[Flathead Fever]

Positive ground system.

1. Place your meter leads on the center posts of the battery (not the cable ends) and record the reading.

2. Same thing but with the engine cranking.

3. Place the leads between the positive post of the battery (not the cable) and the starter case and crank the engine. You should see very little voltage.

4. Place the leads on the negative battery post and the starter cable terminal on the starter and crank the engine. You should see very little voltage.

5. Place the leads on the starter terminal and starter case and crank the engine. Since this is the majority of the resistance in the circuit you should see a voltage almost equal to the battery voltage.


Do these tests when the engine is cranking and then again when it is not. Keep the battery charged to so you get accurate voltage readings because it will lose voltage if you perform too many cranking tests. Never crank a starter for more than 15-seconds, they can get so hot it melts the solder connections inside. 15-seconds of cranking "always" followed by a 15-second of cooling off period.