The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay somethings wrong!!!

new to post, i have a 49 1/2 ton with a 216 trying to get it started. put new 12 volt battery,new starter,12 volt coil,new points
new distributor cap. truck will turnover and try to start, but after a few tries the positive wire coming off the battery will get so hot it will start to smoke! somethings wrong need help.

ron blair,

Welcome to the Stovebolt. Your starting system must be pulling a ton of current somewhere. Are your cables new and properly sized?

Did you really find a 12 volt starter for your 216? If all the cables and connections (clean ground to frame and engine) are clean and good, it sounds like there could be a mechanical issue that is causing the engine to drag and force the nice new starter to work to the max. It seems strange for the weak link to be the big cable connection on the battery.

Is the new 12 volt replacement coil internally resisted or did you install some type of bypass/resistor circuit. Those points won't want a full 12 volts for long.

I would clean both battery posts well, clean the cables and stick them on tight and make sure they are clean and tight on the starter and to the ground point.

When your crank your engine, a huge amount of current flows and it can cause heat but it would be more typical to heat a connection ON the starter itself..or the starter.

Keep looking and keep us posted.

Stuart

Is your timing advanced too far? Your starter may be working too hard against the engine trying to fire too soon. Try retarding it a bit and see what happens.

If this is a 12V conversion it sounds like the resistor isn't properly functioning.6V wiring for starting should be able to handle the 12V. You could try putting back your 6V starter.It can handle the load and would spin way up in rpms.

no luck,Can't seem to figure it out. need to rewire truck.

Just curious....you mentioned "a new starter" which would be 6v matched to the stock 139 tooth ring gear. A 12v starter to mesh with a 6 volt flywheel would be a custom build. Although they both have 9 teeth on the bendix drive gear the 6v gear is appreciably larger in diameter than the 12v bendix gear which meshes with a 168 tooth flywheel.

The 6v starter with a 6v 139 tooth flywheel will run off a 12v system with no problem. If you are trying to run a 12v starter on the 139 tooth flywheel you are probably binding the bendix on the very edge of the ring gear teeth. You might need to check and determine exactly what voltage starter you're trying to run and make sure it's matched with your flywheel ring gear count.

Dave

IT'S ALIVE!!!! got the truck to start today.. it sounds good.
smoked up the garage really bad. still looking at the wiring.
Fla54 I will take a look at my starter's voltage.
thanks..