55 Fargo Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi all, today, I went to a local Auto Electric shop, had 2/0 batttery cables made-up. This guy did a great job, using welding cable, copper eyelets, and lugs, total price including Canadas mega taxes $64.00 or $52.00 in US Funds. Installed them as soon as I got home, my garage temp was 26, outside it was -30 last night. Hit the starter button, it was cranking a lot faster than with the old cables which were 1 gauge , and the cables from solenoid to starter was in rough shape. The engine cold started way better than it ever did before. I also discovered oil leaking out of my coilwhere the coil wire pushes in, so will need a coil, this is not a good sign. Any idea why a new coil should leak oil, does it mean it is not producing enough voltage for spark too?...............Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normspeed Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I really noticed the difference when I went to 2/0. Plus, they look kinda neat. One guy at a cruise night asked me if all the old Plymouths used pipes instead of wires for the electricity:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Mine are now 2-0, hand made at the local battery store. The strange thing is that the car started almost as good for many years with the skinny cables I was using. They were in pretty good shape. But, thanks to this forum, I saw the error of my ways and got large cables. Work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niel Hoback Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Just another example of "bigger is better". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Here are the pics of the old cables, one is all teped up, these are 1 gauge cables, the new ones of course are 2/0, there is a pic showing the size difference. In this case bigger is best............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T120 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi Fred,Where did you get the battery hold down clamp? - looks good -I could use one. Ralph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ralph go to Princess Auto, there about $5.00 or so, should be stores in Calgary and Lethbridge..........Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I made 2/0 cables for my truck, because that's what I had available at the time. We had a bunch of spare cables laying around from an upgrade we had to do on a bunch of backhoes. My truck cranks over fine, but I also had the starter gone through. If your coil is leaking oil, it will need to be replaced. The oil helps to cool the coil. If the oil leaks out, the coil can over heat and cause problems. Merle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm's Coupe Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Fred, The battery hold down looks like a better one than I have. However, I'd move the battery toward the firewall a little so I could get the center cap off to check the battery acid level, without removing the clamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james curl Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 If you think they crank good with 2/0 cables on six volts, you should hear them crank a 6 volt starter on 12 volts. when I converted to 12 volts I did not change the 2/0 cables that I had installed for the six volt system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 If you think they crank good with 2/0 cables on six volts, you should hear them crank a 6 volt starter on 12 volts. when I converted to 12 volts I did not change the 2/0 cables that I had installed for the six volt system. James I know what you mean, started my engine the 1st few times on a 12 volt battery, when I bough the 6 volt it was noticeably slower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T120 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Ralph go to Princess Auto, there about $5.00 or so, should be stores in Calgary and Lethbridge..........Fred Hi Fred -Went to Princess Auto today in Lethbridge,picked up two.I've been there before,never noticed them.Thanks,Ralph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hi Fred -Went to Princess Auto today in Lethbridge,picked up two.I've been there before,never noticed them.Thanks,Ralph Glad it worked out for you Ralph, they also have the battery cut-off switches.........Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Okay boys, went out to the garage to try starting the engine. It is 30 in the shop, engine was last started about 24 hours ago. It was firing on the first few cranks, but required a 2nd hit of the button to start, so it is a lot better than before. But I noticed my carb body was wet with gas,why is my carb body wet with gas, after I had cranked engine and she started up? Might I be having a carb problem here? I have not got a new coil yet, still running the leaking coil, hope to pic-up a new one today. There $40.00 plus tax here in Manitoba...........Thanx Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normspeed Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Fred, is it leaking around the top gasket? If so, your float may be set too high, or the float could be leaking and filling with fuel, or the inlet needle and seat might be wearing out or might have some foreign matter stuck in it. Try wiping it dry and observing where the fuel is leaking from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Fred, is it leaking around the top gasket? If so, your float may be set too high, or the float could be leaking and filling with fuel, or the inlet needle and seat might be wearing out or might have some foreign matter stuck in it. Try wiping it dry and observing where the fuel is leaking from. Normspeed, it is from the top gasket, so yes maybe the float, or needle is the culprit. Would this contibute to hard starting, a little flooding too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normspeed Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 It could. Mostly when warm though. Cold motors seem to like a rich mixture. Is that a ball & ball carb like on the Plymouths? If so, I may have an extra float around here. You can tell if it's leaking, just take it out and shake it, you'll hear the fuel sloshing around inside. I just repaired my leaky tractor float with flux and solder this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 It could. Mostly when warm though. Cold motors seem to like a rich mixture. Is that a ball & ball carb like on the Plymouths? If so, I may have an extra float around here. You can tell if it's leaking, just take it out and shake it, you'll hear the fuel sloshing around inside. I just repaired my leaky tractor float with flux and solder this week. Thanx Normspeed, yes it s the B&B carb, i will see whats up with it, I have a spare on the shelf too. The spare carb is from a 1955 fargo truck engine, so I can't do a direct swap even though it's rebuilt, as my carb is the type with an electric choke........Thanx again Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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