Model A starter clunk then no electrical

[john in illinois]

Have you jumpered from battery terminal direct to the terminal on top of the starter. That woult test the battery cable.
This sounds to me like a high resitance in the battery cable.

John

[jquinlan]

I once had a similar problem that was a bad battery cut off switch. One of those cheap little green ones that mount on top of a battery terminal.

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Albany Tom

.... Post for battery cable has 3 insulated washers between cable and the switch housing.
....

One thing I don't get is why would a jammed Bendix cause the electrical issue I'm seeing?

Originally Posted by Albany Tom

.....
So
1) If i connect the starter battery cable directly to the wire to the fuse setup, without the starter, I get lights, horn, etc.
2) If I connect the starter back in with the fuse in, I get (bad) continuity between ground and anything positive (e.g. starter post or fuse brackets).
3) Remove the fuse and what should be electrically isolated is again, at least on the starter side of the fuse.

So I think this means the problem is in the junction box or coil?
.... Tom

I think your answer lies in these sections, if only I could understand for sure what you're saying? There are TWO wires "to the fuse setup", one at each end of the fuse; I wonder which do you mean in 1) above? In 2), you should get a reading of about 12 V (when using DC volts scale) "between ground and anything positive"; on the ohms scale all bets are off what you might see.

BUT, making some guesses as to what you meant, if in 1) you meant you connected the battery cable directly to the wire from the junction box, the fact the lights work means there's nothing wrong in the junction box, or your grounds, or your starter, or the switch, or the cutoff switch, etc.; if the lights go out when you put the fuse back in the circuit, which is what I understand from 2), it means something's wrong with the FUSE or its connections!! TRY ANOTHER FUSE. DON'T TEST IT--I DON'T TRUST YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH YOUR METER.

Exactly where are those "3 insulated washers"? Assuming they are on the post that sticks up out of the back of the starter switch, THEY ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY THE SOURCE OF YOUR PROBLEM--REMOVE THEM. Other than not grounding to the case of the switch, nothing there is to be insulated from anything else there: the battery cable, the post, the wire going to the fuse holder, and possible a regular metal washer are all to be electrically joined and snugged together by the thin nut. Poor or intermittent contact of the battery cable thru a stack of insulated washers would explain everything.

If I misunderstood what you were saying, i apologize; please disregard. I apologize if I sounded too gruff; typing is a real pita for me, and I'm often in a bad mood by the time I finish.

good luck
steve

[steve s]

Originally Posted by steve s

...TRY ANOTHER FUSE....steve

You know, the use of that fuse is very controversial. If you can get your car to work okay without it, you have my permission to remove it. That is, connect the battery cable and the junction box wire together at the starter switch--just like Henry did!

[Jerold Ebke]

I had a battery cable go bad mid length on an Allis Chalmers tractor. Click only on start attempt.
Not visible outer surface.
Pulled starter, battery etc in most inconvenient location. Carried battery and starter out 1/8 mile on foot. Starter worked with bench test. Bought new battery and carried all back in. No happiness.
Finally new battery cable and started like a champion.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

A corroded wire or connection will allow “no load” current to go through ( in your case 12V.) however a high amperage load like your starter is, it won’t do its work. Like a weak muscle.

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Chuck Sea/Tac

A corroded wire or connection will allow “no load” current to go through ( in your case 12V.) however a high amperage load like your starter is, it won’t do its work. Like a weak muscle.

Chuck makes an important point: When a meter says a connection is good, it might only be good enough to carry the tiny current that the meter used to make the measurement; it may or may not be good enough to carry a heavy load. And, what's worse, the quality of the connection (i.e., its resistance) will actually get worse as it heats up.

[Badpuppy]

I'm thinking the switch plate is lightly touching the motor contact "nub", which would draw enough current to drop the voltage to near-zero but not enough to turn the motor.

I would pull the starter and check for shrapnel - may explain the loud report Tom first described. Then bench test for continuity between switch post and starter case when assembled.

[BN]

I've had batteries behave like this - providing a low current, but when you hit it with a high current demand something opens inside the battery. Have you tried a different battery. Since it's a 12V, maybe you could "borrow" one from your daily driver.

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Originally Posted by steve s

You know, the use of that fuse is very controversial. If you can get your car to work okay without it, you have my permission to remove it. That is, connect the battery cable and the junction box wire together at the starter switch--just like Henry did!

1st I have heard of running without a fuse/breaker as being OK. When I 1st got my A everybody told me the 1st things I should do is to add a fuse and replace the Fan. In case of a short prevents burnt up wiring, possible fire.

[steve s]

Originally Posted by 30 Closed Cab PU

1st I have heard of running without a fuse/breaker as being OK. When I 1st got my A everybody told me the 1st things I should do is to add a fuse and replace the Fan. In case of a short prevents burnt up wiring, possible fire.

If that fuse (or any on the ignition) blows while your driving, the motor could die, which depending on what you're doing right then could be a real safety issue. The controversy centers on whether the generator or alternator will provide enough juice to keep the motor running and whether without that connection to the battery the generator or alternator will run wild and burn themselves up.

About the replacing the fan, there is no controversy; just do it!

For a good time, use the search function.

[Albany Tom]

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay but I finally got to the car again. It turns out you were all on the right track re a bad electrical connection. The problem was the clamp on the positive battery post. (The car is 12V negative ground.) The clamp overall was pretty thin and had some rust, but the problem was the clamp that holds the cable--it was just a bad connection. If you jiggled it you'd lose connectivity.

That explains why the starter would work when I used battery cables direct to the switch. (Thanks John in Illinois re "Have you jumpered from battery terminal direct to the terminal on top of the starter. That woult test the battery cable.")

Replaced the clamp with a heavier duty one and we're back running!

Thanks to you all again for all your time and advice.

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Thanks for letting us know how things turned out, always nice when we know the results.

[john in illinois]

Glad you got it running.

John