click click click

[BobDeSoto]

51 DeSoto - all original

Installed a new six volt battery - fully charged

It turned over for just a second

Engine fired for a second and then quit.

Now alI I get is click click click

Always ran great

[Sniper]

While uncommon it is not unknown for a brand new battery to be bad especially under a heavy load. And starting your car is the heaviest load it will ever see. I would put a meter on it try to start the car and see what the voltage drops down to

[FarmerJon]

I would check all connections, especially the ones you might not have touched: the solinoid and starter. If they are loose or dirty, it can stop things from working as intended. 

Checking the battery is a good idea as well.

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

45 minutes ago, Sniper said:

While uncommon it is not unknown for a brand new battery to be bad especially under a heavy load. And starting your car is the heaviest load it will ever see. I would put a meter on it try to start the car and see what the voltage drops down to

I have had this happen.  I took home a brand new battery from a major regional retailer a couple of years ago that was meant to replace one that died early. When I installed it was stone cold dead. I made them test the next one before I left the store.

[Sam Buchanan]

It's possible for a 6v battery to be on the shelf a long time. I recently replaced the battery in the P15 that was coming up on six years old because I felt the odds of it stranding me were increasing due to age. There were three batteries in the store (Advance Auto had a pretty good price), two were over a year old, I bought the one that was only three months old. Always check date codes, the 6v batteries probably aren't sold very often.

Edited October 16 by Sam Buchanan

[Furylee2]

This just happened to me last week. Put a new NAPA Commercial 6v battery in my 38 sedan delivery. It hasn’t been started in 40+ years. Rebuilt the carburetor and distributer and hung a lawn mower gas tank under the hood. Stomped on the starter and after it turned over a few times it started and ran for 30 seconds. Got out and poured a little gas in the carb. Tried it again, and nothing. Wouldn’t even click. Pulled the battery back out and took it back to NAPA. He tested it and said it’s “dead, dead”.

 

I also didn’t notice the label (sticker) on the battery said 8/22. It was 2 years old when I carried it out of the store.

[Sniper]

25 minutes ago, Furylee2 said:

 

Love that Sedan Delivery

[Furylee2]

Thanks Sniper. I know I have a long road ahead. Brakes, fuel, glass, etc. The gas tank is my biggest concern. Haven’t researched it yet, but I don’t think it’s being reproduced. To fill it up, you have to tip the drivers seat forward. So I don’t think the truck tank will work.  Anyway, I’m looking forward to getting it running and driving.

[sidevalvepete]

Great pics. Thanks for posting those. Am certainly envious of the sedan delivery. Look forward to seeing more of these vehicles...

[sidevalvepete]

Great pics. Thanks for posting those. Am certainly envious of the sedan delivery. Look forward to seeing more of these vehicles...and sorry Bob from wandering off your topic...

[Sniper]

I always loved the 38's

[clarkede]

21 hours ago, Sniper said:

While uncommon it is not unknown for a brand new battery to be bad especially under a heavy load. And starting your car is the heaviest load it will ever see. I would put a meter on it try to start the car and see what the voltage drops down to

As a quick test, I've always turned on the headlights and then try and start the car.  If the headlights don't come on or "dim considerably", then it's a sign that the battery connections are poor or a dead battery. 

[BobDeSoto]

Battery seems fine - I tried the headlights

[Los_Control]

With headlights on and try to crank it over .... if they dime severely then you have good connections .... issue is possibly in the starter.

 

If the headlights do not dim or only slightly, then you have bad connections somewhere and need to sort it out.

 

I believe this is what @clarkede is suggesting.

[Sniper]

Headlights don't really provide that big a draw compared to the starter you're looking at 10 or maybe 15 amps with the headlights and hundreds with the starter.

[desoto1939]

To the posters that recently purchased dead batteries from NAPA or any other company this is a very bad policy for their store and company. Since each battery has a manufacture date on the battery it is the direct responsibility of the store management to rotate their stock and to also verify the dates on the batteries. If they are not doing that process then they are not checking their supplies.

 

I would write back to the headquarters of each company to let them know what is happening and then ask for a rebate because of having to take the first abtteryy back and then get a second replacement battery.  Most companies want your repeat business so they might throw you a refund or a gift cert for your next purchase.  I always keep a pulse battery charger on my 6v 1939 Desoto and this seems to make my batters last longer.

 

But the seller should be always looking at the manufacture date prior to selling you a battery.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Sam Buchanan]

 

21 hours ago, Sam Buchanan said:

It's possible for a 6v battery to be on the shelf a long time. I recently replaced the battery in the P15 that was coming up on six years old because I felt the odds of it stranding me were increasing due to age. There were three batteries in the store (Advance Auto had a pretty good price), two were over a year old, I bought the one that was only three months old. Always check date codes, the 6v batteries probably aren't sold very often.

The young computer jockey in the store where I bought the battery didn't know batteries had dates, it was only after I inquired about shelf life that the manager got involved. He said he thought the old batteries had been returned.....whatever.

 

Yes, the seller should be keeping only fresh stock, but the ultimate responsibility is on us to be an informed buyer. I hope I didn't replace a battery that was still working fine with a new battery that will have a short life. I've had batteries suddenly refuse to crank and don't want to be stuck with the hassle of getting a stalled 6v car restarted away from home. The flimsy lightweight jumper cables that are so common might melt or fail to carry enough current to spin a warm 6v starter.

Edited October 17 by Sam Buchanan

[soth122003]

I switch over to getting my battery from Tractor Supply. The have a good turn over of batteries due the farming equipment that local farmers still use. Like Sam's mine was 6 years old and finally gave up the ghost and the local Tractor supply had one left in stock when I went there to replace it. The date code said it was 2 months old.

 

Joe Lee

[Los_Control]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

Headlights don't really provide that big a draw compared to the starter you're looking at 10 or maybe 15 amps with the headlights and hundreds with the starter.

Just for testing purposes, if the headlights dim, then the starter is getting full juice from the battery .... and wire connections are good. Something else is wrong.

 

If no effect on the lights .... then the lighting circuit seems fine, but there is a break down in the starting system somewhere.

By no means this is accurate .... If you are at the supermarket and ready to start your car, this will give you a quick and dirty test to see if you have a bad connection or a low battery.

 

Good advice has been given to check all connections including the ones they have not touched. Cable from solenoid to starter, both ends, same withe battery to solenoid.

Possible it could be a bad connection from ignition switch to solenoid .... power wire to the ignition switch .... Anywhere in the starter circuit could be bad .... I doubt the ignition switch would be bad .... is possible to jump the solenoid bypassing the switch to check that .... it is possible.

 

You take a perfectly good car and start it with the headlights on, the lights will dim momentarily while all the juice is directed to the starter .... perfectly normal and expected.

If the lights do not dim when trying to start, this is not normal and not expected .... there is a connection issue.

 

@sniper I'm not teaching you anything here 🤣

5 hours ago, BobDeSoto said:

Battery seems fine - I tried the headlights

I tried the headlights says nothing .... what happened when you tried to crank engine with headlights on?

[Sniper]

31 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

tried the headlights says nothing .... what happened when you tried to crank engine with headlights on?

That's the comment I was responding to. Although sometimes your battery is bad enough that just turning on the headlights is enough to make it fail. That happened with my mother-in-law's Kia. Put my meter on the battery it read about 12.7 volts had to turn on the headlights and it dropped the two and a half told her her battery was bad

[BobDeSoto]

Thanks all

[greg g]

Did you solve this?  I chased a gremlin with my last new battery.  It was fresh carried specified amps under load test.  Put it in, worked great but had intermittent glitches.  Found that even though the negative clamp was fully tightened, it was not fully clamped to the post.  A bit of fiddly triming of the clamp with a mat knife solved the issue. You also might give your solenoid a couple three whacks with the handle end of a long screw driver to wake up the inner components.  Is the solenoid properly grounded?  Have you got a jumper wire and probe?  These can be your friends in these situations.  Start by checking lf you getting power to the starter side when start circuit is engaged through the stock connections or jumper the small terminal to the battery to if the solenoid is passing current.  

 

Edited October 17 by greg g