Road Runner Nest

Hey guys,

I recently imported a 71 roadrunner. We put a brand new battery into it and when we turned the key no dash lights come on and the car won't turn over. When I turn the key the aftermarket tacho flicks up and down slightly and the horn works but the indicators etc don't. The posts are clean and the + cable to the starter motor is on pretty tightly. Also there is no traditional "clunk" of the solenoid trying to engage the starter. What else could be the problem?

Cheers
Ash

bad ground. was the biggest of my troubles, casued all kinds of grief.

Try taking a screw driver and jumping the solenoid. Turn your key to the on position, then Remove the little wire that is snapped on the solenoid and jump from that post the the starter wire post and see if it turns over. My car used to do that till I changed the solenoid. It was 20 yrs ago so I carried a screw driver for about 3 months till i could afford to fix it...

Oh cool, I will try that! The earth cables coming off the negative terminals were on satisfactorily on the frame and engine quite well. The thing is the car was running fine before it got on the ship in LA and when it came here (was on the ship for a good 2 months) it didn't want to start!

Isn't there a Fusable Link on 1971 Road runners?

Im not too sure, someone told me to check that but I wasn't too sure if they had one or where to find it!

A 71 RR does have a fusible link. It is found connected to the large stud on the starter relay and the other end is connected to a fairly large red wire via black connector. Check the fusible link wire where it enters the two connectors. See pic below.
Ron

Ronnman wrote:A 71 RR does have a fusible link. It is found connected to the large stud on the starter relay and the other end is connected to a fairly large red wire via black connector. Check the fusible link wire where it enters the two connectors. See pic below.
Ron

this was another one o my issues before as well! you can try this one - cheap fix

Cheers Ron

She's gone away to get panel and paint done so I don't have a chance to look at it. However I will point this out to the panelbeater!

When you see the car again, especially after any painting.
Check and make sure you still have a ground wire from the negative(earth) battery terminal to the radiator support. If not, then add one. If still there, remove the terminal at the radiator, clean and reinstall.
I had this problem when trying to get my newly purchased '72 started. After I added this wire, EVERYTHING worked properly. The last inspection sticker on the glass was 1983!
Good luck!

You didn't say if it is automatic or manual. If it is a manual, the clutch needs to be depressed in order for it to turn over. Also, if the switch is bad on the clutch, it can be bypassed by cutting the wire from the starter solenoid to the clutch and grounding it to the frame. You just need to make sure that the car is not in gear while turning the key. I did this with my 71 rr and it works just fine.

P.S. my car is a non numbers matching driver and I don't mind the slight modification. Otherwise you may need to check and/or replace the clutch switch.

grounds. seems to be all 99% of my wiring problems.