The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop It wont start

Just bought 1946 Chev 3100 with a 1955 or 56 Chev inline 6 motor. Ran fine for a week or so. After a short drive I went to put in reverse and it would not go so I just left in the neighbors driveway to let it sit for a bit. When I tried to start it an hour later I got absolute silence- no cranking , no ticking - nothing. It had an old battery so I put a new one in - still nothing. Tried tapping on the starter to see if it was on a bad spot no luck. I did confirm the press button on the starter is getting fully engaged by the pedal. I was able to push it in the garage and it rolls now so I know it is in neutral. Any thoughts on trouble shooting would be appreciated , just started getting into this and don't spend a fortune on blind fishing! Thank you!

I would see if the starter runs.
As a last resort, one could try to drift start it in 2nd gear.
But before all of that, check each circuit for continuity and fuses. Who knows what modifications might have been done in the last 70+ years?

Pushing truck to start is not for a condition of "no turn over". You need to take the push button off starter and examine or replace. Or take off starter all together and bench test. So far seems like dead push button or dead starter IF IF IF you are sure battery is good and cables and clamps are clean. Let us know if lights and such come on. Be sure motor is grounded to battery Neg.

Starter is grounded thru it's mounting bolts to motor.

You may want to push the button with a stick by hand to be sure it is being pushed far enough down.
The transmission has nothing to do with this. But I'm not sure if you are saying you have a transmission issue or not.

This is probably going to be an easy fix provided you have rocked the truck to see that motor is not frozen. Check oil for milky look.

All suggestions based on:
1. no click
2. no noise
3. no nothing
4. good battery that has been tested for voltage/shorts. (new? as in new or another?)
5. good clean cables and clamps
6. starter is grounded to battery thru normal method
7. button on starter pushed by hand

Thanks for then insight- a few updates:
1.The battery is brand new
2 The lights work so battery is working
3 I put a wood shim in between the starter actuator and button on starter to confirm it is fully depressed to starter

I have no experience pulling a starter like this - will I need any special tools if I pull it out? How would I test it while it is still mounted to engine. I have a construction background and can work with tools but have limited automotive experience

The cables are old but do not appear to be damaged - is it still worth pulling them and cleaning or is that a long shot? I have confirmed connection to battery and starter are tight?

Really appreciate your help - I bought this 46 from a dealer in Illinois and it seems to be in pretty good shape - frustrating how it just quit.

Thanks

Pulling the starter is fairly simple. I would look in the manual to ensure you do it right.

1. Unhook battery.
2. Take a picture of linkage and unhook linkage/wires connected to starter
3. Unbolt the 2 bolts/nuts holding starter in place.

If it is the button on the top, it is just as simple.
1. Unhook battery
2. Unhook linkage
3. Unhook wires
4. Unbolt push button
5. Replace and assemble

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Chris

Right, it is just one of those cases where you just see how it's put on there and take it off. Disconnect the foot linkage nearest to starter motor as you can. Leave it all in place on the truck. The motor just backs out of it's hole. It is located by a large pilot diameter and fastened with two bolts. No big deal. Heavy little bugger. You can put the motor on a bench. Strap it down. Use a battery or a battery charger to test. Not sure if you are 6V or 12V. Anyway, just push the button and see if it spins. That will not prove 100% that it's OK because it's not under a load. It will reveal a number of things however. To hook up, attach/clamp positive to the lug on button can the negative to a clean metal spot on case or nose. It will "buck" a little so be aware. Nothing scary. If no spin......Take off button can and you will see a copper lug on the motor. The button also has a lug that contacts the motor lug. While button assembly is off, just touch the motor lug with the pos test cable and see if it spins then. You should test with bigish cables.

Alternate option: Take off neg battery cable. Take off pos cable from button can. Take off push button can (two screws). Take it to bench and examine lugs for burn-out or broken. Examine lug on starter for burn-out. Leave starter on truck. Leave linkage alone.

Here is the button without a "side terminal". This is for 6V. There is one with side terminal for 12V. Don't know which you have. Thanks for staying with/monitoring the post. VERY important!!

Don't know if you have the 46 or 56 foot switch parts. Pretty much the same though.

This is a small point but since you are new to automotive, the fact that lights work do not mean the battery has enough for a starter. My question did make you think that. My fault. I was just wondering if there was any juice and any ground. NEVER discount the battery as a cause. It's always the battery .

You are right on with what you have done and are asking the right questions,

I would suggest that you turn the lights on and then hit the starter. If the lights go out, you have a connection problem.

So... First of all thanks for all the good advice. I have limited mechanical experience so I decided to start with the simple stuff. My son MATT and I removed both the positive and negative cables and completely dis-assembled , cleaned , and re- assembled them. We removed the starter button off the starter , interesting one half of it was clean the other was not. We left the starter on the engine. The interesting point was the contact point on the starter that the button engaged was pretty dirty. At the end of the 2 hour process we stepped on the starter and vroom vroom it started! What a great feeling! Really appreciate the help! So , next issue , it does not like first or Reverse , however , we can put it in both those gears by hand at the gear box - pretty sure loose linkage???
New week new issue but thanks for the help it is up and running!!

Awesome job boys. As always, information is King.......... We have no idea what transmission you have. I will assume a 3 on the tree Chevy original. If so, you are on the right track. You just need to have one guy under and one guy shifting at column to see why lever does not fully rotate from linkage movement. More info, your observations, and our experience are all we have to figure out problems from our house.
On a 3 speed, the 1st and reverse are the same lever, so it makes sense that particular linkage needs tweaked. There are shift lever bushings and other linkage parts available depending on year and model of trans. Post some well lit, good pics of trans/linkage if you wish. Use the Attachment Manager at lower left of each edit screen. If you are vetted.