[HO455]

The WMB has been having an off and on again starting issue. Sometimes it cranks slow and other times it I'd fine. I suspected a bad solenoid but before pulling the starter I did a thorough round of testing of the battery cables to be sure I wasn't getting a voltage drop from a bad battery cable or connection.

I tested the battery with a carbon pile tester and it was good. Then I checked both battery cables with a multimeter. I set the meter to the DC volts setting. Then by putting a multimeter lead on the negative post of the battery and the other lead to a clean unpainted spot on the block. The initial voltage was zero but when cranking the engine the voltmeter showed 1.2 volts. A careful inspection showed the bolt on the negative battery terminal was pulling out of the terminal. I did a quick jury rig repair and the voltage dropped to zero.

Inspection of the positive cable revealed no problems with the cable but when I checked the nut on solenoid bolt for tightness the problem revealed itself. The inner plastic part on the solenoid turned freely when I tried to turn the nut. Time to head to the parts store.