Starting issue

[Stornoway]

I just get a rapid ticking sound when I try to start my '73 Series III. It started fine until yesterday. Where should I start the fault finding process? The battery is fine and I've cleaned the terminals.

[crankin]

Check fuel first. Prime the pump...make sure you are getting fuel into your bowl. You might spray a little carb cleaner in your carb and see if it turns over.

Points, ign. timing, loose dist cap, break in spark plug wires, might need your choke open all the way, etc...

Based off what you are saying its hard to say "ah, that's your AB connection." It could be a number of things. But check your fuel source first.

[Alk-3]

rapid ticking is usually a bad battery, or not enough power to the starter. Bad connections, corrosion on the wire etc. is it a rapid clicking sound? that's usually the solenoid on the starter trying to engage.
Try jumping the battery to another vehicle. just a couple of volts drop on a battery is more than enough to cause a non start.
All else fails, use the hand crank :)
my battery is pretty bad. won't hold a charge for more than a couple days and does this rapid ticking thing, so I use the hand crank a few times per week. I should really get new battery.

[Stornoway]

Got the battery tested; it's good and fully charged. It started one time and now just a single click from what looks like a starter relay (not too good with electrics). Also only the red light comes on now when I turn the key, usually there's a green light too. Thanks for the help.

[crankin]

What have you trouble shot so far?

[Stornoway]

I've had the battery checked out, it's OK; I installed a new positive battery terminal connector and cleaned the battery connections and connections on the starter relay (if that's what it is) on the bulkhead.

[stomper]

next, I would replace the cables from the battery to the starter relay, and the starter relay to the starter, and clean the terminals on the starter itself. If that doesn't fix the problem, clean the ground strap from the starter to the frame, or add one if your havent got one.

[antichrist]

You have low voltage to the starter or a bad starter.
It's not fuel, ignition or any of that.

If there was corrosion on the wire around the battery terminal there's a good chance the wire looks like this:

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss215/rover_driver/RoverParts/Electrical/corrosion2.jpg

That was the positive cable 6-8" from the battery terminal on my wife's Discovery when we bought it a couple years ago.

Check all the connections involved in the starter main feed circuit.
Battery->solenoid->starter->earth->battery
Everything should be clean and tight.
If they all appear good then you can try a brief bridging over solenoid to see if that's the issue. If that doesn't crank it then probably a bad starter.

[Stornoway]

Success; it was the ground cable. I installed a new battery terminal connector and cleaned up the other end. Many thanks for the help.

[Kiloengineer]

Are you in Stornoway Scotland? Just curious because I work on helicopters that do search and rescue in Stornoway; a certain Amercian brand of helicopter.

[Stornoway]

No, just spent a lot of time there; my brother has lived there for the past 40 years. I live in Vermont, 20 miles from Rovers North..