so heres the background.. truck hadnt been started since about 1972 so im told. original 50 f1 truck w v8 flathead, kinda rough looking, but solid. dragged it back to ohio from texas a couple months ago. ive had the motor running a couple of times dumping fuel into the carb because the fuel pump was bad initially.. but its ran by jumping power to the starter and through the new ignition ****on i installed. new plug wires, new cap and rotor, points, starter relay, fuel pump, coil, voltage regulator, wiring has been 95% replaced, .. this is where i'm at. since all this has been done i have had it running briefly for testing purposes. ive got spark, timing is set, fuel is pumping and making it where it should... .. heres the problem. still 6v original, ive been trying to get the truck running and cannot at the moment. had battery tested and its good, but everytime i crank the truck now it cranks briefly then the battery gets run down in a matter of seconds. Feel like ive got all the components of a running vehicle, without a running vehicle... i need suggestions on what to dig into next.. i am trying to keep this one 100% original
The starter might be binding if it has the pressed steel plate that the starter bolts to, and if the small bracket on the front of the starter is missing, or unbolted. What happens is the plate steel gets bent a bit, if that bracket is off, then the starter is at a slight angle and binds. usually, it gets jambed, and won't restart later, without rocking the truck in gear, to unstick the gear.
I would check the battery. I had one doing the same thing a few years ago and I had to get a new battery.
Check what your generator is charging. 6 Volts should be around 6.8 to 7.2 volts if you connect a voltmeter to your battery while running. If it isn't charging try this.. POLARIZING A 2 BRUSH FORD GENERATOR: Disconnect the FIELD terminal wire at the regulator and momentarily touch this wire to the BAT terminal of the regulator. NEVER use a jumper wire to keep from disconnecting the fieldwire at the regulator it’ll ruin the regulator in a hurry. The field wire MUST be disconnected from the regulator.
battery does charge... or so says the auto parts store and my charger at home. i havent had it running long enough to have a charging issue yet, its just giving me fits about getting it running at all at the moment and draining tha battery in the process
A flathead in decent condition should fire up in about five seconds or less cranking time. If your battery won't do that it is probably down for the count. You might want to take the starter apart and clean the commutator and replace the brushes and bushings.
Id run an 8 volt battery in that thing if it was mine. Sure would take care of a world of issues especially if you end up throwing money at that 6 volt system.
Hi there 53, I generally like to stick with the simplest explanations first. Sort out the starting circuit. Is there a short? Are you sure? Bad grounds are the most common reason for failing electrical systems. The starter shouldn't run down the battery after a couple of tries cranking the engine. And the battery shouldnt need to be recharged by the generator that quickly either. Second source might be the battery, itself. Yes, you had it checked. But you never know. Let us know what you figure out, -Stefan
suppose ill play around with the starter tomorrow and see what im working with. i sware i think the battery is junk but im not paying for another one and they wont exchange it unless their tester says its bad
Is the battery from Tractor supply? I had one go south inside of a year. They replaced it. With a charged battery you should be able to spin that thing over for a couple of minutes. Mine acted like it was weak, jumped it on the charger and running it all checked fine.
If the motor hasn't run in a long time it might be tight. I had trouble getting a 51 flathead six to spin fast enough with 6v so switched the coil and used a 12v battery to get it running. Once I ran it a few times I went back to the 6V and it started it fine. That starter can take 12v fine.
I'm not so sure the 8V battery will cure all the loose, dirty, corroded connections and the frayed and split wiring, but you're right, it's probably easier than fixing anything.
Battery is from oreilys. Despite what they said it's gotta be bad it shouldn't run down that quick. I'm trading it in tomorrow and see how that works out. Timed it today, points are set, let me get it cranking fast with a new battery and that should solve my problem seeing as it ran last time I had it cranking fast on a good battery. All the wiring is new and checked to be correct
Just got a 53 Coe running after a 30yr nap. All of the wiring was falling apart a shorting out under the dash. 6v battery would not hold a charge Replaced harness with a rebel wire and converted to 12v. Work great now
The Jalopy Journal
