Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Chasing an old problem: Slow Cranking Flathead

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion << previous || next >>

Posted By Discussion Topic: Chasing an old problem: Slow Cranking Flathead -- page: 1 2     1934 Ford 02-21-2010 @ 9:12 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 I’ve had this problem and experienced improvement temporarily many times. Car starts best, but not great when cold and battery is freshly charged. When I restart it, it cranks real slow. Acts like a dead battery and barely wants to turn over. This happens both hot & cold. This has not cured the problem but temporarily helps: #1 New battery #2 New starter floor mounted starter switch #3 Cleaned 00 cable ends and terminals #4 Rebuilt Starter with new fields I hate the thought of going to 12 volts, but I would like it to turn over better and not act like it isn’t going to start. We do lots of touring and starting when hot cold or cool is important. But this problem doesn’t seem to be heat related. Any Suggestions??? deuce_roadster 02-21-2010 @ 9:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 Clean, check and tighten all grounds. Also remember "new" doesn't always equal "good". I chased a similar problem far longer then necessary because I assumed the new parts were good (I got a defective new battery). Test all parts, even the new ones. 39Fordfan 02-21-2010 @ 9:57 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 191 Joined: Oct 2009 I had a similar problem with my '39. Taking the cue I learned from the guys on this forum, I replaced the battery cables, with heavier gauge cables, and made sure to ground the system extra. When I got the car it had 4 gauge cables for 12 volt systems even though I have a 6 volt system. I got 00 cables and a 00 grounding braid from Little Dearborn. Though other vendors should stock them too. The 00 gauge battery grounding braid grounds to the engine block. I also added another grounding cable from the battery to the firewall. These came as a kit. There is also another cable that I believe went to the starter. I made sure to thoroughly clean and scuff up the contacts for the ground of any paint or other imperfections for the best contact. I also swabbed on some dialectic grease on all of the contacts. That was the end of any slow turning starter issues. ford38v8 02-21-2010 @ 10:12 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2758 Joined: Oct 2009 34Ford, Cleaning the old cables is not always productive, due to the internal corrosion from battery acid that you don't see. I was stopped dead cold once with no continuity at all, due to a braided cable that looked perfectly good. Another common cause of your problem is your generator and cutout. I assume that you keep your battery on charge between tours, so check the battery at the start of the tour, and again before you attempt to restart it. This will likely show that you aren't charging properly. Alan Pauls39 02-21-2010 @ 4:39 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 81 Joined: Oct 2009 I agree with the other posts. Check and re-check all the ground conections. Be sure the starter mounting surface, and the block, is free of paint and corrosion where they meet.You would be surprized how a little bit of paint can insulate a starter. Corrosion can hide inside the wire insulation or under terminal ends.New wires may be in order. Changing to 12 volts will just mask the problem. 37 Coupe 02-21-2010 @ 4:55 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 362 Joined: Oct 2009 Exactly where a lot of my slow starting problem occured,because of overdoing the paint job on the starter,after I cleaned paint off mounting surfaces sure helped or cured. Also I like the cables from John Brillman,check out www.brillman.com.Heavy cables . To see if it is a grounding problem,run a ground cable from positive post to somewhere on the engine block or a bellhousing bolt,bet it spins then. Restoration and our thinking everything needs heavy coats of paint is the problem 1934 Ford 02-21-2010 @ 5:24 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Progress Report: I crawled under the car and removed the main ground cable to the frame. I took my grinder and made the frame shine like new. No paint, no rust. Then I replaced the cable and the car started with a seemingly fresh starter speed. But it ran awful! Seemed like about 4 or 5 cylinders. @!#%*%! This distracted me from my starter problem. I thought, now what? Electrical? Ignition? Carburetor? Then with it running I discovered the fuel pump was blowing bubbles back into the gas filter, so I need to install another fuel pump before I get to my initial problem. Tomorrow! I was amazed at how rusty and nasty the frame got behind my ground cable in only 6 years. Those who suggested that the ground was the culprit, were right. Thanks. I guess I cleaned up the battery, switch, and starter connections and ignored the frame ground. It has something to do with not liking to roll around on the floor at age 64. The next garage will have a lift because I saw lots of other stuff under there that needs some attention too. I'll post again after I get the fuel pump on and can test it warm & hot & cold, but I'm encouraged. trjford8 02-21-2010 @ 6:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4214 Joined: Oct 2009 34Ford, it doesn't hurt to run extra grounds.One from the body to the frame and one from the engine to the body. Good grounds for your headlights and tailamps will also make them brighter. 51f1 02-22-2010 @ 9:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 "I hate the thought of going to 12 volts" I hope everybody that ever considers going to 12-volts reads this. Unless you are loading down your car with lots of modern accessories, 12-volts is not necessary. Fix the problems, and everything will be fine. Richard supereal 02-22-2010 @ 10:25 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 We always install a cable from the ground strap point on the engine or body, to one of the starter mounting bolts. A 12 volt cable with eyelets on each end is OK. An Optima battery is also great for old cars, as it supplies over 800 cold cranking amps, and eliminates the acid corrosion of cables, terminals, and battery boxes. Lightly or seldom used conventional lead-acid batteries develop sulfation and high internal resistance from long periods between charging, resulting in loss (voltage drop) under high loads, such as starting.

<< previous || next >>

PAGE: 1 2

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

EFV-8 Club Forum Home | Back to Home Page | Contact the Webmaster

Copyright © 2009 - EFV-8.org
Powered by < CF FORUM > v.2.1