starter problem

[cooke]

Started the A up today and it cranked over slowly but it was about 30 degrees so not too surprised, it started. Drove it about 15 minutes and shut it off, attempted to start and it cranked very slooowwly until it would not crank, no start. I put a charger on it for about half hour then it spun over at normal speed and I started backing down the drive way it stopped, my fault forgot to turn the gas on, went to try again and nothing, no noise doesn’t even try, silent when pushing the start button. Any ideas, the fuse is good and this car has always started with no issues.

[luckyal]

Does your horn or lights work ? If not it may well be battery and not the starter .
Al

[cooke]

Lights and horn work great, but... I did just try to turn the engine over with the crank, it seems stuck I can not move it, could the started be jamed??

[Patrick L.]

Seems like the starter drive is jammed in the flywheel. Put in high gear and rock the car, see if that helps.
About the starting issue, does it charge? If so, how much ? Also make sure the battery leads and connections are really clean and tight [ at both ends of each cable]. Another question, what size are the battery cables ? If 6 volt, they should be #1 or better yet, #0.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Do you have a generator, or an alternator?

How old is the battery?

What did the ammeter show during the short drive?

As Patrick said, put it in high gear and rock it to unstick the starter drive, then put a battery charger on the battery to bring it up to full charge.

[cooke]

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Patrick, thanks, that did it put in high and rocked, heard a sound and tried starting it, started perfectly how does that happen?

Tom, I just bought the car last fall with this battery in it. I think it is 5 or 7 yrs old, it’s a 6 volt pos ground with a kill switch on the pos. pole, I kill the power every night.
The ammeter reads 20 when I first start the car then goes down to about 10 or so but it never goes to zero even when the car is off its resting place is about 3 on the plus side. The ammeter needs some work. What is the best way to check the charge without the ammeter??
Thanks for help, Martin

[700rpm]

The starter will stick if the armature shaft is bent or if you have boogered up teeth on your flywheel.

[donQ]

700 RPM may be on to something. When you get a chance pull the starter and with a flashlight, look at the teeth on the flywheel. If they are chewed up it can jam the starter. This wouldn't explain why the engine cranks slowly. This could be that the starter needs to be rebuilt.
donQ

[Fred K-OR]

I think I would check out your battery. That is see if the water level is OK and then put the charger on it for a few hours. If it stays charged and cranks the motor over well every time, then maybe that is all that it needed. If it does not stay charged with the amp meter readings you have, then the battery probably needs to be replaced. May have some shop test it for you.

Like donQ says, check out your teeth on the flywheel. If they are bad, the only solutions you have are 1) do what you did to get it un stuck every time it gets stuck, 2) pull the engine and put on a new ring gear.

[Tom Wesenberg]

You can use a load tester to check the battery condition, or use a hydrometer to check the specific gravity of the battery in each cell. You first need to put the battery on a charger though for either test. I like a 6 amp charger for about 6 to 8 hours. If the battery starts to get hot during the charge, then just disconnect the charger before it blows up, and buy a new battery.

[Patrick L.]

I have a couple ammeter questions. You say it sits at +3 when at rest, thats OK. But, you state it is at 20 when first running and then goes to 10. I won't assume these are to the + , are they ? Next question, if you just turn on the lights without the engine running, does the ammeter show a charge or discharge ?
Starter. Remove it and have a look at the drive. You could just have a dirty or defective drive. The starter armature could be bent and running it you should be able to see the bent shaft. If the ring gear doesn't look good, it could just be rotated 90º-180º.

[Purdy Swoft]

As for the slow starter, it could be the battery, poor ground or the rear bushing in the starter. if it is the rear bushing it can easily be replaced without completely disassembling the starter. The end plate where the starter bolts to the flywheel housing can be removed without removing the armature. As for the starter drive hanging up, there can be at least three causes. If the engine has been cranked without retarding the spark, it will cause starter kickback that bends the armature shaft. I would remove the starter and the bendix from the armature. I would set the starter in a vise and use a battery charger or battery and jump cables to motor the starter. While the starter is motoring in the vise, closely observe the shaft. If the spinning armature shaft appears blurry it will be bent.