The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Will a '42 chevy COE start without a battery?

the starter on my new truck, won't turn the engine even though the engine isn't seized (I can turn it by hand).

I don't have a 6volt battery and was jumping the starter with a 12volt battery to test it, but if I want to try and start it can I just pull start it without a battery? or does it need a battery to run?

Thanks!

Yes, it needs a battery for the ignition (unless you have a magneto) but it doesn't need much of one.

I have driven several home and push started others using a dry cell lantern battery. They come in 6 and 12 volts and you can get them at the hardware store.

If the charging system is working the engine can run for a long time. If it isn't, you can get it home as long as you don't run lights, heater, etc.

Wow I wish I had equipment that would pull start a 42 COE! That is a pretty heavy hunk of iron.

Thanks for the answer! that's exactly what I needed to know.

I'm surprised you say it is a heavy truck, from the info i found it weighs less than a modern minivan (<4000lbs) I hauled it home on a 7500lb cap. trailer with my dads '10 chevy 1500, but I was surprised that it weighed less than half of my '96 dodge 2500 diesel. It's amazing how bloated these newer trucks are!

You want to pull something heavy, try getting a '53 cat grader out of a snowbank, my dodge couldn't even move it an inch!

It won't start without a battery, but it will run if you keep it revved up to where the generator kicks in. Even if your generator doesn't work, it will run a long time on something like a Gel-Cel. Alternators need a battery to work. There is a good chance that it won't start anyway. I would plan on hauling it. If you look closely at a 42 model, there just isn't much to them that weighs.

Ok, thanks! I have the truck home already, I was just trying to get it started while spending the minimum amount, I'd rather not dump a bunch of money into getting it running and then find out the engine is no good and have to start from scratch again.

Running one without a battery can result in some pretty healthy voltage spikes. The battery acts as a "shock absorber" in a charging system, so trying to run it on just the generator will probably end up with the electrical system seeing some pretty high, and very unpredictable output from the generator. If it hasn't been run in a while, it's also possible the generator will have to be polarized, and a battery in the system is definitely needed for that operation. The dry cell lantern battery is a possibility, but it won't last long, and the generator will not recharge it.
Jerry