Trouble Turning Over

[theDyls3]

Hello,

So I have a B4B I've been working on for some time and am currently working on getting it to start. I had the engine rebuilt, my starter rebuilt, have all new wiring, and a new 6v battery. When I hit the starter, the engine tries to turn over and then stops. If I hit the starter again, it sometimes turns it a little more, other times nothing.

I can crank the engine over by hand using a large wrench. The amount of resistance varies as I turn it, from not much to a good deal.

I'm at a lose for how to proceed. Is there something wrong with the rebuild of either the engine or the starter? Should I try using a 12v battery to force the starter to turn over the engine? Is there some trick I just don't know?

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Dylan.

[mikesinky]

when i rebuilt mine it was the same way kinda tight to turn over. i used a 12v to get it started and let it run just for a little while to loosen up then used the 6v from then on had no problems. i didnt leave the 12v hooked up just long enough for it to start.

[MBF]

Did you you the larger diameter 1-0 style battery cables for 6 volts?(there is twice the amp draw with 6 volts as there is with 12V so the cables need to be of a heavier guage) Are your grounds clean and tight-grounded to the block? After trying to turn it over with the starter try feeling your cables and connections-anything that is excessively warm will be pointing towards high resistance. Battery fully charged? I'd look to eliminate the simple possibilities before I tore into anything. Good luck and let us know what she sounds like when she starts-I'm in the process of a rebuild too on a slant 6. Mike

[grey beard]

Dylan,

If your engine is fresh and has not yet been started, disconnect your voltage regulator Battery terminal and get a good hot 12 volt jumper battery. Get it running and set it on a high idle for twenty minutes or so, flog it up and down in rpm, then shut it off and address any remaining six volt cranking issues.

Fresh engines have a lot of friction drag from the new rings and pistons. It is not unusuyal for the engine to be stiff enough to not crank with six volts before it is run in a little. Might even need to start it two or three times on 12 volts before it is loose enough to crank on six. This is how I did with my engine when it was new and tight.

Let us know how it goes.

Good Luck

[Merle Coggins]

Interesting concept, needing 12v to start a fresh engine. When I rebuilt my engine I hooked up a fresh 6v battery and cranked it up.

Like Mike says, be sure you are using good heavy cables. Nothing smaller than 1 gauge. I recommend 0 or 00 gauge. Wimpy modern 12v cables just can't carry enough juice to make your starter run efficently. Also, be sure your battery is fully charged.

Also, try cranking it over with the spark plugs out. This will allow it to crank without building compression making it easier on the starter. This may help loosen it up some, but it also allows your oil pump to circulate oil throughout the engine prior to startup.

Merle

[JJs 1948]

Dylan,

I went through the same slow cranking problem you have with a fresh rebuilt engine and a new fully charged 6v battery. After searching the forum I read that you need to have the starter and battery well grounded to the frame. Everything else that needs a good ground too for that matter. I think grey beard (Dave) showed where he installed a ground wire from the battery directly to one of the bolts that holds the starter to the bell housing. O or OO cable is a must. I also ran a cable from battery + ground to one of the starter bolts, a ground strap to the cab, a ground cable to the frame from the battery + ground, and a wire from where I grounded the frame to the fuel sending unit.

A 12 volt battery was also used to jump the 6 volt battery with a few times because of the tight rebuilt engine. Now my engine cranks good and my headlights are nice and bright because they have a direct ground wire also. Hope this may help.

Edited September 29, 2009 by JJ's 1948

[theDyls3]

Update time:

So I added a 2/0 ground wire (battery cables were all ready 2/0). Didn't help.

Tested the battery and it read 5.87v. Oops. So I bought a charger and after charging it turns over pretty easily, but still wouldn't start.

Looked in the carb and could see moisture and smell gas, so I was getting fuel. Took the center wire off the distributor and held it near a ground. I could see a spark, so that was working. I tried again and got a back fire, so I played with the timing on the distributor to no avail.

Checked my wiring order, and it occurred to me that the doesn't indicate the top of the distributor all that well. So I rotated all the wires one position counter-clockwise and tried it again and bingo. After so more fiddling the engine caught and I had it idling. A little rough, but still the first time I'd heard it run.

When I tried giving it more gas it died. So gotta fix that. Any thoughts?

Also, I noticed when I was trying to get it to start and had the wires wrong that if I ran the starter for a while some gas would leak out of the carb from where the accelerator linkage goes up through the float chamber. Any thoughts about that?

Thanks for all your help.

Dylan.

[Merle Coggins]

Atta Boy Dylan, we knew you'd get it.

While you have it idling get your timing set correctly. Then try to rev it up again. If the timing is off it can cause a bad hesitation off of ilde, enough to kill it. Also, recheck your float level and/or the needle & seat in your carb. If the fuel level gets too high it can spill over and run down the acc pump linkage and other places too. It can also cause a flooding problem with your engine.

Merle