starter won't engage

[1v35bonanza]

after letting my daughter drive my fiat 124 she popped the clutch accidently and the tires squealed and the car lurched forward and died. the starter wouldn't engage after that. i let the car roll and popped the clutch to start the car and drove home. now it won't start. i hear a click from the solenoid but no starter movement. could the rapid stopping of the car as a result of the popped clutch and subsequent dying of the engine have done anything to the mechanics of the starter. i jumped the battery with my other vehicle just in case there wasn't enough voltage but that didn't change anything. any suggestions?

[azruss]

your daughter is off the hook. Don't think it is anything she did. First thing is to make sure the battery is fully charged. Jumper cables are not adequate. I would first make a jumper to connect to the back of the solenoid and connect that straight to the battery. Make sure you are in neutral. If the starter fires, then you have a ground, ignition switch or dirty connector in the starter circuit.

[1v35bonanza]

to go from the solenoid to the batt. does the car need to be jacked up to access the solenoid?

[So Cal Mark]

the small push-on wire that activates the solenoid may have come off when the car lurched

[1v35bonanza]

where would the "push wire" be on the solenoid? is it accessable from underneath or above. i've got the car jacked up now and plan to crawl under today and see if i can see anything obviously wront

[1v35bonanza]

and another sympton is that i do hear the solenoid "click" when i engage the key. if the push on wire was off would there be any sound at all?

[azruss]

If that wire is loose, it could produce a click but not enough juice to activate the solenoid. Usually that wire connects to the back and rear part of the solenoid. On my starter (80 FI) the connection is actually on the front just below the 2 lugs. Nice convenient spot. It is easier to reach it all from underneath. If the starter clicks then that usually means one of 2 things. the voltage is low at the activator contact. this can be caused by a low battery, bad ignition switch, dirty ground or dirty connection points between the switch and the solenoid. By jumping to this contact point directly from the battery, you are taking the ignition switch out of the circuit. If the starter fires, then you know where your problem is. If you still get the same results with the jumper, then clean all the wires connecting to the 2 lugs and clean the motor ground. If this doesnt help, then your solenoid is probably the culprit.

[1v35bonanza]

now i'm trying to remove the starter. the top most bolt seems to be impossible. any ideas?

[azruss]

unbolt the rear tranny support so the back of the tranny can drop and give you a little more clearance.

[1v35bonanza]

i'll try that tomorrow. thanks

[silvadw]

the small push-on wire that activates the solenoid may have come off when the car lurched

I just suffered the exact same symptom. I looked through the post but couldn't see a description of how best to get to the push on wire. Is it through the top or bottom?. Btw, there is a very soft sounding click when i turn the key to "start"
Thanks in advance for your help

[azruss]

I find myself under the car for most starter stuff, but have done both. Some starters have the small wire on the front near the 2 big lugs. Other starters have a small wire plug on the side of the starter near the rear. This location can be a pain and difficult to get to from either top or bottom. A soft "click" usually means a low power issue. start with cleaning grounds, particularly battery terminals and battery chassis ground. Clean your engine ground as well. Look at where it connects to the chassis. If it is suspect, replace it with an aftermarket ground cable and get creative on the chassis connection. Also clean all the wires connecting to the 2 lugs on the starter. Be careful with wires on the bottom one as the one going to the starter winding is quite short. After this, you are ready to test.

[silvadw]

Thanks azruss.
The starter was working perfectly up to this point. There were no strange sounds or behavior, and so I conclude it to be a connection issue. There seems no issue with the ignition switch, no heat etc.
Will tackle today and advise for the benefit of readers

[silvadw]

the small push-on wire that activates the solenoid may have come off when the car lurched

Well, after 15 minutes trying to get to the wires on the solenoid, Mark was indeed correct with this advice to original poster. the red wire had come loose when my car also lurched on a stall. With all of the tubing etc, the wires are the mother of a dog to get to!
Christmas project was to replace carb and manifold. Will add servicing the starter connections to the list. Will consider the new smaller unit, but a few pennies short.

[PininF]

Hi Darrell just found your threads sorry for not engaging sooner and will catch up next Fiat meeting will let you know…

Not changing your thread topic but just read this;
Re: can everyone post a pic of their spider?
my pride and joy, but needs work, seat fixes, more hp, smaller license plate.

Good news , I have a set of euro plates for you…V-FS-124 brand new never used, not after a profit just money back…:)

Cheers
John