Starter help

You might try grounding to a bolt or stud on the engine in order to eliminate as many possible bad grounds as possible. How fast does the engine spin with no plugs? Some recommend jumping to 12V w/o plugs to work up oil pressure before trying to start.
 
I pulled the starter and cleaned the face where it connectes to the motor. I have cleaned all of the grounds and have metal on metal at every one.

I put the starter back on the engine connected everything back up and now nothing happens when I hit the solenoid switch. The pulleys used to move slightly when the starter was engaged.

Is the starter bad?
 
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It's good that you've cleaned all the grounds. But did you also clean all the hot connections like you said you were gonna do yesterday?

Jack E/NJ
 
I have not.

What is the best way to do that without creating sparks and welding leads together?

Would I use jumper cables from the battery, positive terminal to engine and neg terminal to hot lug on the starter?

I have the starter off of the motor right now and taken apart. Is there anything to look at, any tale tell signs, that it is bad or dragging?

The starter spins off of the motor and connected directly to the battery.
 
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I was having the same exact problem while trying to start my V-12. It would turn the engine over fine with no plugs, plugs in, wouldnt move. The clue was when I melted the clamps on a pair of jumper cables. I took everything off and cleaned all connections. I cleaned the area on the block where the postive ground wire went till it was shiny. Then I used the original part of the wiring harness from the battery to the solenoid, then from the solenoid to the starter. Engine turned over almost like the plugs were removed. 6 volt systems will never operate properly unless you are using the large cables as stated.
 
The solenoid/starter relay could be bad if internal connections are badly pitted. A person would have to engage the relay while checking across major terminals to see what resistance is there. If the armature in your starter is bad you will never see it without testing on a growler. If the field windings are bad you can find it by a resistance test but you will never see it. Bad bearings/bushings you can see and bad brushes you can see but thats all.
 
Brad--
You said yesterday that nothing happens now when you hit the solenoid switch. Does that mean you don't even hear clicking any more?

If you don't hear clicking when you hit the starter button, it could mean that the 2 heavy cables that are connected to the solenoid need to be reversed. Try this first before trying to bypass the solenoid and report back.

Jack E/NJ
 
Hey guys...

I think I must have had one of the brushes jammed up or something because I took the starter apart and put it back together and it is behaving the way it used to. Jumping but not turning over.

I have started looking at the battery cables and they are not 0 or 00 guage. I went to the hardware store and looked at some 0 guage wire and it is much bigger than my cable. I think I'll change the cables to 0 guage see if that fixes it. I'll let you guys know the result when I get it done.

I really appreciate everyone's input while I work through this.

Should I change all three ( pos battery,neg battery and solenoid to starter) or just the pos and neg battery cables?
 
I went and jumped the battery directly from the battery using jumper cables. I hear a click but it does not move the motor at all.

To my non-experienced mind, this seems to be a starter issue. I still plan on changing the cables but if I need a starter I want to go ahead and order it.

What do y'all think?
 
Straight,

I pulled the starter. Everything looked like it was in decent shape. Is the armature the copper at the end of the shaft that the brushes touch?

I did clean that part up. The brushes looked fine to me but that was the first time I have ever looked at the inside of a starter. :)

When I had the starter off of the engine, I connected the battery and the starter spun but I am not sure it had enough power to turn a motor.

Any tips you could share would be great!
 
When I check the starter on the bench,I put nuts on the ends of the thru-bolts to keep the end plates tite & to keep the end plates from turning slightly & possibly binding the bushings.While holding the starter with one hand put the - booster cable to the starter stud & touch + cable from 6 V battery to hsg.You should feel quite a torque reaction it should spin over quite fast.If you have to much side play in the bushings the armature could be dragging on the pole shoes.If it seems to work well on bench test,then problem is likely a poor ground or you have a corroded cable end. Some times there will be corrosion inside the terminal where it is fastened to the cable. Use proper size 6 V cable. .Ive made up my own cables by buying the proper terminals & heating them & adding soldering flux to cable & clamp,tin them with some solder then stick the cable into the terminal & fill it with solder. that will give the cable a perfect electrical connection.Never use those terminals that simply clamp on to the cable.About all they are good for is an emergency repair.I like to solder all wiring terminals to get a much better connection than simply crimping them.
 
Brad>>>I went and jumped the battery directly from the battery using jumper cables.>>>

Did you mean you jumped the 'starter' directly from the battery? That is, you bypassed the solenoid? I think most jumper cables are only 8 guage at best these days.

Jack E/NJ
 
Three things.

With plugs in and transmission in 3rd, push the car. Motor should turn over.

Rebuild, have it rebuilt, or buy a different starter. ( I've used jumper cables to jump a starter on a bench and in a car. Has always worked. Starter on bench will literally move around on a flat table. Read columbiA's post.)

Install new cables on clean connections.

*** did you say this was a good battery?
 
Atoms do not flow. Electrons flow. DC the flow is through the wire. If you are in the high RF range electrons flow on the surface.
 
Browsing another thread on the A area. Someone mentioned a 12 volt starter on 6 volts won't turn very well. Has this car been converted to 12 volts??? An early car doesn't have a solenoid. It wasn't till 37 that a solenoid was added (I believe it was 37, no solenoid in 36 anyway)

Just a thought.
 
It is a 6volt system.

The flathead is a '35.

My grandfather had the solenoid wired in when he passed away and when I picked up the car it was still wired up that way. He also had a 6volt battery in the battery holder and it still has the old generator. Don't people normally move to an alternator when they go with 12v?

Anyway.. I took my battery to get tested today just to make sure it was good and they said it was good but needed to be charged. Only showing 33% charge.

I got so caught up in cleaning connections and pulling things apart that I forgot to check the battery charge. I am going to charge the battery and try to get it to turn over. It may be that I fixed it and the battery was too dead to turn the motor. :)
 
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