I'm looking for some help on my 54 chevy pickup. its the 235 with 6v system. Its all hooked up but just wont crank over fast enough to get going. It has spark, Fuel, compression but it seems as though the 6v isnt enough juice to get it going. Any tips?
Maybe that 6 volt battery of yours has seen better days. Maybe the battery cables are not large enough, or the connections are bad, or bad ground between the negative terminal and the starter motor, or a bad solenoid. These are just the obvious things to check. For a better answer, we really need more info. Like, did this problem just arise for no apparent reason? Or, have you recently changed something on the car?
I recently dropped in the 235/trans and am anxiously trying to get it going. Brand new 6v battery and clean terminals and cables look to be about 7 or 8 years old and in decent condition. The starter has the built in solenoid and its turning over but just not fast enough to get it going.
6V systems rely on current flow. You need thick cables from he battery to the starter and for the ground cable. Should be 1 gauge minimimum or 0 gauge if available. You also needs good grounds. If the grounds are compromised and teh cable are skinny 12 V style you starter isn't gettin g enough current. Also what is the condition of the starter. If its beginning to wear the bushings, the armature can drag against the filed coils slowint it down. My 6V doesn't turn fast but it does its job with no problem. Remember these cars weren't far removed from hand cranked engines. you shouldn't need a lot of starter speed to fire it off. What is your timeing set at? If it set to far advanced its fighting itself.
Are those cables for a 6 v car or a 12 v car? On a 6 v system you need twice the current (amps) to seliver the same amount of power. Hence the wire gauge needs to be lower (wire thicker). Is the engine newly rebuilt? If so there will be a lot of drag until it runs a bit to break in. If you are sure that the battery is OK and that the cables are adequate, then follow the electricity from the positive terminal to the solenoid to the starter, and then back thru the ground connections. I have seen cars with bad grounds where the engine was grounded thru the speedometer cable or throttle linkage. You'd hit the starter and those things would start smoking. Make sure that the solenoid contacts are good inside the unit. Also, that the internal starter conenctions are OK. You can do some testing to isolate the proble, For example, hook a jumper cable from the negative terminal to bare metal on the starter (in addition to the cables in place). DOes the engine crank over faster? If so, you are isolating the problem. If not, then try the same thing with the plus terminal. Jump from the positive terminal to the where the battery cable attaches to the solenoid (with your cables intact). See if there is any difference. What happens if you crank it with the ignition off? Maybe the timing is too far advanced. What happens if you crank it with the plugs out? These are the type of observations you need to make in order to hone in on the problem.
What is your timeing set at? If it set to far advanced its fighting itself Im not sure, Iv set it at tdc and timed it that way but Im not even getting combustion, but I do have a spark and fuel.
Thats for the tips plym49, I will be gathering all off the info I get here and try to get it solved. thanks for giving me a lot of work with.
Most 6v batteries available today (especially if it has to fit in the stock battery box) have such small capacity they are not capable of starting anything more than a tired Chevy 6. If you can find someone with a load tester, check it under cranking load. For a good one, try shopping the truck shops for a HD, or go with the Optima - about the same price. Heavy cables & clean grounds are a must. Setting the regulator to 7.8 - 8 volts will help, too. If the reg. is anything other than a Delco-Remy, I'd change it.
here is something the farmers used to do : get a 8 volt battery at napa so their tractors would start easier. my old yale forklift had one when i bought it and my 53' ford NAA did had one also. or change it to 12v system. my 54' burb is 12 volt and you change the bulbs,headlights and a voltage drop for the fuel gauge. i left the 6v starter and dropped in a HEI dizzy i modified and away we went. lots of info on www.stovebolt.com on the changeover.
A 12 volt conversion will only temporarily mask a problem if there is one. If your starter is dragging, yeah, it might start, for a short while. Find the problem and fix it. A properly set up 6 volt system is far superior to a patch job 12 volt system IMO. As far as that goes, you can jump your truck with a 12 volt just to see if it will start. Make sure that all the lights are off and that you don't use your brakes.
theres a lot of good info in this post , my 54 did the same thing not long ago and it was just a crappy battery..
I know a lot of guys running 6 volts in old GM trucks.2/0 welding cable for the battery cables,Otima 6 volt battery,statarter in good shape and they crank over pretty fast even with a solid GMC 302 6 cylinder.
One thing I agree with: that 6 volt Optima is the best 6 volt battery around. No need for 8 volt or 12 volt science projects. I recently replaced the old 6 volt battery in my 49 Plymouth. That battery lasted 10 years - I always stored it on a Battery Tender - but when it gave out, it gave out all at once. I replaced it with a 6 volt Optima from Summit. I have been using 12 volt Optimas (eiter red or yellow) in all my other vehicles for over ten years. This, however, was my first 6 volt Optima. I installed that Optima and cranked the motor over right out of the box. I am sure that the battery was not fully charged when it arrived. Yet the Optima spun the engine over faster than I had ever seen it spin before. I would not recommend an Optima at the expense of finding out what is wrong. But they are for sure the best 6 volt around (short of installing some monster 18-wheeler or bulldozer battery).
The Jalopy Journal
