The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1954 GMC 270 Starting Problem

I've been getting a lot done on my truck since I got it. Mostly just cleaning and reassembling things. I got a battery and the engine is free, so i tried cranking it a bit.
It was cranking extremely slowly and then stopped all together. I figured it was just a dead battery so i brought it to work and charged it the next day.
Before I reinstalled the battery I disassembled the starter and cleaned it all up along with cleaning all of the battery connections. I put everything back turned the Ignition to check voltage at the coil and battery and every thing looked good. went to crank the engine again and got about two revolutions out of it before it stopped again.
I then pulled the plugs and the engine will crank freely.

I can't figure out what would be causing my problem. I should also mention that i brought the battery in and it tested fine.

6v electrical system?

6v systems use 2 gauge or 1 gauge or 1/0 (0) gauge or 2/0 (00) gauge battery cables (for both cables)? The smaller the gauge, the bigger the cable.

12v battery/jumper cables are usually 4 gauge (or smaller gauge) cables. These are not satisfactory for a 6v system.

6V positive ground

The positive to the frame is 1/0 or 2, its pretty big. The negitive to the starter looks to be 4 though. Would that amperage drop be enough to stop it from cranking?

It could (it did for me).

So I discovered that only one parts store near me carries battery cable by the foot, and I wasn't able to get across town before they closed.

2/0 is $4.49 a foot there so I figured I'd do all of the grounds while I'm at it, so i was looking at roughly 8 feet. I also plan on soldering the ends instead of crimping.

Any ideas of stuff to try before I replace all the cables?

Have the battery load tested. Load it to 1/2 the cold cranking amp rating for 20 seconds, then check the terminal voltage with the load still applied. The voltage should not be below 4.5 volts. For instance, if the CCA is 400, load it to 200 amps for 20 seconds, then look at the voltage. If it fails, recharge and retest, or replace the battery.
Jerry

They put it on a tester when I brought it in Wednesday, I guess I'm not sure what the tester tests though.

No luck on the battery cables, there's not much else to the starting system, not sure where else to look.
It seems like now might be a good time to get the 12v swap done!

Lots of BIG truck repair garages can make custon battery cables, ask around...

Have you tries NAPA?

Maybe these guys can make what you need...

http://www.custombatterycables.com/

Mike B

I got cables, I meant that they didn't solve my problem.

I pulled the spark plugs and it wouldn't crank even with zero compression. I'm really starting to think the battery is dead.
I'm going to go to a different auto parts store and get it tested again.

Try substituting a 12V battery temporarily- - - -just disconnect the coil from the distributor to prevent burning the points while you do a little cranking speed test. You could also disconnect the heavy wire from the starter to the ammeter if you're worried about damaging the gas gauge, etc. Running just the starter on 12V for a short time won't hurt it.
Jerry

The truck cranks very well with a 12V battery, even with the plugs in.

I think I may have gotten a bad/dead 6V battery

Did you put a volt meter on the battery? What's the voltage?

Mike B

The 6V battery puts out around 6.3 volts. I don't have a tester to check the specific gravity of the acid though. So I can't really check if its charged at home.

Got my battery tested yet again today and the shop determined it was dead on arrival. New batter and my problem is solved!

So don't assume that the battery you just bought is not the problem...

a lot of people make that assumption.....and not just with batteries.New doesn't mean its good.....especially these days.