I tried getting my '51 Panel to run after it's been sitting for a long time. Recently, I've tried jumping it with 12v and it caused the starter drive gear to break. I've taken the starter out and replaced the broken drive. I've installed a new starter to ign solenoid cable and a bought a new HD battery, 950 cold cranking amps.

Yesterday, I tried starting the truck again and it just spins slow. When I put the starter cable directly to the battery, it spun faster, but still not fast enough to start the engine. The solenoid and the battery cable get real hot.

I'm thinking that my starter solenoid is bad. What else could be the problem?

Ilya

 

Bad ground, especially between engine and frame? Try connecting the ground jumper directly to clean metal on the engine rather than to the battery. (remember 6V trucks were + ground) Could also be a short in the starter windings.

 

The battery is grounded directly to the engine. It looks clean, but I'll re-clean it again. Should the engine be grounded to the frame?

When you say a short in the "starter windings", do you mean the interior magnets or components? The starter fell apart on me when I was changing the starter gear. I re-assembled it, however.

Should I just have the starter rebuilt?

Thanks, Ilya

 

How long is "long time" Years? Has the engine ever run for you, or even turned over fast enough with the starter?

If it has been long enough the internal parts of the engine could be sticking and causing a drag on the starter. Is everything oiled up good?

 

You could take the spark plugs out and try turning the engine over with a wrench to see if the engine is turning freely. If it is, then try turning it over with the starter with the plugs out. The starter drive gear may be too tight which would put a load on the starter. You could also take the starter back out and apply battery power to it on the ground (hold it down with your foot) to see if the starter turns over freely. The shaft may have bent when you put 12V to it, or it may have a bad brearing. If everything on the starter checks out, then I'd check to see if somehow the ignition timing became too far advanced.
I have also seen where the clutch froze from sitting and wouldn't release. Yes, the engine should have a ground strap to the frame.

 

On these older truck specially 6V I always groung engine to frame, frame to body, body to engine. make sure the grounsd are clean and tight. Also check the battery cables, if they are old corrosion can build up inside the cable.

 

You could be experiencing two problems at once because of sitting too long.

First, make sure all of your electrical connections are good. Six volt systems are very finicky, they must be good and clean.

Second, this has happened to me after I had an engine sitting a long time, well not that long, only about a year inside a dry warm building, the points got corroded and stuck together or a film developed on them. I separated them and ran a little emery cloth between the the contacts. The engine fired right up.

Many time the only way I could get an engine fired up after sitting for a time is to jump it with 12 volts. I was told that the piston rings tend to contract while sitting allowing poor compression. Once the engine is spun over fast enough the lost compression is over compensated for and the engine will kick over. After the engine has run a while the rings should expand and seal again. It usually works for me.

 

This truck has been sitting inside a garage for about a year. I was thinking that the points could be a problem. I've never dealt with points, so I'd appreciate any help on how to handle them. Couldn't I just replace the points?

I really don't want to try to jump start it again with 12v after what happened the first time, unless someone could tell me a good/safe way to do it.

Thanks, Ilya

 

Well if U broke the bendix.. there a good chance there rust on the cyl. walls.. If its a manual shift,,, U could have someone tow it while U pop the clutch..

 

I don't think that the problem is mechanical. I strongly believe that it's electrical. I should go over each connection and re-wire each one.

An old timer mechanic, my dad, will come over on Saturday and go over the truck with me.

However, any more help/suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Ilya

 

Ilya,

You could replace the points, it's a cheap part to replace. I would suggest you throw a tune up on the engine anyway after letting it sit. You will have to reset the gap. If you have to adjust the gap have someone bump the engine over (Make sure the tranny is in neutral) until the points are open, resting on one of the higher lobes of the distributor cam. There's a screw in the slotted hole in the point's base, loosen this screw and adjust the points using a feeler guage until the points are just open about .036, I think, check the service manual to make sure.

I would first check to see if they are dirty or stuck together. Pop the distributor cap off, remove the rotor. Turn your ignition switch on and use a screw driver to spread the points apart a little. (Use a screw drive with a good rubber or plastic handle or you might get a little zap) If you get a spark between the contact surfaces of the points you might have clean surfaces but it not a sure test, you may have just broke the surface of the dirt that has formed but at least you know you have power going down to the points. I would still run a piece of emry cloth between both surfaces to clean them. Put it all back together. If it starts after this I would replace the points.

 

Ilya,

Did you break the drive or just the spring? I have broke the spring when I have repeatly kicked in the starter. I guess I must have just overworked it. BTW, I like how the starter falls apart when you take it out. That drives me nuts. I try my best to hold it all together when I take them out and then screw on a nut on each bolt to keep the starter together while I have it out.

 

I broke the spring. No supplier sells the spring only. I bought a remanufactured spring/driver assembly from a local generator/starter shop for $25. Not a bad deal when everyone else is charging twice as much.

I don't like the starter when it falls apart either. It's not easy to put back together.

Ilya

 

I hope you got your starting problem fixed. This sounds soooo familar to what my 52 did. Yes a 6volt, I ended up putting an extra thick cable from the motor to raw metal on the frame and that helped alot. I also used a disconnect so if truck sat "awhile" I might hang on to charge better. It seems to me that Earl had some really good knowledge on this in posts about a month ago.

Good Luck

 

There's a somewhat easy way to reassemble the starter. My dad showed me twenty some years ago how to do it. He was a master at rebuilding generators and starters, that was his main line of business. You have to first pull out the "S" springs that hold the brushes in and hook them on the outside of the starter housing and pull the brushes out and let them dangle. Insert the amature, make sure everything is lined up and spinning freely. Then insert the brushes and then the springs. It's best if you use some kind of hook, my dad use to use shoe button hooks, now that's old, you don't see them around.