Nickodell
Donation Time
Matilda, after a quarter century of giving me pleasure, has let me down. [For those not familiar with the name Matilda is my 1967 SV).
Took her out yesterday on a beautiful spring day, drove to the supermarket [I'm doing the grocery shopping as my wife just got home from having a knee replaced, and is confined to bed]. All seemed well, plenty of power, great exhaust note, oil 40psi. Switched off, and the engine stopped normally. Got the groceries, came back, turned the key and just a click from the starter solenoid. "Hmm," I thought, "I know the battery is fully charged. Must be a bad connection." Cinched up all the terminals from battery to starter, still just that click.
Luckily, I was parked on a hill, so I let her coast up to about 10mph and let the clutch out, in 3rd. gear. And my nose hit the steering wheel as the rear wheels locked up. Tried it again in 2nd (this time with seat belt on). Same result. The engine is locked. As I say, when switched off it stopped normally, i.e. no squeaks, and it turned for a few seconds after the ign. was cut.
I've had an engine seize before when a dumb garage that did a hose job on a Chevy forgot to refill with coolant, but that was while running.
Since there was just that solenoid click, and no sound of the Bendix trying to engage, I'm hoping that it's just the starter stuck in gear. What do you think?
Took her out yesterday on a beautiful spring day, drove to the supermarket [I'm doing the grocery shopping as my wife just got home from having a knee replaced, and is confined to bed]. All seemed well, plenty of power, great exhaust note, oil 40psi. Switched off, and the engine stopped normally. Got the groceries, came back, turned the key and just a click from the starter solenoid. "Hmm," I thought, "I know the battery is fully charged. Must be a bad connection." Cinched up all the terminals from battery to starter, still just that click.
Luckily, I was parked on a hill, so I let her coast up to about 10mph and let the clutch out, in 3rd. gear. And my nose hit the steering wheel as the rear wheels locked up. Tried it again in 2nd (this time with seat belt on). Same result. The engine is locked. As I say, when switched off it stopped normally, i.e. no squeaks, and it turned for a few seconds after the ign. was cut.
I've had an engine seize before when a dumb garage that did a hose job on a Chevy forgot to refill with coolant, but that was while running.
Since there was just that solenoid click, and no sound of the Bendix trying to engage, I'm hoping that it's just the starter stuck in gear. What do you think?