VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt Dead Starter

I was at a meet 40 miles from home,there was 1.5 miles of cars and I had a good time..Went to leave,pushed on the floor button and NOTHING?Checked the battery and all seemed to be good...Ran a screw driver from the battery switch to body and had spark...Wacked the starter a couple of times and still no go...After the masive exodus of about 800 cars I got a couple guys to push me for a compression start.Made it home,carefully,90 deg.in seattle and moving 20 MPH on the lake washinton bridge...Great view but the thermostat was climbing and if the Aero died on the bridge,I would cause a 5 mile long traffic jam ...Theres my adventure

A re-built starter and new switch was install about 6 months ago??

First thing I would check is the positive cable and battery terminal. That is far more common to have corrosion and therefore high resistance connection than dead starter. Next would be starter switch/solenoid. Starters typically just begin to lose power, run slower rather than just plain quit.

Thanks Chipper,the battery is also very new and I checked the conection and they are clean..I still have the old starter and switch,the car did start fairly well before I changed it out, was (real old) FYI when I try to start the car there is "O"!! movement,noise etc.The current is not getting from the switch to the stater??I will try the old switch 1st

Changed the starter switch with no luck...Its almost like the starter is frozen?When I press the starter button it pulls alot of juice but nothing happens..I had the door open and dome light on and it basicly turned off while pressing the starter

Install the old starter and see if you still have the same problem.

Bum starter...Not to worry...You would have had plenty of help to push... 90 degrees @ 20 MPH, your bound to get hot...Lucky you weren't going uphill...

Symptoms are leading more and more to bad starter. Guess the rebuilder didn't do a good job. As the puppy wrote put the old starter back on and see if that gets it starting again.

The old starter goes back on ASAP

Has anyone out there had a simular problem" a stater that has plenty of juice but is frozen soild"??It does not turn at all

When you remove the existing starter, hook it directly to a battery on the floor of the shop and see if it works then.

Thanks JYD thats the info I needed

I pulled the rebuilt starter and sure enough,its frozen solid???
Need to clean up the old one a bit before installing,its a 39 and worked well for many years.too bad the newly re-build one "I beleive its a 48 with out a reversing switch"failed so badly

Did one of the bushings lock on the shaft or a brush come loose and jam against the armature? Those are my first thoughts.

No the brushes are all in place and in good shape..The rear gear to flywheel turns but nothing else move at all

I had a starter that was "rebuilt" and acted the same way-would not turn at all. After inspection by a qualified shop it was found to be completely rebuilt, but one thrust washer was missing causing it to lock up.

I must guess I have something of the same issue.Too bad I have had it for a year or so and never installed it until resently.No waranty on this one

Your armature could be dragging on a pole shoe also.

When I get the old starter back on I will tear apart the re-built one,I'm sure the problem will be ovious?
P.S.for you filling station lovers...The re-built starter came fron Chevs of the 40's..This will be the second time I received a faulty part for them,I got a fuel pump with a leaky interior gasket,when I took it apart I found a deformed gasket...I need to start putting my parts on when I get them not years later!!!

.....or rebuild the parts yourself.

Before you tear it apart I would suggest you bench test it first.

Ok guys its not the starter...Its got to be electrical?With a different starter turned the key,press the floor button and still nothing?It does suck the juice though, turns the dome light off,should that happen
More thoughts please,help
The starter should turn also without the key on correct?should i disconect the wire from the ammeter,maybe there could be a short some where there...The cig lighter is connected to the same terminal and the lighter does heat

I would still bench test the starter before installing. One post says the starter is frozen solid and your last post says its not the starter. If the starter spins on the bench then I would check the wiring and also turn the engine over by hand to be sure there is not a mechanical lock of some type.

Well I'm charging a different battery to totally elimate the battery possiblity,we will see

Steve6 the engine turns and runs fine ..I've got power to the starter switch but maybe not enough,we will see

CC,

Did you check the switch on top of the starter? Sometimes we assume the worst.

Charlie