The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1942 1 1/2 ton will not start Help!

I drove truck today no problem. Then I went to start it again, turned over then stopped. Her is what I see so far. Brand new battery today after that happened.
1) horn beeps,lights come on and when I go to start it lights go off and horn wont blow. 20 minutes later horn blows lights come on hit starter and they wont work again. ??????? any answers would be deeply appreciated. Jack

The starter drive gear may be stuck in the teeth of the flywheel. Take a hammer and tap it on the starter several times.(any place you can make good contact with the hammer - top, side, etc.) Also put the tranny in your highest gear and rock the truck back and forth. If the starter is engaged in the flywheel, both of these methods will help to free it. Good luck.

I will try it as soon as rain lets up. But would that make the horn and lights not work

Hmm... It sounds deeper than the problem I described. Wait - I bet you have a bad/corroded connection at your battery. The battery terminals are possibly dirty.(either between the battery post and terminals, or between your battery cables and your terminals) This would be the first area to check.

I just tried it but no go. Horn and lights still don't come on but weird thing I just noticed, when I turn key on gas guage goes up but when I hit horn button or pull light knob out the gas guage goes down to empty??? Weird!!~

Try what I described above ^^^^^

I tried the rocking method and tapped with a hammer

I also posted that your battery terminals might need a good cleaning.

I did that and took them off top of starter and cleaned those.

Did you clean where the battery cables connect to the terminal(under the bolts/metal plate), and where the terminals connect to the battery? Your problem sounds like a poor connection somewhere... It always used to happen to me.(especially on a high humidity day) Your ground strap might need to be cleaned where it connects to the frame - also both sides of the ground strap from the frame to the engine. Make sure all your connections are tight, too.

I did the battery cable ends on battery and starter but I did not do the washers or the plate on top of the starter or ground but will try that in the am. Thanks, keep em coming

I have been told I'm full of something, but it wasn't answers...

Let us know if you get her runnin'

Sounds like you might have a dead short somewhere.

Just like that!

jack02,

Although you indicate you have a new battery, this problem sounds exactly like a bad battery. A test with a hydrometer would tell you the state of charge and a check with a load tester would pinpoint a bad cell.

Stuart

I have had that same problem several times before.
Turns out to be a bad battery cable or where the ground cable is bolted to the engine.
You can't see it or any signs of it being bad.
Clean both ends of both cables, and if that don't work,take a set of jumper cables and bypass your battery cables.

I have seen battery cables that look good and still be disconnected inside the insulation.

Let us know how it turns out.

2-Ton

It was the battery cables. I took off the starter, took off all the cables and sanded ends, still nothing. I gave up, came in side and washed up, went on the computer and found this reply that I did not look at this morning. Went outside used jumper cables and it started right up.. Thank you wrench fetcher and everyone else that responded to my post. Ahhh the internet!!! Thanks again and have a great holiday. Check out my truck at www.oldworldpizzatruck.com

Signing off! Jack

Glad to help. Nice pizza truck! Send some of your finest pictures(any file size) and a story(the longer the better) to Peggy - [email protected]... We would be proud to have it in our gallery.

Jack,

Good news! When you used the jumper cables, did you merely use them in series with the existing cables or did you have them attached to another battery for some extra 'oink'?

Stuart

Another note - if you already aren't using them, try using star washers between the frame/ground strap, ground strap/engine, negative cable/frame, and positive cable/starter. This will insure a good connection between all points.

I read your menu - my mouth is watering! Who would have known there was a wood fired pizza oven on an old 'bolt! Nice job!

Check your cables closely for corrison internaly under the insulation. I have seen them corroded to the point that the wire was eaten into.
Cleon

I disconnected the cables from battery and put the jumper cables to positive from battery to starter and negative from battery to frame

Quite often cables corrode inside terminals and become intermittant. Try either new cables or when it appears dead, run a jumper wire from the ground terminal to the frame and then from the hot side to the the starter terminal, If either one of them spark, you have a cable that loses continuity under high amperage.

Jack,
Great truck! We need to have it in our Gallery, as well as a hi-rez image for the 2009 "Workin' Bolts" calendar!

Please, if you have time, send us a few images and the story of your truck and business to editor@stovebolt.com

I hope the business is doing well!

Regards,
John

Jack - I am sorry if I was unclear before, so I am going to explain myself more clearly.(I am going to start at the beginning)

There are 2 kinds of battery cables - 2 piece and one piece. The one piece has the lead(element-Pb) molded permanently to the copper cable. the other has a lead(Pb) terminal clamped to the cable. Is this like the end of your battery cables? Picture If so, you need to remove the 2 bolts on the top, and clean the cable end(copper), clean the corrosion from the lead(Pb) inside the the battery terminals, and the plate(oval washer with 2 holes in it) It is best to use a wire brush to do the cleaning on the lead(Pb). Also be sure the plate is flat when you re-connect it to the battery terminal(My father used to just flip them over). You can have this area clean and tight, but if the plate is bowed - it might not squeeze the cable tightly enough. This is what I meant by "either between the battery post and terminals, or between your battery cables and your terminals" earlier. The post is the lead(Pb) positive and negative on the battery.(not the copper stud on the starter) The terminal is the connection between the copper cable and the battery post. If cleaning the terminals does not work, sandwich a star washer between the negative cable and frame, one between the ground strap and frame, and one between the ground strap and engine.(I am thinking that the ground side is not your problem though - I included this part to be thorough for all who may read this in the future)

If your battery cable is the one piece type, it will likely need to be replaced.

Try a jumper cable on the positive half of the circuit only. If the truck starts - the positive side of the circuit is the problem.

As 54TOW suggests, the battery power output is not enough to do what you want.

To plow old ground:

1. Are you absolutely sure the new battery is at full charge? Test it to make sure. Take the cables off and test the battery for voltage. If you get a drop in voltage as you are testing, then the battery has only a "top" charge which is not deep within the battery plates and acid. You battery needs a charge.

2. With the battery fully charged, is there anything that is "resisting" the current flow from the battery? This could be dirty connections at the battery or at the end of the battery cables. Dirt and grime = resistance, which will eat up all of the battery power going to the electrical system.

3. Old, worn internally frayed or broken wires inside the battery cable(s) will absolutely break or weaken the circuit. You may get just enough power (amps) through worn out wiring to make a few things work, sort of, like the horn, fuel gauge, maybe lights, but when you go for the gusto and mash the starter, then you are asking for more than the battery can deliver and----dead!

4. Somehting wrong with the starter itself. This is a little harder to figger, but my first question is (assuming you have a masher starter--one with the foot pedal), when you mash the foot pedal down slowly, do you meet with some pressure, or can you depress the pedal all the way with no resistance? Here's what you can do. Look at the lever that protrudes out of the starter motor housing while you have someone mash the pedal. If the linkage contacts that lever and requires further depression to make contact with that little button on the electrical switch atop the starter motor housing, then retracts to the rest position, the bendix and drive inside the starter motor is probably NOT locked up into the flywheel. But if that lever is resting in contact with the button on the electrical switch, then, yes, for some odd reason (like worn out springs internally within the starter motor, or a bent bendix drive, or....) then the starter may be locked up into the flywheel.

All that said, I would vote for corroded terminals, weak battery and such.

The fact that after the battery goes "dead" when you mash the starter pedal, but recovers some charge within a few minutes says that the big item (the starter motor) is quickly draining the battery. Once recover of some power happens, then the fuel gauge shows something--aha! there is some power again. Mash the starter and all the power goes away and the fuel gauge indicates empty. Battery power too low to do what you are asking.

I did get the truck going, I guess maybe that was not written in my last post. I took all cables off battery , frame and starter. Cleaned and sanded everything, still did not start so I took my jumper cables with both pos and neg cables off and went from battery to starter and frame and whoala, it started right up.. I went to discount auto, bought 2 new cables pos and neg and it is starting perfect. Thanks to all, I really appreciate the help. Jack at oldworldpizzatruck.com

Great news! The pizza man can deliver happiness once again. Thank you for giving us the update.

Also, you may want to inspect your starter switch. My starter almost got burned up because of it. The little copper stud had broken the thing that keeps it from moving and was moving around. The copper lug had turned gray from getting so hot.

Jack, I don't recall whether or not you mentioned it--has your truck been converted to 12 volts? If not, then your Discount cables may not be heavy enough for the long term. 6 volt systems usually require heavier cables than 12 volts do. Just thought I'd mention that.

No 6 volt still

Just adding "my two cens". I too, have had issues with something like this on a 6 and 24v system. on a 6v, they do need more (thicker) wire to draw enough power as said. but mine in one case was the started internal windings. it had a short of some kind causing ot to draw too much and hard to start. I just swapped it out, but have the old one to rebuild when I get around to it.

Cool you go it going so far though.