The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Engine won't start

Yesterday I started up my '65 C20 with no problem. This morning nothing happened when I turned the key. The needle on the battery gauge jumps up to "charge" when I turn the key. I tried jumping the truck to no avail. Is this a starter problem? If not, what else? Thanks.

how old is your battery, sometimes they can be very old and you can't jump them

could be starter but I doubt it.. did all this just happen this morning ..

Yes, this just happened this morning. The truck started fine last night. The battery sticker says July 2008. Why do you doubt it is the starter (you can tell I'm no auto mechanic!)? Thanks.
Rob

My educated guess would be the battery. Education is from The School of Bad Experiences. I rebuilt the top end on a '63 I had...new cam, lifters, pushrods, rebuilt heads etc. I only had it down for a few days and was scratching my head as to why it suddenly wouldn't turn over. I checked, double-checked and triple checked all connections. Jumping also wouldn't work. I pulled one of the batteries from my Excursion nad presto....started right up. After I finished adjusting valves, I drove it to the parts store and had them test and confirm the battery was bad.

Thank you. I know that a four year old battery is pretty old. Hopefully that is all it is. I will take the battery out and get it tested. I appreciate your help.

the reason I doubt it is the starter is because
they usually have a tendency to act up first, so drag,etc
does not mean it is.. could still be no telling what..

the reason I said test the battery is because I had
one that would start up fine when it was cold, drive awhile then it would turn slow..wait a while longer and it would just fine till the next drive... I installed a hot shot kit, did not work.
was told it was the starter,timing and so forth.. I just kept driving it, then one time while getting gas my wife was with me, had to wait a few min for it to crank...........she says, why not get your battery checked out.......I told her no way was it the battery but............I had it checked out under load..........

it had a dead cell.. I had been dealing with this prob lem for almost 2 yrs before I checked it out.........thanks to my smart wife... yes, I told her what was wrong with it..lol that was 2 yrs ago..one just never knows

You are a smart man to listen to your wife! I didn't think about the battery either. I am going to get it checked tomorrow. Hopefully this is it...a simple fix. Thanks for the info about starters. I am registered for a show later this month so I want to get this resolved.

good luck, nice looking truck you have and nice house...
I would love to live in Cape cod Ma, we went there on vacation
a few yrs ago.........one of the best trips this Texan ever had..

seems like I remember that folks around Boston love to Honk....lol

Thank you. The truck looks even better now. I will be posting some new pics soon. If you are ever back in this area please look us up. The Cape is even nicer in the Fall...the crowds have gone home!

Dealing with the bad battery for two years is probably better than dealing with a wife who can now say "I told you so".