The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 6 volt starter sloooow

Hi, New guy here. I used the search feature on this but didn't find an answer I could use. here goes: I have a 1951 235 powered truck. 4 speed starter button on floor. The starter turns very slow, not enough to start the engine without a shot of ether. Once started, The truck runs like a champ. no misses and lots of power. I had it out on the freeway yesterday.
Here's what I did so far:
I put in a new 6V battery, New cables (0 gauge)including ground straps (2 each), overhauled starter from Chevy Duty, cleaned the frame and engine where the neg cables attach, and cleaned the mating surfaces of the starter and engine. I did each item one at a time and none of this helped. I even ran a jumper from the negative bat terminal to the starter case but no difference. The lights dim halfway when activating the starter.

I started looking for something mechanical holding it up and so far I checked the pushrods (straight and free) and checked the valve adjustment. Compressions vary from 70 psi to 95 psi with the slow turning starter though it is quicker with the plugs out. By the way, this current starter is no better than the one I sent in for exchange. I need to get a clip on ammeter so I can find out what the current draw is.

So I know this is really long for a first post but I'm not sure where to go next. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

they might have sent you a junk rebuilt starter. remove it and take it to your local rebuilder or parts store to get it checked.

You might want to get a good load test on the battery. These 6 volt bats. don,t sell very good & sometimes have been in stock a long time. I,ve had that happen before & changed bats. & it whirled over. Is the neg cable hooked to the engine or trans. Sometimes that works better then going to the frame & then the engine. Could be the engine is tight from setting. Carbon or rust on the cylinder walls.

You've done everyhing right. I agree with Micron and Wrenchbender: it might be your starter and/or your battery. A regular 6v battery might not have a lot of cranking power after sitting in a store for a long time. Optima 6v batteries have much more Cold Cranking Amps than other 6v batteries. If you were near me, I would offer to test your starting set-up with an Optima Red Cap battery.

If it is not the starter or the battery (and both your cables are indeed 00 cables), your bearings might be too tight. There are ways of testing this but it is beyond my experiences/ability.

What is the CCA rating on your new battery? As Tim noted above the Optima is the way to go if you can afford it. I don't know the size of your battery box but the largest CCA battery I could find that would fit (other than the Optima) was 460 CCA. It turned slow and wouldn't crank long. The Optima is 800 CCA & my starter works much better.

Thanks Guys.
I already returned the first battery after a couple of weeks. Even though it tested good at the battery store they gave me a new one that has 650 CC amps. still turns slow.
I was going to go to the starter next. I tried one place today but they couldn't test 6volts. I'll check around Monday. Yep, my cables are really 0 gauge.
Where do you get a 6V Optima and how much do they cost?

Joe,

The Optima battery is not cheap but they supposedly last at least twice as long as other 6v batteries. I bought one about a week ago for about $143, including shipping. Shipping was about $20 - see if you can find one locally but I bet it's more expensive.

Battery Service Corporation

Tim

Thanks Tim, I'll check into it. Pretty salty but if it solves my problem, it's worth it.
I have had the truck about 9 years and the starter always turned slow. I didn't drive it much because once I stopped somewhere and shut it off there was no guarantee it would start again.
But now I have had enough. I want to drive it...a lot. Incidentally, I have a friend with a 48 Plymouth 6V and he has the same battery as me and his engine turns nice and fast (for a 6V).

I'm gonna get the starter checked first though.
Thanks

I got my Optima a little over a year ago through my FLAPS & didn't have to pay any shipping. I believe it was around $125 but I've slept since then.

Gonna check into the Optima. Just out of curiosity, what did you use before the Optima and why did you change? Was your starter/engine slow turning as well? It seems like several people are switching to the Optima, just wondering why.

I don't remember the brand. I bought it at a local farm supply company. As I noted the largest CCA that would fit my battery box was 460 CCA. When I heard of the Optima @ 800 CCA I jumped on it. Yes my 38 cranked slow and if it didn't start right away I was in trouble. With the Optima I get consistant cranking that doesn't give up if the 38 decides it want's to be difficult to start. Understand that even a good cranking 6V starter will crank slower than a 12V starter. (Unless you're pushing 12V through the 6V starter)

I believe this is where a lot of guys like to buy the 8 volt batteries. 6v slow-starts begone! This requires modification of the voltage regulator, however, which is not a quick job. All the 6v accessories run great on 8v.

I had a '54 sedan with the 6v starting blues, after upgrading to 8 volts it ran great for years until I finally went 12v.

I would turn it over for a bit and then feel all the terminations including the frame connection. If any of these are hot, that is where your problem is. I am using an ordinary Ever Ready battery with #1 cables and it turns over like a champ.

I'm with nix, there's something faulty somewhere, just needs to be found .... if it takes more than a good 6V, there's a loss someplace

Bill

Excellent point.

I don't have a 6 volt system, but what helped me was to run the negative cable directly to the anchor bolt on the starter. That way the current dosen't have to run through the whole frame to get to the starter. Try it it may help.

George