6 volt

3

32BBflathead

Junior Member
It's not a ford or a vehicle so feel free to delete this if it is not permitted for any reason. I've got a farmall c I'm trying to get running, it's still a 6 volt system. The battery seems to be going down exceptionally quickly when cranking. The battery will still show 6 volts but wont even be able to turn the engine once. Even when it is still turning it fast it doesn't do a good job, it won't spin consistently. The reason I'm posting this is I believe it might have to do with the 6 volt system, is it finicky or anything in particular? The battery is an older so I think it may be that I just don't understand why it's going down so fast and still showing 6 volts, even with the charger hooked up. The tractor has a magneto.
 
32BB
Check for spark to plugs.
You should be able to start it with the hand crank if every thing is working.
Bruce
 
Have you check the voltage as you are cranking the engine? You need
to load test the battery.

Bob
 
Check battery cable size, remember the further the battery is from the starter the heavier the cable needs to be. That's because a 6 volt system is twice as many Amps as a 12 volt system. Check your grounds. Try feeling how hot the cables get when your cranking it, if they are hot to the touch they are too small. If you are recharging your battery try putting some Epsom salt In the cells before you start charging the battery, that will help clean the plates for better charge. If you have a hydrometer check the cells in you battery or take it to a shop and have them check each cell in the battery. If all that is good I'd look to the starter.
 
After cleaning and checking to make sure that all ground connections are good, make sure that the pos. and the ground cables are the correct size. they may have been replaced with 12 volt cables. 12 volt battery cables are only have the diameter of good 6 volt cables, if that. you say that the battery is "older" but reads 6 volts. It may read 6 volts, but not carry a load. ( amperage ) turn the ign. sw. on then the headlamps if equipped and try to start if the lights go dim and eng. does not turn over, or turns very slow, it is most likely that your battery is bad. if you have a walmart or another shop that sells batteries near by take it to them and have it load tested. they usually will do it for free. I just recently had a Battery in my wife's corvette go bad, has been on a batt. maintainer for a year, read 12 volts and indicated a full charge, but would not carry a load. ---- replaced Batt all good.---Jim
 
Check your amperage draw on your starter too. I just had this same problem on a diesel tractor and my starter was drawing way to many amps......MARK
 
I appreciate the replies, turns out the battery is older than I thought it was(4-5 years), so I'll bite the bullet and by a new one, it's not my battery anyways. The starter is brand new, I had to get one since the people who had it before the guy I bought it from had a 12V on it and destroyed it. There is spark to the plugs I have tested them and had the magneto checked out. It does have 12V sized cables so I'll get some new ones, the thing is that they are the same size as the ones on my '34 truck. I do not have a hand crank but would like to have one, are they generic or specific to the engines? Again I appreciate it.
 
You need at least "00" cables but preferably "0". if you can't find big enough cable try a welding supply shop, the have large diameter cables any you can buy the ends you need and have them swaged on the cable.
 
All of the above and also do a drop test on the cables and relay, leave the cables attached as normally connected. Take a suitable test light and connect to the starter cable stud and from the starter relay stud (parallel to cables) with fully charged battery after connecting test light to the studs crank the engine and see if the light comes on , if so you have a voltage drop in that circuit, then next connect from the battery to the starter relay, same procedure if the light comes on there is a voltage drop in the circuit, correct as described above , such as cleaning the connections etc., repeat after repair as described to make sure bad connections are eliminated, if the problem persists you may have a faulty cable or too small of cable as described above. electricity as we know will follow the least resistive path. I have found Battery cable clamps to have corrosion internally under the insulation not visible to the eye, or battery post to cable clamps to look good but not be clean enough for full contact.
 
If the C has a starter switch like a cub, it should be taken apart and the copper contacts filed till they are clean.
 
If you have a voltmeter, connect one lead to each end of the cable, set it at six volts,and observe the reading when you try the starter. The meter reading is how much loss there is in that length of cable. This is also a good way to check any circuit. As to the battery, ordinary lead-acid batteries usually won't last more than 1-2 years before they fade. That is why we use only Optima batteries. They have 800 "cold cranking" amps that will start most anything, particularly in the dead of winter. I just replaced an Optima that is 7 years old. It would still run the starter, but I need the tractor when the snow comes, when you really need all the starting power you can get.
 
I got it running, it needed the larger "00" cable, later I'll pick up a new battery and a "0" for the ground side. I appreciate all the help would have been frustrated more if I hadn't asked.
 
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