Starter is brand new recon mate off eBay I’ll be honest I don’t think I’ve seen an earth off battery direct to engine I’veAssuming engine will turn easily by hand, then listening to the starter either a very poor main battery to starter lead or earth lead to engine from battery bad, in which case they would feel hot even after a short time cranking, the other cause would be as I mentioned in your other thread would be a burnt out starter windings, again starter would feel hot.
If I had a suspect starter assuming leads OK I would test it using one of these meters and compare readings with a good car starting, both of them just sit over the wire so you don't need to disconnect anything and they read up to a 400 amp load which unless it was a stone cold large lorry engine the meter shouldn't read anything like it. The little one is about 40 years and the other one is a cheap Chinese meter, both types do the job but simply if the wiring or the starter get hot quickly get hot or start smoking it is pretty definite assuming battery in top condition.
I’ll also actually try turn it over by hand and feel for any frictionStarter is brand new recon mate off eBay I’ll be honest I don’t think I’ve seen an earth off battery direct to engine I’ve
Battery to chassis leg drivers side
Then it looks like cinq loom drivers side to gearbox
I’ll go battery to back of block not drivers side chassis leg ?
The battery to starter loom seems ok it’s all oem good connection no wires touchingIs it possibles, say with jump leads from a running car to feed earth to the engine and a lead to the main starter lead or is it a pain to get too.
I just try to make as simple a direct connection to test as possible.
No way the battery to starter lead has moved when tightening so shorting to earth?
Years ago we had one that the starter lead got trapped in between the bell housing after fitting a clutch, can't be that though,it was when starters had a separate solenoid.
If you can follow the main leads all the way from the battery both to starter and to good engine earth then get someone to crank it a bit and put your hand on the leads and connections to see if any getting hot?
The leads in the photos are just the low power connections, what are the main ones like?
When you find it you will kick yourself it will be something really simple![]()