6V92 won't start

[freewill2008]

Our BB is not a PT, but there must also be a "solenoid" or "relay"
between the batteries and the starter motor on your PT. This relay
receives a 12V signal when the key is in the "start" position. If
the relay is bad, or the wiring has gone south between the key and
the relay, the symptoms would be as you describe. The relay will
have two BIG cables and one or two small wires.

THE ENGINE MAY DECIDE TO START AT ANY TIME DURING THESE TESTS. BE
CAREFUL!!!

To trouble shoot these components, test the voltage at the relay
while someone holds the key in "start":
- If 12V shows up at the small wire and the relay doesn't "thunk", it
is the relay.
- If 12V does not show up at the small wire, look at the wiring
between the relay and key switch, the switch itself, or the 12V
supply to the key switch.
- If the relay "thunks in" and there is voltage at the big cable on
the starter side of the relay, check out the starter and starter
cable.
- If, while the relay is "thunked in", there is NOT voltage at the
big cable on the starter side then it is the relay.

This all assumes the cables have been cleaned, visually inspected,
and secured, and that there is 12V at the battery side of the starter
relay.

Note: There may be two small wires on the relay. If so, one is a
ground wire. Test it for a good ground using an ohmeter; if the
ground tests good just ignore it an use the other small wire for the
above tests.

Bob Griesel 84 FC
>
> Micheal,
>
> You hit all the obvious points. Normally I would say, I don't care
> how good all the battery and ground connections look, clean them
again
> anyway.
>
> One last thought came to mind after all the other things you
checked.
> My 83 PT40 with the 6V92 did that to me one time and after chasing
> all the other things you mentioned, it came down to the main power
> solenoid in the overhead dash above the driver. If you look up
there,
> there should be a good size round solenoid with a heavy red 12V
cable
> coming into it and tons of other smaller wire connections coming off
> of it via multiple studs. On mine, years of bouncing up and down
the
> road loosened one of the wires going into a crimped connector lug
just
> enough that it would not always do anything. It had the same 'dead
> key' approach that you are describing -- nothing when you turn the
> key. I found it by accident by just gently wiggling all the wires
> connected to it. The lug had to be replaced on the end of the
wire.
> Re-crimping 'might' have done it, but maybe not.
>
> Good luck. Let us know the outcome.
>
> Mike Bulriss
> 1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
> San Antonio, TX
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "mrkane1952" <mrkane@>
wrote:
> >
> > Greetings All:
> >
> > I was again exercising the systems after being stationary in this
park
> > for two months, in preparation for getting back on the road next
week.
> > I could not start the coach engine, an '85 6V92. This is the
first
> > failure to start I have experienced in the eighteen months I've
owned
> > the coach. Usually it goes almost as soon as the key engages the
> > starter.
> >
> > Symptoms: the starter motor does not turn. All the dash
responses are
> > normal when switching on the ignition--relays audibly toggle, low
air
> > buzzer and light are active and the suspension dump light is on.
The
> > safeline lights flash in the overhead. Turning the key to "start"
> > causes a couple meters to peg low, but the 12 volt ammeter shows
no
> > change, nor does the volt meter.
> >
> > I have checked:
> > 1) Battery condition--On this coach, all six 6 volt batteries are
tied
> > together; there is no dedicated house or starting set. All have
> > sufficient water, and each reads about 6.3 volts with the charger
off.
> > Voltage from the positive tie point to the chassis reads about
12.5
> > volts--roughly the same as the dash meter. Resistance from the
> > battery posts to the tie point, and from the negative posts to the
> > chassis is about 2 ohms (without cleaning the grease off.) No
> > corrosion is visible at any connector.
> >
> > 2) Engaging the "aux. battery" switch made no difference.
> >
> > 3) The no-start response is similar to the times I didn't get the
> > transmission selector fully into the "N" neutral position before
> > trying to crank the motor over, so I cycled the selector several
times
> > to be sure.
> >
> > 4) Toggled the A/T switch.
> >
> > 5) I have no key for the rear start switch, but I cycled the
> > front-off-rear switch several times. For the present I decided
not to
> > remove and open the box until further consultation.
> >
> > 6) Fuel (5/8 tank, Racor no water) and coolant seem correct.
> >
> > Riding a Harley since the seventies prepared me for a certain
amount
> > of backroad repair using what little I had in my saddlebags, but
now I
> > have discovered how difficult it is to troubleshoot a 40 foot long
> > coach without a helper or sufficient tools. Even tried reading my
> > Fluke in the backup camera, but no luck. It embarrasses me to
say I
> > don't fit under the bus to get to the starter, either!
> >
> > The lack or prior symptoms makes me suspect a safety interlock
> > somewhere may be the cause, rather than the starter itself. So
the
> > question for the group is what else to try before I call for a
mobile
> > repair tech (at $110 /hour)?
> >
> > Thanks--
> >
> > M.R.Kane
> > 1985 PT 40
> > near Sanger, TX
> >
>