1939 strange starting issue

[Rustynutz52]

Ok this all started last weekend, went to start car it cranked a few times and then would only emit a click from starter solinoid. Tried to use jumper cable to directly jump starter nothing. Pulled starter cleaned all contact points and bench tested off battery it spins perfectly. Put it back in car and it fired right up. Ran perfectly all week started it every day. Figured it to be ground issue. Today went to start car and it turned over once perfectly and then the click noise again. Gonna try another battery in a bit, but think I have something strange going on. Is it possible starter armature has a bad spot and it stops on it every so often? Did notice yesterday terminal on ignition switch was hot after car had run. Any thoughts.

[ford38v8]

Hot terminals indicate a poor connection causing a resistance effect. This has nothing to do with your solenoid, but should be checked anyway. Your solenoid issue may also be a connection or wire gauge problem. Check all cables for proper 6 volt size, clean them bright and reinstall them tightly. No cable or wirte should ever get hot from use. Do this also for the voltage regulatoer wires, or cutout wires if yours is a Standard without radio.

Another cause for your problem can be the battery itself. Don't take it for granted that it's the battery, though, as your freshening the connections will enable the generator to do what it's intended to do.

[Rustynutz52]

Ok just checked and cleaned regulator terminals and starter switch terminals. Car has new rhode island harness on it. Couple connections at resister and fuse were slightly loose. Still same problem. Just pulled battery from 52 truck that i ran today it is good and charged. Same click starting to thnk starter armature has a bad spot. Any othef ideas.

[ford38v8]

Rusty, take a heavy cable and bypass the solenoid from the battery to the starter terminal. If the starter still doesn't crank, then you may indeed have a starter issue. Solenoids do go bad also, so keep that in mind too.

By the way, I shortened your handle 'cause for some reason I can't bring myself to type out the whole thing!

[Bluebell]

Rusty you can get a failed segment(forgotten the right term) of a starter armature winding, and yes engines do tend to stop in the same place. The more cylinders the less that happens.
Is your vehicle 6 or 12 volt?
As you say you have a new wiring harness, Was it made for 6 or 12 volt?
The reason why I ask, is that a 12 volt system will operate very happily on a wiring system set up for 6 volt. but the opposite does not work.
Wiring in a 6 volt system requires a larger cross sectional area than 12 volt wiring does. (Like wise but irrelevant, a 6 volt generator armature can be used in a 12 volt system, but not a 12 volt armature in a 6 volt system)

[Rustynutz52]

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Ok spent some time tonight messing around with the 39. First started with loosening the starter and jostling it around a bit. Tightened everything up and car started perfectly. Ran it for about an hour starting up and shutting down probably 20 times or so.
Finally got it to hit the spot where it would not start convinced I have a bad starter armature. Any thoughts. Can these be rewound or do i need to start looking around for a nos armature?

[JM 35 Sedan]

Rusty (as the other guys have started calling you ),
What you describe in your first post does not sound like a bad segment/open connection at the commutator. This would give you an intermittent operation if the brushes stop on a dead segment/bar of the commutator. Once the armature starts to turn it would build enough momentum to keep turning but you would get arcing as the commutator segments or bars pass under the brushes. Once the armature stops with a brush on that bad segment, the starter would not turn on the next attempt to start the car. What it sounds like to me is your brushes are worn down to the point that they are loosing contact with the commutator bars, or as someone else mentioned the solenoid is going bad or another possibility that I just thought about... could the battery terminal connections at the posts be making poor contact, I.e. corrosion build up that just needs cleaning.