| Journeyfrk | -- 07-27-2023 @ 5:50 AM |
|
Good morning from Cassville Missouri...home of Roaring River State Park! I recently found my "dream car" , a 1934 Ford Model 40 Sedan in Houston and had it shipped to me. The owner assured me that it was a running driving car his father had had restored in 1978. The car arrived Tuesday and I'm thrilled....except that it won't start. I put a new 6 volt battery in it and it barely cranks if at all. I let the battery charge overnight and this morning when I step on the starter it may have turned it an inch. (yesterday morning I actually got it started, drove it down the road and back but then it wouldn't start again). It has fuel to the carb so it's not that. My mechanic told me not to buy this old stuff so he's no help....I did notice a trickle of smoke coming from the box the starter rod connects to? ANY HELP APPRECIATED!! Steve
|
|
| JayChicago | -- 07-27-2023 @ 9:43 AM |
|
Welcome! You bought a beautiful car. Don't get discouraged, most of us found bugs to be worked out after we got our old cars. My first suggestion is to join your local V8 Club chapter, where you can probably get a recommendation on a local mechanic who does like working on these cars. Your obvious problem is the starter motor is not cranking the engine. Bad starter? Or poor electrical feed to the starter? Smoke from the start switch under the floor is a clue, so I would start there. I would want to clean the contacts within the switch, and the cable connections at the switch. All 6 volt cars need clean and tight electrical connections. I have never worked on a floor switch, so will let others talk about that. However, the switch may not be the culprit; the little smoke you saw could just be the result of too much current running thru the switch due to a problem elsewhere.
|
|
| trjford8 | -- 07-28-2023 @ 8:27 AM |
|
In addition check all the grounds. Grounding is critical in the 6 volt system. Make sure they are clean and tight. If your car has the braided ground cable and you notice any corrosion or it looks old put on a new ground cable. If the car came from Houston then most likely due to the moisture in the air in that location, you will find some corrosion to all the cables. This message was edited by trjford8 on 7-28-23 @ 8:30 AM
|
|
| JayChicago | -- 07-28-2023 @ 9:16 AM |
|
Agree that grounds are important. They are the usual suspects, cuz a poor ground resists the needed current flow. But the telling symptom in this particular case is smoke at the switch, indicating high heat there, which couldn't occur without current flow thru the switch.
|
|
| kubes40 | -- 07-28-2023 @ 4:45 PM |
|
If you find it necessary to replace the starter switch, seek out a NOS switch. The reproductions are trash. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
|
|
| EFV-8 Club Forum : | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum |
| Topic: | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=18&Topic=16574 |