Any Help Troubleshooting This?

[sam knopik]

Group,

I had the truck running this summer. Drove it around the block a few times... Then I started hooking up the headlights/flashers... (I'm not sure if that is related but I'm listing what I did.)

Slowly but surely the starter started to get slower and slower the next 10-15 times I started it until finally, I would push the starter pedal to the floor with not even a wince of a grind.

I took the starter off and had it re-built. The mechanic cleaned it up and replaced some of the innards.

I installed the starter, with a freshly charged battery, and attempted to start the truck again. It began to turn the 4 or 5 times I tried but would not fire. Then, thinking the gas may be sour, I poured just a bit into the carburetor and tried again. This time it turned and sounded like it actually fired for a second. Then nothing. I can push the pedal to the floor with no sound.

Thoughts on where I go from here?

Thanks,

Sam

[Jeff Balazs]

Sam;

A few things come to mind. How good are your battery cables? How good is the ground connection. Also Carb and or fuel filters may be dirty? Are you getting fuel to the carb? Have you checked the points ? and timing?

Could be any of these ..... and possibly a combination of them.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[sam knopik]

Thanks Jeff.

The ground off the battery cables did come to mind and that was going to be my next move.

-SK

[TheMoose]

Thanks Jeff.

The ground off the battery cables did come to mind and that was going to be my next move.

-SK

Grounds are always the first thing I check on electrical problems!

I have separate ground straps going to the bed, engine & cab.

[Rich Gengo]

Do a volt drop test on the cables and starter. They might look good on the outside but not on the inside or not making a good contact. Did you replace the cables with something to small? Size does mater in this case. : )

[JBNeal]

here's one way to check the starter circuit...if the starter motor was rebuilt, were the starter button switch contacts adjusted? If they are not in good contact, the contacts will arc and corrode their surfaces.

If they are clean, the next thing to check would be those cables. I had starter problems on the '49 for several years, only in the summer though. I was using the original battery cables, which looked fine, but when the starter motor would drag or not turn over, them cables were blistering hot. Out of curiosity, I peeled open the sheath at the halfway point on each cable, and them copper strands were black, so the entire lengths of cable were corroded, boosting starter circuit resistance. I replaced those cables with new 1/0 tractor cables, and the starting issue went away (only to be replaced with this problem