The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1955.1 3600 rescue mission

My truck wouldn't restart after a 5 mile drive and a 20 minute pause. It acted like it was it was flooded, which has happened before (but always started). After I tried to start it many times the starter suddenly stopped. It made some unusual noises and then nothing. Battery shows 12.3 volts on a cheap charger. I'm going back tomorrow to get it. The gas is new and never had to leave it anywhere the whole time I have owned it. I am bringing new plugs, battery charger, jumper cables, voltmeter, and some starting fluid. Anything else? Maybe I burned out my starer? Push start? Please help me it's at my mother in laws house

First you're going to have to see if it's getting spark to the plugs. If not, work your way back to the points/condenser/dizzy, etc

Then see if the carb is getting fuel. If it is, look down inside the carb with thje throttle open and see if gas is pooling on the intake runner. If it is, your carb/accelerator pump is leaking causing a flooding situation.

Test the acc pump by looking down the throat while goosing the throttle and see if it's working. You should see a nice squirt of fuel.

Maybe your starter isn't dead. Jump the starter directly from the battery and see if it works. If it does, your ignition switch/wiring is probably the problem

You may have a weak coil that stops working due to heat soak after the engine is shut down. Often times, after sitting for 20-30 minutes, the coil will function again once it has a chance to cool down.
While the coil is overheated and not providing spark, the engine will flood.
Charge the battery and drive around the block as many times as it takes for the engine to reach operating temperature and then park it where you are going to work on it. Shut it off and wait 10 or 15 minutes to see if it fails to start.
If it fails to start, check for spark. If no spark, buy a new coil and see if it starts.

Update. Found a broken ballast resistor. New one on the way and hopefully that's it.

Unless the resistor wire is broken, not just the core it's wrapped around, keep looking. Did you bypass the resistor by connecting both wires to one end of it to see if the engine will start? If not, you really should do that. It won't hurt anything to run the engine long enough to get home with the resistor bypassed. Starters don't just quit and then recover on their own, so bring a replacement starter on your rescue mission. The starter works on very close to "dead short" conditions- - - - -30 seconds of continuous cranking must be followed by 20-30 minutes of cool down to prevent permanent damage.
Jerry

Going back on Monday. I didn't do the wire bypass but I do have the ballast resistor with me. Should it show continuity from both sides? This one does not. How can I test it?

Multi meter shows 0 Ohms at all settings across tabs. I made a bypass wire and I will check again tomorrow. My mother-in-law is going to be so happy to see me three days in a row

I forgot to mention that the starter did crank today. I only did it twice because I didn't fix anything yet. So far I changed fouled plugs, tested coil with multi meter, visually inspected under the distributor cap for burns and then discovered the ballast resistor.

Truck is home. I made a bypass wire and tried to start and it sounded better but the battery was drained. I put it on a charger and changed the ballast resistor and cleaned the battery terminals and their positions on the starter and grounds. The starter groaned but it started. I drove it the 5 miles home and everything was fine for the ride but when I parked it, I shut it down and tried to start again and it wouldn't start. Same odd groans. So that's it for this evening, now I know my 3 year old battery is weak and my starter is still making weird noises. Battery is now on a charger for a few hours and I'll get at it again after work tomorrow. Thanks

Check the battery terminal voltage with the engine running at fast idle. With a pretty good charge in the battery it should be 13.5 volts or more, up to 14.5 or so. It sounds like the charging system has gone belly-up and the battery can only support the ignition system for a short drive. "Test- - - -not guess!"
Jerry

Couldn't get it to turn again today so I looked into the starter switch. I took some pictures after cleaning with a wire brush. It was dirty but not burned up. It looks like the switch is worn away and maybe not making contact for a connection. I pressed all the way down from the engine side. No sound or action. 13.4v at battery and 13.4 at starter.

Zoom in on picture and see the switch looks worn

If the starter won't crank at normal speeds and makes sick groaning noises I'm saying bad bushings in the starter. Had that problem on my '54 a couple of years ago. Replaced the bushings, all good. Good luck!!

Use the battery cable ring terminal to apply voltage directly to the starter contact lug. If the starter armature spins normally (it won't engage) replace the switch. Rock Auto has the proper 12V switch with the small side terminal for the ballast resistor bypass, but they call it a "starter solenoid", not a "switch".

www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=445442&cc=1489472&pt=4188&jsn=638

Jerry

Bench tested starter and its burned out. New starter will be delivered in a few days and I'll post full results. Thanks

Unfortunately I got a call from rock auto tell me that they do not have my starter in stock anymore. I was looking at the Terrepower 3500 model. Rock auto does have a terrepower 3530 model with a solenoid on it. Can solenoid be removed and push start switch installed?

Tech at Terrepower told me it was same gearing and voltage but didn't know about solenoid to switch conversion

No, because there will be nothing to cause the starter drive (Bendix) to engage with the flywheel gear.

But you could use a pushbutton switch to activate the solenoid on that starter.

Is there any shop in your area that still rewinds starters? I had one rewound a couple of years back, it was still cheaper than a new one.

The original 55.1 came with a 6 volt system, meaning you will gave to double check if the new starter matches your voltage and existing flywheel. 6 and 12 volt systems came with different flywheels.

Here is a “Tech Tip“ written by Bill Hanlon that explains the difference. Flywheel and Starters

Here is possibly another option, from Chevs of the 40’s. Starter

It went to a shop this morning. I told the man about it being 6volt and showed him the 12volt switch. He was intrigued and said he never worked on one like that but had a core for parts and will get into it in a few days.

Good to hear. Sometimes it's best to just repair what you have, at least you know it will fit. A good shop should be able to get you going and stand behind their work.

After a week plus the starter shop they called me to tell me that they could not rebuild it. I searched again and found one on amazon for 275 dollars. Installed today and it roared back to life. It seems to really spin fast and start right up. Battery is 12.7v and 14.1v running. All is good after a short drive and I'm hoping all is resolved. So a bad ballast resistor caused starting problems that caused me to over work and burn out old starter. The rebuild shop told me a field coil wire must have come loose, and it damaged the armature. Thanks all.

OUCH! That price is just short of felony robbery! Before you get robbed like that again, try a post in the "parts wanted" forum. I could have provided a good condition "rebuildable core" starter for a fraction of that amount! Stovebolters are here to help each other out, and it's surprising what some of us have stashed away.
Jerry

That's about the going rate. I bought one from a rebuilder in California a couple of years ago for that same price. Haven't had a problem with and never looked back..

Going to chime in again, sounds like the bushings were spent, had the same problem. See earlier post. Sourcing the busnings and other parts was the bigger challange. Installing the parts, not so much. It is DIFFICULT to burn up these old starters, that's why rebuilders, of all years did so well before off shore NEW stuff became available. Guess I just get to DIY : )