Hello friends! I have not posted in a while, as I took a long hiatus, mainly because I didn’t have an old car. The format here has really changed, and I am going to have to adapt. Moderators, please move this post if it is not in the correct forum. I recently purchased a ‘53 Ford Crestline, and I am experiencing some starting problems. I am not an automobile mechanic, but I am an old car owner from way back. So I understand some of the lingo. The car has a 239 flatty, and the original 6 volt system. It is all original except for the power brakes, and an electrical fuel pump. I have a trickle charger on her. It’s been about 50 degrees here when I go to fire her up. She usually starts on the first try. But, I have taken it out to places, shut it off, and then tried to restart it, and most of the time, I have trouble, even though it should be fully charged. Now when I take it somewhere, I’m afraid to turn it off, for fear of getting stranded. Is something draining the battery? Am I not accustomed to starting an old car? Is it getting too much gas? I took it to my mechanic a couple days after I purchased it. He said that the battery tested fine. Could it be a bad starter? I am clueless, and I am paranoid to drive it too far, or shut it off, when I reach my destination. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Ways I used to keep from getting stranded with a creaky old 6v vehicle: Always had an electric fuel pump plumbed in there, (or in the trunk). Always had some kind of bottle with gas in it to slop down its throat. Always brought along a 12v battery and jumper cables. That's how my 48 Stude truck always made it to the landfill and back in the hot summer.
How does it struggle to start? Does it turn over at all? Does it turn over more slowly than usual? Or does it turn over at normal speed and not fire? Or does it turn over at normal speed and fire or pop but not run?
It seems to turn over at normal speed or slightly slower than normal. But, for some reason, it won’t fire.
Often over looked are the battery cables. Take it out for a drive and park at home. Try restarting it while it’s hot and feel the battery cables to see which one is getting hot. There’s your resistance and voltage drop. Battery and starter cables should be 00 gauge on these 6v systems. What may be happening is old cables are creating a voltage drop, and even if the starter is turning, there isn’t enough power to send to the coil on startup
Thanks for the heads up. In fact, I just noticed yesterday that one of the cables had electrical tape at about the halfway point. I just got the car on October 16th. I will take it for a spin shortly, and then follow your instructions.
I had it on the trickle charger all night. Went out to the garage, pulled the choke out halfway, pumped the gas pedal once, and she fired on the first try. Well, I took it for a ride for about 20 minutes, then came back to my garage and shut it off. I waited a couple of minutes, then tried restarting it 3 times, but it wouldn’t even try to start. But, I also noticed that the electric fuel pump was not working. The former owner had just had it replaced a couple days before I bought the car. I checked the battery cables and neither one was hot, although the positive cable was warm.
Best to tell us where you live. Not a cute tag line. Then maybe somebody on here could be close enough to give it a look see and point you in the right direction. There are only a few reasons you are having problems. But many combinations of those things that make it difficult to diagnose online
I'm going to try to clarify what is happening here. When you try to start it, you are turning the key. If the battery or the connections are not great, it could 'click' or turn over slower. On a 6V, this can be obviously slower or just a small change from the cold start speed. If there is a fuel problem, it will crank at the same speed, but not 'catch' or 'pop'. The same thing is true if the ignition is not firing. Since it cranks and starts well when cold, this is a symptom of heat, but all three things mentioned can be affected by heat. Older cars required more maintenance. The best thing to do is to perform standard procedures with an eye toward spotting anything wrong. Clean battery cables at both ends fully and tighten them. Check fuel pressure and ignition.
How old is the battery? If the car has been sitting a lot, even on a trickle charger, I'd invest in a new battery and make sure all cables and connections are up to snuff. I'd ditch the electric pump and go back to mechanical. A lot of the new electric fuel pumps are garbage. I drive a 6 volt car daily with a stock pump and it fires up in half of a revolution hot or cold. Just have to invest the time to make sure all systems are in good working order. Good luck.
Before throwing parts at it, you need to determine what the engine is missing causing not to start hot. Since you say it turns over normally, maybe a bit slower when it is hot, your problem isn't likely to be related to the starter or battery. When it doesn't start, you need to remove the air cleaner and open the throttle while looking down the carb throat. Manually open the throttle to wide open, if you do not see a squirt of fuel, your problem is fuel related. If you do see a squirt of fuel, you need to check for spark. Remove a plug wire and hold it about a 1/4 in from the cylinder head. Have someone crank the engine over, you should see a good spark. If you don't your problem is ignition related. You really need to determine if the problem is fuel or ignition related before doing anything.
You have to be able to accurately identify the symptoms to diagnose any machine. The fuel pump has nothing to do with an engine cranking different when hot. I wouldn't focus on ignition first, since it runs fine when hot, but it just doesn't start when hot. Unless there is a separate wire to provide full power to coil during cranking, that kinda leaves just the starter itself and main cables. -rick
I had the same issue when it was hot. After a few years I decided to install new spark plugs as I did not know the age of the existing plugs. It solved my problem when hot
I had a '53 pickup with the same problem. Turned out to be a bad coil. I think it would pay to find someone who could diagnose it for you first.
It sounds like the battery cables need to be replaced, no matter what. Start here and then see how it starts. As previously mentioned, 6-volt systems need MUCH heavier gauge cables than 12-volt systems. Basically, install the heaviest gauge cables that you can get, then see how it starts. Installing too small gauge battery cables in a 6-volt system is a common mistake.
Since it starts cold and runs fine and only doesn’t want to restart after sitting a few minutes, I’m guessing the fuel is evaporating out of the carb, try holding it wide open and see if it starts.
Next time you park it hot pull the air cleaner and see if it sprays fuel when you move the throttle, no fuel, check the pump and filter, make sure the fuel lines are away from direct heat. If there is fuel pull a plug and put the wire back on, set it where it will ground turn it over and see if you are getting spark, if not more than likely the coil or condenser is the problem.
Still cranks over when hot but maybe a tad slower. = battery is probably okay. Cables are working as they should but may be suspect as I would want to know what was the reason for that tape being on the cable. But it still spins good enough hot. Things that might cause a hot start issue; Coil failing. You can test the coil with an OHM meter. Suspect condenser = You might pick that up on a scope but most home garage tests aren't going to spot it. Carb percolating or leaking fuel out of the bowl into the intake flooding the engine right after you shut it off for a few minutes. I think I have a bit of that going on with the 300 ford six I have. It fires right up cold but sometimes doesn't want to start If I stop for a few minutes at the store and try to start it up again.
Try this method of starting a hot engine: https://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Troubleshooting.htm#Hardstarthot Jon
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