic DOES have a starter relay, if it actually doesn't.  But, I'll try moving the shift lever through the gate, at few times and see if that has any effect.  

Car has been stored in a VERY dry garage and with the battery disconnected, the whole time.  Brand new battery, this spring, BTW.

Thanks, again.  Will let you know what I find.

[JohnS]

On 5/30/2024 at 10:37 PM, Lucky 7 said:

When I got my car I had a similar issue, especially when warm. Jumping the solenoid started the car fine. Testing with the multimeter saw 12v at the starter trigger wire, so the ignition was working and current was flowing. BUT the damn thing wouldn’t trip the solenoid.  I finally figured out that I had really low amps on the ignition wire, low enough to not fire the solenoid. I never found the problem area because I yanked everything for my M20, but my thought is that the start wire from the ignition was failing and most strands were broken. A few strands is all it takes for the volts, but you need them all for the amps. 
 

Might not be the issue, but it’s something to consider. Poking around with the multimeter will help you narrow down the problem. 
 

And yeah, as others have said, you don’t have a separate starter relay since the solenoid IS the relay. You do have the neutral/park start inhibitor though. 

I've lived with this issue on my '73 for years.  "Damn thing wouldn't trip the solenoid."

I added a Bosch Universal Starter Relay Kit Bosch wr1 on the power to the Solenoid and it works, but not great.  It's a stop-gap measure until you dive in and replace the starter.  Good grounding is also key for the stater and switch to work correctly.  

 

 

[Son of Marty]

3 hours ago, osbourne said:

Curious as to why the factory workshop manual states that the automatic DOES have a starter relay, if it actually doesn't.  

Translation from German terms don't exactly  jive with American one.