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| Joined: | 03-12-2005 |
| Location: | Kingman, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 532 |
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Since the starter turns when powered directly by the battery, the starter is almost certainly OK. Probably the battery is OK, but it is possible that it is decrepit due to age or poor storage conditions, and can now deliver only a little current. The reason the starter would still turn if this were the case, is that there is no load on the starter because the solenoid is not activated and therefore did not move the Bendix gear back to engage the teeth on the flywheel.
Depending on the type of 'click' the solenoid makes, this could be (a) a bad battery per the above, (b) a defective solenoid, or (c) poor contact (perhaps a missing washer?) between the starter's copper strap and the solenoid stud that connects to it. Recall that electrical connections need to be clean, bright, and tight. With the solenoid activated (i.e. key to START position), a couple of voltage measurements should tell you what's gone wrong.
A solenoid can be damaged if the nuts securing the cables/straps to its studs are grossly over-tightened. Usually this will be apparent because the stud(s) will move around with respect to the body of the solenoid.
The brown-yellow wire is probably the alternator sense or field wire. I can't speak for cars with Lucas alternators, but mine has a Delco part, which uses three wires: ground (black), power (brown), and sense or field (brown-yellow). The brown-yellow wire runs directly from its pin on the alternator connector to the pin of the brown wire on the same connector.
The +5.8 volts on the white-yellow wire is normal for the junction of ballast and coil when the points are closed and the solenoid is not activated (i.e. the engine is not cranking). You should see +12 volts on this wire when the points are open, or when the solenoid is activated (i.e. the engine is cranking).