The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay starter question

My 1955.1 3600 with 235 converted to 12 v wouldn't start as if the battery was dead. I put my multi meter on it and it says 12v (only whole numbers on meter). This happened a month ago and it started up after sitting for 15 minutes without jumping or charging. I only get to drive it about once a week. Is this a sign of a tired starter (6v starter) or battery replacment time. I changed terminals last year. Thanks, Brian.

Clean all the cable connections from the battery to the engine, and all the grounds. Unbolt EVERY connection, and scrub them thoroughly with a stiff wire brush or a small wire wheel in a drill motor. Be absolutely sure there's a long cable from the battery ground post to a bolt on the bell housing, not the Mickey Mouse short braided ground cables the truck was manufactured with. That system had only one purpose- - - -cutting production costs.
Jerry

OK I'll get to scrubbing . Thank you

A general note for "won't start". Please describe the condition specifically.

These are the various modes of "won't start" and are not aimed at any particular poster.
1. Motor cranks good but won't fire.
2. Same as 1. but pops a little
3. Starter motor turns but does not engauge flywheel
4. Starter motor turns but not enough speed to start
5. Starter motor/solenoid just clicks. Foot start can have a different click.
6. Starter does not rotate or make any noise
7. Any other things noticed


66flea....I will assume that " as if the battery was dead." is no. 6.....just remember we never know how a person may describe something, then we go off on the wrong track.

As said, could be cables and clamps
You need a meter set to read whole and decimals. Don't know of any volt meter that does not read decimal or fraction. Even an analog has hash mark increments.
The only way to know if a battery is good, after seeing it has 12.6V. is jump the truck with another battery or take battery to have it load tested. With 12 volts plus?, your battery has enought voltage to do something but it can still have cell breakdown when load is applied. Jumping from a good battery can identify that.
Do you have foot start?

Braided ground cable is available in 1/0, very flexible, tin plated copper or steel and will last for a 100 years. Used on all vehicles including all Willys Jeeps and trucks of WWII and onward. Still used on new vehicles. MY 1946 CJ2a VEC still has it's originals.

Cleaned everything now just waiting for decimal multi meter. The model multi meter is a Fluke T-5 600 that is used in electrical not automotive. I do have a foot start. I drove today a few miles and had it run for an hour. Will wait to see if it starts tomorrow, I will take it to work . The weather is nice for a 10 mile drive

SOoooooooooooooo it starts? I thought it didn't even turn over? What did you do to fix it? I think I'm confused.

That is a volt tester and the resolution is 1V as you say. A volt meter/multimeter with have decimal place resolution.

Jumped

Soooooooooooooooooo I'm working on it. Should I come to this site for help and advice?

yes

In a short answer - Yes!

If I can, I offer a hopefully constructive suggestion that may help the asking and answering process out.

Please be as descriptive as you can on what you're doing, have done, or are experiencing. Pictures are highly recommended as they really can help tell your story.

Your replies "Cleaned everything..." and "Jumped" don't really give much detail about what you did "to fix it?". Jump starting is a temporary solution to get the truck running, but not likely to be a permanent fix to whatever caused the non-start problem in the first place.

Lots of wiggle room in your answers, so other folks reading what is going on can't really offer worthwhile further suggestions or knowledge and experience.

Hope this all makes sense and we can continue helping you find the solutions you are looking for.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Dan

OK flea you did good now that I know what you did. Without all the details like maybe "I cleaned it all and it still would not start, then I jumped it". That would enable us to say it is probably a bad battery.
SOOOooooo....yes you have a great oportunity for advice on Stovebolt if you want advice/help. But you see we need info. I do believe you are on the right path. You jumped it like we said and now waiting to see how it runs and see if it starts on it's own. While getting a meter that can read more accurately. As I said, Good work. If I have not stated what you did, please correct.

You are very lucky to have so many experienced members who care about you and your issue. Let's get it figured out.
Thank you for what you do for your community.

14 mo ago
https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...od-battery-and-no-crank.html#Post1432666

Thank you.

Thank you all for your patience. It was a weak battery that I had trouble figuring out. My multi meter was not giving me the information I needed or understood. I used an older engine analyzer and was able to see volts in fractions, and was able to see voltage drop quickly when lights and heater fan were on before starting the engine. Everything is clean and bright now, I even resoldered the positive cable (end or lug?) at the starter.

66flea,

Thanks for following up and letting us know what you found and fixed.

Much appreciate your patience as well.