I have a yerfdog scout and all it does is click when I turn the key. Every now and then it will crank up. I had the battery load tested today and it was 12.I was told by the auto part store to put a screwdriver across the post of the solenoid and if it cranked it would be the solenoid. I tried that and nothing happens when I do that with the key on. Ease give me so
E ideas they will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

I'm not familiar at all with the Yerf Dog Scout in particular, but all starting systems are pretty much the same.

The advice you were given is good. Had your scout started up with the screwdriver short across the two solenoid screw posts then it would have been a bad solenoid for sure.

You need a voltmeter. Measure the DC volts right on the starter motor while attempting to start it up (i.e. the solenoid is "clicked in"). Put the red lead on the starter motor input post and the black lead right on the starter motor metal frame. Set your meter to read DC volts on the 20 volt scale. You should see more than 11.5 volts when attempting to crank the starter motor. What voltage do you see?

If your voltage is low at the starter, measure the voltage right across the battery terminals under the same conditions (solenoid "clicked in"). You should see better than 12.0 volts DC. Do not measure the battery voltage without the solenoid "clicked" (ignition on, start button pushed, and all startup interlocks satisfied). That would be a meaningless measurement. You must measure the battery voltage under the heavy load of a starter motor. What do your measure?

Those two measurements will tell us whether your battery is up to snuff, and whether or not you have bad connections to or from the starter motor. It will also point to which path to take next...

 

im guessing brushes

 

i know a buddy whos got that problem, he carried a screwdriver around everywhere he went to bridge the solenoid like you say there, to start...

fixed it yet??