makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 so i cleaned up some wiring and changed my plugs and wires today well my battery was crap so i bit the bullet and bought a new one and my car fired right up with ease which isnt normal for this beast well the whole time i had the other battery in which was till about an hour before the new one the lights worked and the vol meter worked i replaced the original volt meter which i thought was correct but it seems the gauge doesnt work either did i blow something? i dont have a multimeter cause i keep losing them so im at a loss...and ive got no money to buy one right now so im looking for tips should i put the old voltmeter back on? and anybody have a pic of the charging system wiring? Quote
aero3113 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 Did they give you an 8 Volt battery by accident? Quote
makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Posted January 8, 2009 no its a 6 volt...i had to find it myself....idiots at autozone im gonna put the old voltage reg back on and see if thatll fix it Quote
Don Coatney Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 If you have a 40's car (cant tell by your profile or signature line) a volt meter is not stock or original. Quote
greg g Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 Are any of your lights working?? If not check the only fuse on the car which is mounted at the rear of teh headlamp switch. Ir shoud be a longer than normal 30 amp fuse. Quote
Oldguy48 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 Perhaps if you specified what vehicle you are working on, the good folks here may be able to provide some suggestions to help you. As mentioned before, a voltmeter on a 40's era vehicle would be a rarity. Quote
JerseyHarold Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 Methinks it's a '52 Plymouth Cambridge. The battery should be connected positive ground, unless modified. The entire car is fed electricity from several wires attached to the 'battery' side of the starter relay. Are they still connected and not crumbled away? Also could be bad dimmer switch if headlights not working. They no longer used a fuse for the headlight switch in '52...there's a circuit breaker on it. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Posted January 8, 2009 well ive had it im going to 12 volt immediately my starter went out and im just plain tired of all the crap that goes with this 6 volt stuff now i get to research the conversion Quote
49roadster Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 The volts are not the problem. The problem will be there no matter what you push through the system. Take your time and solve the problem and you will feel better. Remember the Chrysler 300 was a 6 volt car and it worked. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Posted January 8, 2009 well im just sick of cleaning up the mess im missing pieces of my charging system and now that the starter/selenoid went out it kinda set me off i might keep the 6volt for now...but i need to find out if my solenoid is bad or not if the starter was bad would it make a grinding noise? cause thats what mine does...i hope its the solenoid Quote
greg g Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 The soleniod is an electromagnetic switch. When you engage the starter switch a magnetic field is created pulling down a plunger. This plunger makes the contact that transfers the main current to the starter. So basically it works or it doesn't. The most common problem with starters is tha the armeture bushings wear and get oval allowing the armeture to be pulled against the field coils as they try to turn. This causes drag and noise. The drag causes the starter to turn slower than its design speed. These bushings are fairly easy to change with the starter out of the car. The other most common problem with 6 V systems is that along the years good meaning folks have swapped out the thick primary cables for the wimpy modern ones designed for 12 V systems. 6V depenst on current flow and demands thicker wires and cables. The other cause of poor 6V electrical component performance is corroded grounds. These add to the circuits resistance (flow) and detract from proper operation. The system is pretty simple gennerator, voltage regulator, and battery, what are you missing? Quote
tjustice Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 If you removed or replaced your voltage regulator did you remember to polorize your regulator? I think any time you disconnect and reconnect or replace the regulator in the system it must be repolorized for the generator to function properly. A piece coat hanger wire about 8" long in the shape of a U held to the BAT and Field terminals for about a second is all it takes. This doesn't explain the headlights not working but it may fix any charge or discharge problem you may have. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Posted January 8, 2009 ok well the headlights are back on it was bad wiring done by the previous owner but since my car isnt at my house i cant work on it easily what gauge wire should i use for any connection to the battery? and any links on parts to rebuild the starter and a new solenoid im just going to replace them both the starter sounded lke crap anyway so i wasnt to surprised when i quit working Quote
Young Ed Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 OEM spec is 1 gauge for battery cables. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Posted January 8, 2009 Well I guess ill be buying some 0 gauge wire here soon I did have 4 on there Is it hard to rebuild a starter? I gotta get this thing on the road asap since its not at my house and can't exactly stay where it is for to long Quote
aero3113 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 I am surprised that you were even able to get it started with 4 gauge on there Quote
Young Ed Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 They will start but poorly. I would upgrade the cables and see how the starter works then. You might find the cables were the only issue. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Posted January 8, 2009 From the starter to the solenoid its 1 gauge but from the batt to the solenoid its either 4 or 6 I can't remember But even if it was a crappy wire I didn't think itd make my starter sound like it was just grinding...its not turning the engine or anything...it just sounds like its spinning and grinding Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Posted January 8, 2009 Is the starter fastened tightly to the bell housing where it will be in the correct position related to the flywheel? Based on some of the other work done by the previous owner.....is it even the correct starter??? Starters, if the teeth are good, etc, can be rebuilt by auto electric shops for around $60 up, depending on what's needed. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Posted January 9, 2009 Well I'm going to pull the starter and take it to get rebuilt in the morning...hopefully it won't take em forever Quote
aero3113 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Posted January 9, 2009 you should be able to go to a good auto parts store and pick up a rebuilt starter and give your core to them.That's what I did could be driving in a few hours. Quote
aero3113 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Posted January 9, 2009 Notice I said good. Yes,I have an auto store near me that has been in the biz for years. I went in with my old starter and he pulled a new (rebuilt one) off the shelf. So far he had or was able to get everything I asked for so far.New head bolts,pistons/rings/bearings, original NOS muffler and even had the layout of the exhaust so he bent me new pipes. Guess I am real lucky and to top it off the owner is a friend of a friend so he helps me out with good prices. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Posted January 9, 2009 yeah no chance of finding one on the shelve here man so i got it out and had a friend look at it whos familiar with it he said it wasnt any piece i could just replace instead of the teeth not turning they turn with no issue and goes up and down so im going to the local starter/alternator rebuild place and see if they can repair it im also going to hunt down a remaned one just in case..i wont give em my original one though so its gonna be an expensive fix haha Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Posted January 9, 2009 Check with O'Reillys.....they may not have it on the shelf, but might be able to order one with fairly quick delivery time. They got my new rear wheel cylinders in 2 or 3 days. Quote
makkelsay Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Posted January 9, 2009 yeah i gotta go tomorrow to pick up my new wheel cyclinders...guess ill order a new starter if they can get one Quote
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