Re: Spider starting gremlins

[Scott Fisher <sefisher@domain.elided>]

Spiros mentions that his '85 Spider sometimes will not respond at all to
the turn of the ignition key.

The last time this happened to an Alfa of mine, it turned out that the
cable from the positive pole of the battery to the terminal of the
starter had internally corroded and split to the point that it was no
longer conducting enough electricity to run the starter.  

To determine this, I disconnected the battery ground strap and then
jumpered across the two terminals of the starter (with the car in
neutral!!!).  Then I gingerly reconnected the ground strap to the
battery and the weirdest sizzling noise came from inside the cable
leading from battery to starter.  I replaced that with a $6 part from
Pep Boys and never had another problem.

Try this simple test first, I (foolishly) replaced the starter thinking
it was bad when I could have saved myself $160 by swapping the cheap
thing first.

(I'm having a completely *different* set of starter-motor woes with my
wife's car right now, as a few of you who are on another marque list
with me may have already read...)

 --Scott Fisher
   Sunnyvale, California

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