Starting Problem:

40ford

40ford

Well-known member
I have a 1940 with a 59AB engine.Most of the time it starts OK.Sometimes when I push the starter button I get nothing and sometimes I might just get a click or thud sound.I can release the button and keep pushing in until finally the car starts!I have about a two year old NAPA ST53 solenoid with the button on the bottom I am using now.Could it be bad or is there something else maybe wrong?
 
It could be a failure in the starter button. I have never taken one apart, but the contacts could be damaged resulting in sporadic connections.
 
Check the connection of the starter switch wire. Sometimes the bullet connector doesn't make firm contact with the spring connector on the switch. I inserted a small finishing nail parallel with the bullet connector to increase the spring tension.
 
If it works every time pushing the button on the solenoid then look to the small wire to the pushbutton in the car or the pushbutton itself, also too much paint on the dash board could interfere with the buttons grounding

Clean the battery terminals
look at the nuts and washers holding the ground strap, and the wires to solenoid and starter, replace any nuts and washers that look rusty

Crank engine for 15 secondswith ignition off, touch all the wires and connections between engine,battery and starter, any hot connections are high resistance and need cleaned, tightened or replaced
 
Pushing the button on the bottom of the solenoid proves it's not the starter and doubtfully the solenoid coil. Must problems as you describe are the starter button is not grounding to the dash. Squeeze the 2 clips on the back of the button and remove. Clean the OD of the button very good in the area of the clips and the dash it self where the button gets it's ground. While out you can touch a jumper lead from the starter button wire to ground and if the wire to the solenoid is good it will crank every time. G.M.
 
I struggled with the stock starter button for years that had the same problem as yours before replacing it with the NAPA Echlin STB10 button. It has two bullet connectors so that it can be wired to a good ground instead of relying on just the switch to ground itself to the dashboard.

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...ry-Push-Button-Switch/_/R-ECHSTB10_0431207350

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I had the same problem. I bought a new one and still had the problem. I then ran a wire from the spring grounds over the the kick panel and problem was resolved.
Not good enough ground is what caused mine. Try it with aligator clips to a ground wire first, before drilling any extra holes.
 
funrunr said:
I had the same problem. I bought a new one and still had the problem. I then ran a wire from the spring grounds over the the kick panel and problem was resolved.
Not good enough ground is what caused mine. Try it with aligator clips to a ground wire first, before drilling any extra holes.
Click to expand...


You have to scrape the paint and rust off the small notched holes in the dash where the spring clips on the starter button snap in. I always put a little electrical grease on the contact point of the clip and dash to stop rust and make better contact. These starter buttons in most cars have worked over 70 years. G.M.
 
Well it seems like I have another weird thing happening along with the starting problem.I noticed my temperature gauge was fluctuating.I have never seen this before.It would go from about midway to "H" and back like there is some type of ground problem?Anyone have any ideas?The car runs fine!
 
To check for bad ground, run a jumper from the back of the gauge or the instrument panel to a good ground and see if the problem persists.
 
Years ago my starter button literally fell apart. Was in a bind so I just pulled the wire down under the dash where I could reach it and installed a alligator clip on it. To start the car I would just turn on the ignition switch and touch the alligator clip to the steel kick panel. I did this for years and worked fine. which is why I didn't do anything about it for such a long time. LOL I must say...now I have a proper switch that I got from Carpenter I think. Sorry I couldn't help with your problem but that was my story. Randy
 
bill stocksdale said:
sounds like you could have a dead spot on the armater inside the starter
Click to expand...

Or worn out brushes on the starter. I had a similar problem with an old starter for a while. When it wouldn't turn over I had to reach under the car and give it a couple of whacks with a hammer to get the brushes to touch and go. Might try that next time. If that gets it going you know you need to work the starter over.
 
Just an update on my problem.I cleaned both the battery cables and posts.I also put a charge on the battery.So far I have had no repeat on the starting problem.I am trying to pin point the problem,so I don't want to change a lot of things at once.I still think this was to easy of fix?
 
40ford, reading through your posts, I now see that you have an additional symptom which may be a clue to the whole problem. Your post #9 indicates an intermittant gauge problem. As your gauges and starter button all rely on grounding to the dashboard, and the dashboard is bolted to the dash, that ground connection may be the culprit.

Choose a convenient dash/dashboard fastening bolt, remove it and clean the bolt and hole to fresh steel, then use a star washer and electrical grease on replacement. This is basically what is needed sometimes when headlights lose ground due to poor fender grounding.
 
Here is another update.I still have the same starting problem!Installed a new solenoid to see if this helps.I thought I had a good one from NAPA already on,but I replaced with a new one.See if this solves the problem?
 
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