The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Won't start, part deux

I have a '50 3100 with a '60 235. Everything is rebuilt and I have a foot stomper starter and an HEI distributor from Langdon. I'm finally ready to start the engine and have temporary wiring and fuel connected. I have the battery with ground and positive. The positive goes to the big lug on the starter. I have a set of alligator clips from the big lug to the coil, and the pink and brown wire from the coil to the distibutor. I also have a small wire from the small lug on the side of the starter switch to the electric choke on the holley/weber carb.

At this point, I have a 12.75v differential between the starter lug and the frame, and the same from the frame to the alligator clip on the coil. But 0v differential between the two sides of the coil. I stomp on the foot stomper and nothing.

What am I missing? How should the electrical be hooked up for something to happen?

Thanks,
Frustration...

Hy RedGreen, is your starter linkage pushing right down to the button? Have you tried turning the engine a bit by hand, maybe the starter isn't entering the flywheel correctly. Have you tried hot wiring the starter to see if it will motor? Hope that helps.

RedGreen,

When you say "nothing", do you mean the engine doesn't turn over, or the engine turns over but won't start.

I would dump the little wire from bypass terminal on the starter switch to choke for right now as it isn't going to do what it's intended to do.

If your battery is functional and connected properly to the starter switch, AND the ground is contagious between frame, engine and battery negative, the only fly in the ointment would be the starter or starter switch.

The stomper engages the drive mechanically and also mashes the switch to close the big contacts and get the starter spinning.

Funky linkage or a worn switch can sometimes make the drive push forward, but not close the switch. What happens if you stick a small shim between the starter switch and actuation lever and mash the starter. You are trying to make sure the starter switch is actually going down all the way to spin the starter. Pushing on the switch with a long screwdriver or stick without mashing the pedal in the cab should make the starter spin like crazy without turning the engine.

After all this chatter, I'm still not sure we are on the same page with the "nothing happens". Don't get lost with your voltmeter and strange reading...who knows what a electronic ignition should read through its brain. All your wiring sounds proper to me. I would wire the choke open temporarily.

Stuart

When I say nothing, I mean nothing. Absolutely nothing happens. I figured when I connected the wire from the starter to the coil, I'd hear a click or something, but it was like I didn't even have a battery hooked up. So, I pulled on my foot stomper and got the same result. So, I put a foot in the cab and stomped on it. Nothing. Not a whimper. I had this much results before I ever put a single wire or the battery in place.

The battery is out of my daily driver, so I know that's good. I had a suspicion of the ground. That's why I tested the voltage from the + battery to the ground cable. Sure enough. There's 12 volts to that.

How do I test to make sure the ground it good? How do I test the starter? The starter is brand new-to-me from Jim Carter, so I hadn't even suspected that of being bad. How do I wire the choke open temporarily?

3B mentioned "hot wiring" the starter. How would I do that?

I've done almost all the work on this truck myself, but getting into the electrical is the one great unknown that scares me.

RedGreen,

On the choke comment...I'm not familiar with the H/W so I don't know if it has any means to wire the choke open. The point was, that the bypass terminal, which is the little stud on the side of the starter switch will only be hot while the pedal is pushed down. This will not accomplish what you need for an electric choke.

To hot wire this particular style starter, you ideally need to bypass the foot activated switch and get to the buss or lug or whatever type of lead goes directly into the starter itself.

Sticking a jumper cable or large gauge wire onto this point would verify that the starter itself is capable of spinning without the influence of a switch that might be defective. This jumper cable would be one single cable of the two cables. It would be hooked to the positive post of the battery.

I can't recall what this starter setup looks like so it's hard to tell you where to hook your temporary cable.

The starter switch is so simple, I find it hard to believe it isn't working. My first oakie test would be to verify the battery is fully charged and properly connected with clean terminals to the starter AND properly grounded to frame and engine. When this is verified, use a bar or piece of wood as a lever mash the switch on the starter all the was down and hold it.

You will need a helper to use another bar or hammer to rap on the starter and see if you can get its attention, wake it up and see if it will turn.

If this test flops, it's time to pull the starter and give it a colonoscopy so to speak.

This refusal to spin on the starters part has nothing to do with any of your other temporary wiring. The starter and switch are very basic..they work or they don't.

Stuart

Bingo. I love/hate when it's something simple that you're overlooking. I got under the truck this morning and relocated the battery ground cable and really scraped the new paint off the new location, dropped the fresh battery in and it turned over without a problem.

Now I just have to figure out how to prime the fuel pump so it'll push some fuel up to the carb. Then I think I might have some noise coming out of the exhaust.

Thanks for your help atomarc.

Well, I got it. It took insane patience and most of the life of my good battery and my arm from tugging on the starter, but I got it to run. This is the first time I've ever heard this engine run and it sounded great. It took 22 months of persistant work but I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for the help.

Good News RedGreen, It's a great feeling to bring them back to life again. As for the light at the end of the tunnel,make sure it isn't the train lol.