• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Cranky but not cranking

Share this page

Trying adding a car jumper booster and try to start. Sometimes the rebuilt motors have a little more compression and need a boost for ignition and starter to get things going. Presquirt fuel in carbs. Even though it ran before. Oil should be good. Did you use a breakin oil and change after starting. Just trying to figure if the bearings dried up after last run.
 
What weight of oil?
 
Larry - see his first post. He's replaced battery and starter cables, replaced the battery, replaced the starter. He can get it to turn over once or twice, then it stops cranking.

To me that seems like a low-current flow, which is why I'm trying to get him to do a load test on the battery. Not sure if Steve realizes there's a difference between battery voltage and battery CCA.

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
the oil is 20 50 and the temp is..well we have lite snow today not that it stuck.
an electrition buddy of mine said my connections wear too loose but that because ive been swappign out the componetes. but that was very much not the case as i started attacking this problem.
where can i put a second ground strap.
 
Steve - have you done the battery load test?
 
no i dont have the equipment.
i will ask my electrion buddy if he has one.
 
You can put a ground strap from transmission bolt at bellhousing to frame, body, anywhere close, but don't think this will be problem Automechanic will have a battery load tester. Voltmeter might work while starting, but seems your CCA is low. Don't do a CCA of less than 600 as stated on battery and you need crank amp hours too.
 
With everything reported so far, we can be pretty sure it is a low current problem. That load test is essential. Like suggested it will tell you something. Start with the headlights then turn on as much electrical stuff as you can. If the lights dim a lot then you don't have enough current flow, regardless of the voltage. Lights should normally dim some when you try the starter because it uses so much.
 
Bayless said:
With everything reported so far, we can be pretty sure it is a low current problem. That load test is essential. Like suggested it will tell you something. Start with the headlights then turn on as much electrical stuff as you can. If the lights dim a lot then you don't have enough current flow, regardless of the voltage. Lights should normally dim some when you try the starter because it uses so much.
Click to expand...

Thank you! :iagree:
 
well its cranking finally.
I cleaned up the mateing surfaces between the starter and the body.
thanks for all the advice.
 
Sopwith_Camel said:
well its cranking finally.
I cleaned up the mateing surfaces between the starter and the body.
thanks for all the advice.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on the victory. Du er sĂĄ flink!

Happy driving.
Tom M.
 
Glad to hear you exorcized the gremlins. Now happy motoring.
 
yep started right up today.
the 17th of May is the constitute day here in norway so the town paid my car club to drive through the neighborhoods so every one could social distance
i was behind a Mercedes 450 sl with a Volvo berton 6 behind me. we were lead by the clubs 1916 Mercedes fire engine.

my speedo gauge broke..... its allways something.
 
Back
Top