I just bought a 53 F100 with the original flathead V-8 and it still has the 6 volt system in it. It is turning over very slowly and will not start? It has a new battery and starter on it? Any suggestions? Thanks
Could be at least 150 different things. Poor connection somewhere. Battery cables not heavy enough for 6 volt Or you got a crappy battery. Happens often. That's where I'd start. Now go back and read the rules and make an introduction before someone makes a big deal out of it.
kcode, we don't have a clue what you know about cars, so it's difficult to give appropriate advice. If this was a 12 volt car, would you be asking these same questions? There are important differences, but the point is that we can spend quite some time here teaching you about basic auto electrics. Is this necessary?
clean and wire brush every connection in the battery cable system. Both sides... negative and positive. Engine to body etc. etc. I had a woody that didn't want to crank. I noticed a spark at the solenoid. The cable looked good when visually inspected but was loose. Dirty connections are the biggest problems with 6V systems. Maintenance was a normal thing when these cars were daily drivers. Tune ups were every 10K which included cleaning the Battery terminals. Even if the connections are not the problem it is good maintenance and doesn't cost anything. I got lucky and had a friend turn it over while my head was under the hood. It looked tight.
Not just "included" but a battery & charging system service is listed as the FIRST step in any tuneup. Read any Motor's manual.
If this is your first flathead, be aware they don't spin over like a modern car no matter what -- and they don't need to. A good one will be running after turning 1/2 revolution.
True as true can be. With the favorable crank arm and modest compression available, only one cyl has to fire to kick it off. IF, everything is right. Or nearly right. Also once you get it running, these engines can propel a car under situations of mis-adjustment and damage that would kill a modern engine. DOA
Well I looked for the introduce yourself section, but don't see it. When I can find it, I will write up some info on me. I don't know anything about 6 volt engines. I do know some about 12 volt engines. I have cleaned and bought one new battery cable. It looks like the battery is putting out 6 volt? The starter is new. The battery is new. It runs like a champ when running. This is the first time I have had an issue with it not starting? Can I try to recharge the battery with a normal 12 volt charger? Can I connect a 12 volt battery in some why that won't mess anything up? Don't be too hard on me, I am learning as I go.
Some things to know about 6V The battery cables need to be twice as big as 12V. If someone put the wrong size cables on, it will turn over slow and the cable heat up. All connections must be clean and tight. Take apart and clean with steel wool or sandpaper, put a little grease on when you put them together so they don't corrode again Engine must ground to the frame. Or, the battery must ground to the engine. If the battery ground goes to the frame make sure the engine block is grounded to the frame as well. You can start a 6V car on 12V but, disconnect the 6V battery first and be sure all the lights, radio, etc are turned off. Do not grind and grind the starter, if it does not start in 10 or 15 seconds give it a rest, you can burn out the starter. The engine will turn over about half the speed on 6V as you are used to with a 12V car, this is normal, the engine will start right up if everything is as it should be. 12V will not fix a worn out motor.
Thanks for the info. One other question. The positive goes to the frame and the negative goes to the starter motor. If I hood up a 12 volt to try to turn it over faster, do I put positive to positive and neg to neg? I will check the ground for the engine when I go back out. I do know the battery is ground to the frame. Thanks
LOL like I said, I don't know anything about these. I was surprised to see the positive hooked up to the frame! Just making sure
That ground to the frame really sucks. I think that is 99% of your problem. Also, are those 6 volt cables or 12 volt cables ? The 6 volts ones are twice as thick. The cable that runs to the starter doesn't look too swift either.........especially where it enters the clamp on the post. Don
Yes your truck is positive ground, that is correct. If you want to try 12V you could take out your battery and put in a 12V, or at least, disconnect the ground on the 6V, connect the 12V - to the 6v- battery post, and the 12V+ to the frame or ground cable. Your battery cables should be at least #2 size, preferably #1 or 0. If it starts on 12V do not run it for more than 10 minutes, you could overheat the coil.
Make sure the engine is grounded to the frame too. NAPA stores have large braided flat cable with two flat ends...Connect one to the frame (same bolt as the ground cable) and the other to one of the bell housing bolts. (bell housing bolts are 7/16" shank diameter, so you may have to drill or ream that end of the ground cable) If you have a volt meter, clip the negative clip on the - battery post, and touch the positive to the + post. Should get 6 volt reading. Hit the starter button for 3 seconds, watching the volt meter. Record the reading. Now put the + lead on the ground cable, at its attachment to the frame. Crank engine for 3 seconds. Still the same reading? O.K., now hold the lead on the frame next to the attached cable, scrape the frame first for good contact. Now hit the starter button. If reading is lower at any point, the resistance is from dirty or corroded cables. (look under the ends of the wrapping for pretty blue or green color) If decidedly lower reading is not found, attach lead to starter case. (scrape black paint for good connection) If satisfactory, attach lead to starter (ground) and move battery test lead (-) from battery post to post on starter. Crank again, if low voltage go upstream on large cable to solenoid, check all connections. (all 5/16" post connections MUST have lock washers. Split type) Likely you will find resistance. But an engine to frame ground is perfunctory. (necessary, critical)
I will check on the thickness of the wires for the ground and starter. It looks like the ground from the engine goes to the body of the truck, should I put a new ground down to the frame? Also, if checking with the 12v battery, do I hook it up positive to positive or like it is with the current 6v battery in it? Thanks
See post #15 Do not try to charge the battery with a 12 volt charger, you can get a 6/12 charger easy enough. I suppose you could use a big resistor or zener diode but easier to get the right charger. It does not have to be a big one, a small charger takes longer but is easier on the battery. Leave it on overnight.
OK thanks, that's why I asked. I have taken off all the cables and I'm leaving to go get new ones. I will wire brush everything down to get a good ground. Thanks for the help and I will give an update in a bit!
Well I changed over all the cables and well just as things work out, the battery is low now lol I stopped by and picked up my friends 6v charger and put it on. I will let it charge overnight and see what happens in the morning.
I ran 6 volt for a few years on my 48. One of the first things I did was switch it to negative ground. It helped ease some of the confusion associated with positive ground. There's a few threads here on how to do it. Very easy. I finally switched over to 12v this winter. The 6v is cool at first, but it gets pretty old after a while.
Thanks for all the advice on getting the engine going. I changed out about $50 in cables and recharged the battery and it fired right up this morning........then I turned it off and then flooded it lol STILL Thanks, it's up and running!
Also, make sure you have a proper sized battery. When I blew up your picture, it looks like that is a Group 1. Most flathead Fords had Group 2 batteries which are larger. Years ago, when I needed a battery, I couldn't get a Group 2 battery, so I settled for a Group 1. The car started and ran fine except when it was hot. Chased all the usual gremlins, and changing to the proper battery solved the problem. It also looks like your battery is 640 CCA. The last time I looked at a group 2 at Fleet Farm, they were 775 CCA. Ford put the larger batteries in for a reason. A group 1 is fine for Plymouths, Chevrolets, and tractors, but not a V8.
Thanks for the info on the battery. It did turn over really slow after driving if for about an hour. I think that is really the main problem and with poor connections with the cables it made it worse.
I hope you got them from a reproduction Ford parts store. The auto parts store generic cables are too small for the 6 V amperage. Glad that you got it running again.
You can charge a 6 volt battery with a 12 volt charger IF you put a taillight in series between the charger and battery.. You can vary the charging current by using either 6 or 12 volt bulbs, as well as using either the brake or taillight filament, as well as different currents using . And many other current options with filaments in parallel or series, but I won't go into that.
I wouldn't even put a group 1 in my Volkswagen. As for the Plymouth, it's always had a group 2 and while that started it (usually) I've always wanted to convert it to 12v.
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