Cranking....

[Beauford]

Rusty i having a hard time starting but once started runs great! I thought it might be something draining the battery but it is 6.15 at the battery, starter and coil. It will only want to do a revolution and then sometimes a few. Starter has been rebuilt by a local shop. I put a jumper on the pos ground to a engine bolt to test for bad ground but does the same thing. Head lights and horn are not installed yet so no draw there. Thinking starter is the issue.

[BNCHIEF]

Do you have a good ground from the engine to the post on the battery it takes a good tight connection my friend had the same issue and that fixed it.

[Beauford]

I'm just grounded to one of the shifter bolts that is clean of paint but I do have a battery cutoff as well. I figured taking a jumper cable from pos ground to engine bolt would determine a bad ground issue. Not the case.

[Mitch]

Make sure that your starter bolts are not to long. These could contact the flywheel face and cause the drag. When making tests with jumper cables be careful as most cannot carry the amps. Try cutting one open the outer casing is thick with usually only a small strand of wires on the inside core. Jumper cables are designed to boost a weak battery, not start a car.
Timing could also be an issue...
Does the engine turn easily with a crank handle? That will eliminate the starter bolt
Try cranking it with the starter motor and leaving the key off.. This will eliminate a timing issue

[Beauford]

It does the same intermittent turning with key off. It will turn with hand crank but tight because it has never been broken in after rebuild.

[Mitch]

Well ck the starter bolts anyway then, i believe it would be the inside one along with the rest of the info. Don't make tests with car jumper cables or you'll down a windy dirt road

[slammin]

Your battery might be a little low. Mine is less than a year old and it usually checks 6.4 volts across the terminals.

[Mitch]

Yes that could be also, but when a engine drags it pulls the surface charge off it. As you mentioned it should be one of the first things checked.. He needs to recharge it up

[Beauford]

Oh, it starts after being on the charger a bit. I wonder why it drops charge with a battery cut off. I'll put a full charge on him and see if problem continues.

The starter bolts are original 1" and have been used on 2 engines and started both my old and rebuilt one. Maybe with the vehicle just sitting and me not letting it fully charge is the issue. Thanks!!

[Tom Wesenberg]

Your battery might be a little low. Mine is less than a year old and it usually checks 6.4 volts across the terminals.

I agree. A good battery with a full charge should read 6.3 to 6.4 volts. I'd put the battery on a 3 to 6 amp charger for at least 6 hours. If the battery has been setting for several months and got sulfated, then leave the charger on for 24 hours and see how it works.

To make a good starter draw test you need to read the amps flowing through the starter cable, and read the battery volts at the same time. You can use an inductive ammeter laying on the starter cable to get a good indication of the amp draw. Inductive ammeters show up on ebay quite often, or can be bought off the tool trucks that stop at repair shops. Sears also used to sell them, but are any stores still around?

[Beauford]

Thanks Tom. What is Sears? LOL

[tbirdtbird]

Agree with weak battery or cable issue. A starter draws about 100 amps if everything is in order. The cranking voltage needs to be at least 5 volts in a 6V system, or 10V in a 12V system.
On a 12V system, a brand new battery with good clean tight connections will show about 11.5 V while cranking.
You will not see the full battery voltage while cranking because the internal resistance of the battery, along with the very high amp draw, gives a significant IR drop. With lower amperage usual accessories such as headlights and all, you will maintain pretty close to battery voltage and not see much IR loss.

This startermeter (induction ammeter) that we use is older than I am, and that means old. It is an invaluable tool in the shop for starter diagnosis. If the battery is weak or the connections weak, then the starter will drag, pulling more than 100 amps, and bring the load voltage way down below 5 (for a 6V system), and be insufficient to spin the starter. You only need to lay the meter over the starter cable, no physical attachment required.

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[Beauford]

Wowza....looks old!!!

[George Miller]

T Bird I think that meter is as old as mine. I also see way to many 12v cables on A's That is a real problem with a rebuilt engine.

[Beauford]

She full charged and started right up... See how she holds.

[BNCHIEF]

Beauford George has made a great point on cable size.

[Beauford]

My actual cables are made for Model A's from Brattons. I was was just using heavy jumpers to check if ground was the issue.

[tbirdtbird]

where did George's comment go to?

[BNCHIEF]

Tbird look to the right side of the post left side will say 6 comments and only three show look to rightclick on little black arrow and you will get all the comments in that post.

[tbirdtbird]

well looky there, I had no idea!

[George Miller]

I though some one did not like my comment. i did not know about the button. Learned some thing new, now if I can remember later.

[Mitch]

There is a fix coming out so the comments won't fold up like that after 3. It maybe another month or so so beware of what chief said. Especially in the tech area where i merged multiple threads together

[Beauford]

Multi meter saying 6.25....you would think that would crank but it is doing 1 revolution.....back on charger

[DaWizard]

Hey Beauford, just a thought rattling around in my head, but have you checked to see if the screws that hold the starter together have loosened up and twisted the starter? It is possible this could bind the starter and draw higher load on the battery.

[Beauford]

I'll check!!!

[Mitch]

Beauford is this an issue that has been ongoing or new?

[Beauford]

New Mitch...I think since battery cutout install. Checked all that and all paint is removed to shinny metal when installed. just got back from town parade. Lots of A's but unable to take pics as my son and I were on a float. I will be in it next year God willing and the DMV!!

[Mitch]

Beau Use your multi meter and check the circuits for resistance, (use the OHMS setting) especially the ground circuit that you put the switch in.

Your battery still seems to be a little low

[Beauford]

Charged him while at the parade....starts. 6.30 v.....strange what .05 will do. I'll check it again in morning.

[Mitch]

Make sure he is charging when running

[Beauford]

I have a alternator and excite it ...it was showing 10 on the right.

[tbirdtbird]

Beauford,

1) wait until you have a full, good charge on the battery, then put your voltmeter meter across the battery terminals, and record what the voltage is when you hit the starter. This is the single most important reading there is. Then report back

2) some of those battery cutoffs have too much internal resistance, I don't prefer them for that reason. By pass it and then give another cranking voltage reading and report back

3) Battery new or old?

[Beauford]

Will do. Battery is new within a year or so....

[Mitch]

They are usually guaranteed for a year free replacement

Drain it out and get another if it is

[Beauford]

Had it tested one time before and they said it was fine....but what the hell AutoZone know

[Mitch]

that's why i said drain the juice first

[Beauford]

Ahhhh.....water levels really low....distilled added. See if that helps

[Mitch]

what's really low?? Was the level below the plates

[Beauford]

first one took almost a whole solo cup of distilled...

[Mitch]

Why would your new battery be that low? It was hardly used
I'll ask again , was the water below the plates?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

He needs my BIG Magnifying Glass!

[pAAt]

another new battery should make a world of difference.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I have a alternator and excite it ...it was showing 10 on the right.

You're overcharging the battery and cooking the water out, unless that charge rate falls back to near zero within a couple minutes after starting the car.
Another new battery will likely wind up in the same situation. The alternator may need a new regulator.

[Mitch]

I missed the comment that said alternator @ 10 amps

Put a volt meter across the battery when it's running and charging and report back on the volts. The truck was hardly used so i am wondering if the battery electrolyte was already low to begin with. To boil it out that fast it would have made a mess.

[Beauford]

!0-4 It will be later in the week.....on the road for three days. Thank you guys!