Hard starting

[griz-22]

Starter turns over normal but will not start until you back off the starter.
Has anyone had this problem?

Please Help

[Fred K-OR]

????? Please add details. Does it start when you let up on the starter??? Is that it?? When an A starts you let up on the starter and it runs. Is that it???

[wk2w]

Weak battery not supplying enough voltage to the ignition circuit? Could you provide an external 6v (say, from a charger) to power the ignition while your battery runs the starter? Can you crank start it?

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by wk2w

Weak battery not supplying enough voltage to the ignition circuit? Could you provide an external 6v (say, from a charger) to power the ignition while your battery runs the starter? Can you crank start it?

My thoughts too.

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by wk2w

Weak battery not supplying enough voltage to the ignition circuit? Could you provide an external 6v (say, from a charger) to power the ignition while your battery runs the starter? Can you crank start it?

Originally Posted by Synchro909

My thoughts too.

Me to

[wk2w]

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If you find your battery cables are part of the problem, you might try this place:
http://www.custombatterycables.com/
I used them for cables on my 6v Farmall after several starter rebuilds and cable changes. No more problems.

[SeaSlugs]

Yup - weak battery, too small of cables, corroded connections, loose/poor connections, poor starter ground, poor engine to frame to battery ground, failing starter drawing excess amps, faulty/failing starter switch not making good contact to just name a few.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Is this a stock 6 volt positive ground system?

If so, clean the points and try it again. Hold the coil wire 1/4" from a head nut and see if you get a hot blue spark. If not clean the points or maybe the condenser is bad.

[Marshall V. Daut]

Also, make sure the starter switch screws are the proper length. If someone re-tapped the threads in the starter housing too deeply and used screws (actually, slot-head bolts) that are too long, the ends of the bolts will touch the field coil and short out the electrical system = no start until the starter rod is released. I've encountered this problem twice and this was the cause both times. In one of those cases, some knucklehead had twisted one of the incorrect length bolts in so deep that it snapped against the field coil. Using the proper length bolt afterwards left a gap because it couldn't be drawn tight enough to secure the starter switch against the starter casing. A visual inspection revealed the broken shank still remaining in the hole. It had to drilled out. Installing the correct length bolts solved the problem.
This is a long shot, of course, but if all else fails, check it out. If the starter had been acting normally until recently, however, this is not the cause of your problem. But if it's a newly "rebuilt" starter or one acquired from an unknown source, check the length of the mounting bolts and look for a broken bolt shank inside one of the four holes. The correct mounting bolts should be VERY short, almost too short for ease of installation with the starter in place.
Marshall

[griz-22]

[SIZE="3"]The car starts when you let off the starter and runs fine. You can hand crank and it starts fine.

Thank you for all your help.

[wk2w]

At 6v, the battery needs to deliver a great deal of current to run the starter motor. A thin cable, or a cable with bad connections at the terminations just increases the overall resistance of that wire. That means a lower voltage appears at the end of the battery cable where the ignition wire ties in.

[Jacksonlll]

If you have that little fuse holder on top of the starter, use a jumper and take it out of the system. Those loose rivets can cause trouble that can be hard to find. Easy to check.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by wk2w

At 6v, the battery needs to deliver a great deal of current to run the starter motor. A thin cable, or a cable with bad connections at the terminations just increases the overall resistance of that wire. That means a lower voltage appears at the end of the battery cable where the ignition wire ties in.

And check your ground(s). Everyone always forgets the grounds.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

And check your ground(s). Everyone always forgets the grounds.

yup - too much paint and or its sourcing grounds from all over can cause all sorts of weird stuff. Best to have a known good clean path back to the battery/frame.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by griz-22

Starter turns over normal but will not start until you back off the starter.
Has anyone had this problem?

Please Help

Since it spins over normal, I would assume the ground and cable in the starting circuit are fine. I'd still be looking for a weak link in the ignition circuit, and I'd first check the spark. If the spark is weak I'd clean the points and check the condenser.

Also, it would be good to connect a volt meter to the red power terminal of the coil, and to ground, then check the coil voltage while cranking.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

IF you use a fuse @ the starter, substitute it for a GOOD, HEAVY, DURABLE holder!
Those "supplied" ones are CHEEP, FLIMSY, SH*T!
Bill W.

[Seth Swoboda]

Most all of my hard start issues were ignition related. Points, condenser or coil.

[w.michael]

I had this same problem. It's hard to understand how the battery can be good enough to turn the starter, but not supply enough juice to the ignition system at the same time. However, that is exactly what happened. I checked the spark at the end of the coil wire by manually opening and closing the points, and had a good strong blue spark--so I assumed it was getting fire to the plugs. However, when I tried the same test turning the engine with the starter, I had no spark at the end of the coil wire.

I replaced the battery with a new one, and have had no further trouble.

W. Michael

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by w.michael

I had this same problem. It's hard to understand how the battery can be good enough to turn the starter, but not supply enough juice to the ignition system at the same time. However, that is exactly what happened. I checked the spark at the end of the coil wire by manually opening and closing the points, and had a good strong blue spark--so I assumed it was getting fire to the plugs. However, when I tried the same test turning the engine with the starter, I had no spark at the end of the coil wire.

I replaced the battery with a new one, and have had no further trouble.

W. Michael

Three years ago my car did the same thing, but it fired right up with the hand crank. After it ran a couple minutes, then the starter fired it right up also. I figure my points were slightly oxidized from the couple months of damp weather we had.

[barnstuf]

Some years ago I had the exact same problem. Would start easily on the crank or in gear on a downhill slope, but not by the starter. After checking it over thoroughly with similar suggestions to those offered here I found the problem when I came home with the car after dark and it was idling while I got out to open the garage door. As I walked back to get in the car to drive it into the garage I noticed thru a hood louvre that a spark was flashing. Upon opening the hood the coil to distributor wire was shorting to number 3 spark plug. I shortened the high tension wire so it did not short out and in about 8 years of driving since there has been no recurrence.