Hi Gang: My 51 Ford F-3 is making me pull my hair out. It has the original 6volt positive ground set up. I had the starter rebuilt after buying a new battery. I have cleaned all of the terminals. I have cleaned the ground cable attached to the frame. Turn the key, push the starter button and she only clicks. Is it time to replace the starter relay switch? What else could be giving me such grief?

 

hi

i just fixed the same problem no my 51. the idiot that had the truck before me had three different sizes of cables. a 4ga, 2/0ga and 1 ga. the six volt system can not push the amps a 12 volt system can, so you need big cables, so the low volts can push the high amps. i replaced all three cables, battery to solenoid, solenoid to starter, & ground to the bell housing bolt right above the starter with 2/0 ga. (about the size of your thumb). i also replaced the soleniod. you should be able to get all from napa. let me know if you think this is the problem.

 

Sounds like you have a bad ground.

 

The ground is a lead braided wire connected from the starter housing, located in the bell housing, to the frame. The frame is a little rust caked when it meets the cable, I will pull it and clean it up. The opposite connector is polished copper on the braided wire. Thanks

 

My cables always have been big enough to start before I rebuilt the starter. I will check the connections to the relay. they probably need cleaning. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

It would click like that on my electric hoist. It basically uses a starter on a pump to move the hydralic fluid. I used a booster cable on the motor and battery to get it to work.

 

Hi Brien,

A few months ago we had a thread on this topic, as another FTE member was also having starting problems. In that thread, I mentioned that I had to take my frame apart because of rust between the riveted frame joints. After discussing things, we realized that if you have your battery ground going to, say, a frame rail, and the engine ground going to, say, a cross member, you could end up with a bad ground at the riveted frame joint between the rail and cross member due to rust.

If memory serves, the recommendation from that thread was:

1. make sure that the battery and engine are both grounded to the same frame member

or

2. make sure that you connect the two frame members with a ground cable if the battery and engine are grounded to separate frame members.

This may not turn out to be the reason for your starting problems but it might be good to keep in the back of your mind.

 

If it makes one sharp click and no other sound, the problem is an open circuit in the high current cables between the soleniod and the starter. Coild be the solenoid is bad or the starter itself is bad. Check for voltage at the starter. Check solenoid wiring and starter wiring.

It it makes a sharp click and groans and tries to turn over, the problem is a bad connection between the soleniod and the starter.

If it clatters on and off, the problem is a poor connection between the battery and the solenoid. The solenoid is closing and the high resistance drops the voltage until the solenoid drops out and then it repeats.

Good luck, these problems can be a real pain. Be careful around that battery. They can explode and are full of acid. Wear safety glasses at all times.

Johann

 

Hi Brien,

to get a sure ground (i am assuming postive ground) run the cable from the battery to a bell housing bolt as near the starter as possible. then you can run a much smaller cable from that bolt to the frame. the starter is your biggest amp draw. if you take that high amp draw through the frame, i agree with earl, you may have a bad connection due to rust or dirt.

 

I remember some of that thread. My battery positive ground goes to the engine block. The braided metal ground from the starter @ the bell housing goes to the frame. All cleaned except for frame rust and corrosion. I cleaned it as much as possible. I suppose I could grind the rust off the frame there. It sounds as though I ought to find a different ground spot for the Battery or the starter. They are certainly not the same frame member.

 

I will check that solenoid. It just clicks once. It used to clatter before I had the starter rebuilt and cleaned up all of the grounds.
Now just the one click. I am suspicious of that solenoid. I may just replace it after I switch around the grounding as suggested by Earl.


Thanks for all of the help. I will report back my findings. Thanks again.

Brien