I'm trying to get my 78 Scout running again. It has been sitting for a little over a year. Just put in a new battery, distributor cap, and new gas, got it to start, drove it about 15 miles and turned her off. Next day it wouldn't start. I get a clunk and then then the next time I try to start it...nothing. I mess around for a bit and then try it and get the clunk again. Terminals are clean and tight. Not sure if it as starter problem or what. Any ideas???
Clunk and wont start
- Thread starter KNOX
- Start date
Scoutboy74
Moderator
Welcome to the forum. There are several possible causes for this failure. First we need to know if this vehicle has an auto or manual trans. An auto trans adds even more possibilities to the mix. Whenever diagnosing potential electrical issues, one should always begin at the power source and work downstream from there in a logical fashion. Clean, tight battery terminals are a good first start, but of course we need to go beyond that. You need to conclusively establish current battery condition. Sadly, "new" doesn't always mean what it used to. Do you have a digital volt meter you could use to measure the battery surface charge? You should see between 12 and 13 volts on a fully charged battery when no load/drain is present. Take this reading across your battery terminals with both cables disconnected. If it is below 12 volts, put the battery on a trickle charge overnight to restore full charge. Avoid rapid charging. Its bad for battery health. Let's get up to speed on the above items before spit-balling any further.