Hello friends, I am having some difficulty figuring this out. I have a 1955 f-100 with a 302 ci engine in it. I start and idle fine, but after 1 or 2 blocks driving she dies. When I turn the key, I hear a whining sound, with no start. Then after a few minutes, she starts fine. I was told this could be my starter solenoid. I have the original solenoid on the truck, and it is from the 6volt system that was in the truck. I am running 12 volts now, could this be the problem? Also when I test the voltage coming from my alternator, I'm reading 12 volts even. Should be more right? How can I get more? Its a brand new alternator. Thanks for all the help, we are almost road worthy.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 12-Jan-02 AT 07:15 PM (EST)]If the whining sound is the starter motor turning, but not turning the engine, then it's probably the starter bendix. It has a one-way bearing in it that can go bad, and it will engage when it wants to. I have also had this problem in very cold weather. It was because the end of the starter had thick grease on it and it would get stiff and not let the starter slide out into the flywheel. The problem going away in warm weather would indicate this. Lastly, it could be a tooth problem on the flywheel, but we don't want to think about this, and you probably would have noticed this when you put it together anyway.

Yes, you should read a higher voltage with the truck running, than with it off. If this wiring is custom, make sure the regulator is wired correctly. There are two ways to wire it, depending on if you have an idiot light or a amp guage.

 

I have an amp guage, but it seems to run strangely. When I got the truck the wiring was absolutely FRIED! I have re-wired it myself, and this is my first project EVER. Everything in the truck was stock except for the engine. My amp guage reads fine when the lights are on, but drops when they are off. This is another can of worms however. The starter in the truck is new, and free of grease, so I dont think this is the problem. It sounds as if power is getting to the solenoid, but making a whining sound instead of letting power through. It is definitely electricity making the noise, not a gear spinning. Any suggestions?

 

OK, it sounds like you may have more than one problem. First, you need to eliminate the starter solenoid from the equation. Jump the current around the solenoid so it (the solenoid)is no longer having any effect. As soon as you do this, the starter should immediately engage, right? Of course, be sure the truck is out of gear and you have no friends or body parts in dangerous positions. If the problem still happens, then logic tells you it was NOT the solenoid causing it, right? And if the problem has now gone, then it was the culprit. Now, lets deal with the problem of your engine dying after it has run for a few minutes and warmed up. This simply screams possible vacuum leak to me. Why? Because when your engine is cold, or has been turned off for a few minutes (usually 5 to ten), the bimetal coil in the automatic choke element will allow the choke to go back on, and provide you with a very rich mixture for a few minutes until the engine heat makes the choke open again.The question you should be asking here, is: why does your engine require the choke to be on in order to run at all? The answer is: a vacuum leak lets too much air to enter your engine somewhere and throw the mixture off so the incorrect mixture is way too lean to run. The next time your engine dies, manually choke it off while having someone start it. If it starts and runs OK until you remove your hands or whatever you were blocking the carb's throat with, then you have found your dying problem. Look for carb hoses hooked up wrong, or cracked and sucking air, or loose or left hanging off. Also look for a possible leak in your vacuum advance diaphragm (if so equipped).A leaky power brake booster diaphragm would also do this. OR a leaky carburetor base gasket. Or your mixture misadjusted. An easy way to know if you have a vacuum leak is to slowly dribble a little gasoline or spray WD40 down the carb's throat while the choke is beginning to come off. If it runs smoother while you do this, and rough when you do not, then that is the problem.

 

Cool, I will check these things. I can let the truck idle for an hour without dying, but after driving a block or so down the street, she dies completely, then no start for about 5 minutes.There has always been problems with staying running after putting it in gear. hehe, I also blew the rear main seal on this first trip around the block. She has been sitting forever. NIGHTMARE!

 

Sounds like the fuel pump to me. Check your feul pressure and volume.Not enough of either is no good and needs replacing. Throw a new starter in it while your at it. this will give you a truck that starts and runs like it's supposed to.

 

Yep, if it has been sitting for awhile, the fuel system needs to be looked at. A fuel pump and a carb rebuild is probably going to be mandatory and to prevent aggravating problems from cropping up later, it's nice to pull the fuel tank and clean it out. The fuel they sell now is lousy. Just sitting for a few months can ruin things.

 

The problem is that once she dies, I cant even tun it over. I hear a whining sound with no starter engagement at all. After 5 minutes or so, she turns over and starts right up. I'm baffled.

 

Do what 54guy said, and when it won't turn over, take a jumper cable and jump across the large terminals on the solenoid and see if it will turn over then.

 

I don't have the answer, but maybe some of these questions will help you figure it out. It sounds like you have two probelms, but they could be related. One is why does it die, and the other is why doesn't it restart. The engine will die if it loses spark or fuel and you need to find out which. When it dies, does it lose power until it stops or does it just stop? Losing power would indicate a fuel problem such as a low fuel bowl level, plugged fuel system or weak fuel pump. Just stopping as if you switched it off would indicate an electrical problem such as a loose wire, bad coil or something else that comes into play when the truck is in motion. Test to be sure it isn't the brake lights or turn signals. Also check to make sure it isn't the horn wiring within the steering column. A poor fuel/air ratio could cause the engine to die when putting it under load, but it sounds like it dies when under somewhat constant load. I've heard of something floating around in the fuel tank and plugging against the outlet tube and causing the engine to die. Worth a check, at least. My guess is that it is getting enough fuel to idle, but when you load it up the float bowl goes empty and it dies due to lack of fuel. Could be fule pump, fuel filter or pluggage somewhere.

The restarting sounds like a thermal problem if it restarts in 5 minutes. BUT, why then will it idle indefinately? Good question! What if you idle and let it get hot and then turn it off. Will it restart? If so, it just about has to be something that can move around when the truck is in motion. Check for chafed wires and loose connections. You say the whining is electrical and not a gear sound. Could it be the starter spinning but engaging the flywheel? Electric fuel pump? If not, what is it? Get a buddy with good hearing under the hood.

Good luck!

Johann

 

I agree that it could be two separate problems. But I have found that supposedly "fuel starved " engines usually have a vacuum leak problem, and not a fuel delivery problem. OK, to see if it is fuel delivery, put a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel line and see what pressure you are getting. How does that compare with what the fuel pressure is supposed to be? But don't stop there, you also need to measure fuel VOLUME. Find out what the fuel volume is supposed to be, and mesure the amount of fuel your fuel pump will pump out into a measuring container of some kind, while measuring how long it takes it to pump this volume of fuel.
BUT - here is why I go back to vacuum leaks - because a vacuum leak almost always looks like a fuel delivery problem! Why? because, basically, too much air getting ito your engine has the VERY SAME effect as too little gas. Think about it: your engine will only run right with the correct fuel/air mixture, right? Too much air is the same as too little fuel. I can't begin to count the times I have seen folks chasing down a "fuel delivery" problem, with a big fat vacuum leak staring them in the face, which they were ignoring. This includes most mechanics, too, unfortunately. For a really good carburetor troubleshooting site, go to www.recarbco.com and check out their carburetor troubleshooting pages. You can always email them and tell them what is happening with your truck and ask if it sounds like the carburetor, and if so, what might be going wrong with it. They will usually respond the same day.

Oh - the starting problem? Could be as simple as a bad battery cable or solenoid cable to the starter. In good enough condition to allow you to start it, but heats up quickly, causing it's electrical resistance to go waaay up, making the truck unable to start until the cable has cooled down some and the resistance value in the cable gets low enough to allow current flow again. That can drive you nuts, because it is so simple, you should have thought of it in the first place. When the problem occurs, keep feeling your wires to see if any are getting too hot, showing that the wire is not properly conducting the electriciy you need it to.
-G.B.

 

first thing i would do is get rid of the 6 volt solenoid. put a 12 volt on it. run a wire from the extra terminal on the solenoid to the + terminal on the coil this will give the coil 12 volts for starting. You should have another wire going to the ballast resister and the coil from the ignition switch.
I would also take a look at the charging system, sounds like it isn't working. You may have enough juce to spin the starter but not enough to spin it fast enough to force the starter drive in.

 

I think I found the culprit. I have a wire going from one of the screws on my voltage regulator to by block. The wire loosened, and I had the same problem- no start. I tightened the screw down and she started right up. I also noticed that when I was turning the engine over for a while with no start, that the wire got so hot it melted the plastic covering. There must be a problem with this wire. Could someone show me a diagram of the PROPER way to wire my alternator/voltage regulator. I also have constant power to my disconnected horn. The hot wire and the ground are just hanging in my engine compartment, just waiting for a bump to make sparks shoot everywhere. When I engage the horn wire, and ground it. My voltmeter sits where it should, but regularly looks a bit low. This is my first project, and its a real doozie. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Oh yeah, It has been converted to a 12v system. 78 Merc Cougar 302ci.


Thanks again!

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/User_files/3ada21e51c40261d.jpg