VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 32 Chevy won't start

I have a new 6 V battery but complete silence when attempting to start.. The starter was rebuilt in the 80's. How do I test it? What steps can I take find the issue? Thanks, Carlyle

My first suggestion would be to clean up where the battery cable connects to the chassis or engine. Corrosion often happens at the ground point and makes everything seem dead.

For testing the rest of the ignition circuit, here are some notes from Chipper in a similar thread: https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/285347/re-1950-wont-start.html#Post285347

Cheers, Dean

Thanks.

Test the battery, sometimes you can get an old new one and it won't be any good.

Dave

define complete silence ??
does starter kick or click ?

disconnect battery
volt meter battery (should be 6.2+ volts)
less than 6v, charge it up, got 6.2v or more, good to go !!

connect battery
voltmeter positive side to starter post negative side to frame/engine/transmission (bare metal) (should be 6.2+ volts)
less than 6v, bad connection, check cables (positive from battery to starter & ground from battery to frame/transmission) (meter it out for continuity or resistance) check ground connection make sure bare clean metal to metal no paint or gunk
got 6.2v or more good to go !!

check starter !!
disconnect the battery
unbolt the starter from the engine, pull it back, and make sure bendix is all the way in, if all the way out spin it back in, reinstall starter & try again) bendix on these older starters are good at staying out IF the car does not start and/or weak battery !! only way to get it back in is as noted above. or get new spring loaded bendix

just went through this with a friend on his 31, battery dies put in a new one and same ordeal, it was the starter bendix stuck out. took 5-10 minutes to do all the above and then it fired up and away it went :)

There is a switch on the top of the starter motor which has copper contacts to connect current to the starter motor, the contacts wear away and may not be making contact when depressing the foot starter button on the floorboard.

The wire from the ignition coil and the distributor is a little short so I had to balance the connection to start the car. Success! Thank you all. Carlyle

Hello Carlyle,
I have a new 6 V battery but complete silence when attempting to start.. The starter was rebuilt in the 80's. How do I test it? What steps can I take find the issue? Thanks, Carlyle
The wire from the ignition coil and the distributor is a little short so I had to balance the connection to start the car. Success! Thank you all. Carlyle

? What is the connection between the battery and the starter having anything to do with the wire from the coil and the distributor? Complete silence means that the starter does not work/turn/rotate/or nothing. What does it mean to "balance the connection"? I'm just too old to be chasing wild geese.

like fishing in the dark with no bait rod or water... let alone fish

Sorry for the inaccurate information. but I am not a mechanic. Bottom line, my car starts. Thanks to all who helped and tried to help. Carlyle

Hello Carlyle,
Could you please have the person who repaired your 1932 Chevy (from dead silence and not long enough wiring) give us their description of the successful fix and what the problem actually was? The BOTTOM LINE is that all who contribute in trying to help (do) deserve to know if their efforts and freely given knowledge were useful and not just thanks. Folks will walk away and scratch their heads and say 'why did I waste my time, I didn't find out anything and I didn't learn anything'.

The starting issue still exits. It started and ran 2 days ago. Today it started; however i shut it off and attempted to start it again without success. I plan to follow troubleshooting guides to help resolve the problem.Carlyle

You sure you don't have a problem with the ignition switch? Look at the ammeter when the key is turned to see if you get a small discharge. It will show a discharge if the points are closed. In most cases the engine stops with points closed but not always.

Hello Chipper,
You do help to renew my faith that there are folks that will still make an effort to assist someone, even if that someone will not bother to answer yes or no to a question. There are diagnostic flow charts to follow to pinpoint where a problem exists. To use a flow chart successfully, you need to answer in order whether the question/check/test is a yes or a no. When people suggest a possible source to a problem, they deserve to know whether their suggestion was yes or no. Carlyle, I would appreciate a yes or no answer to this question: Are you associated in any way with a 1932 Chevrolet vehicle? yes or no. If you cannot answer that on the grounds of 'self incrimination', then knowledgeable folks or diagnostic flow charts won't help you.

I Am sure that the biggest percent of owners here are not mechanics, and as such our personal hard gained experience is invaluable, as flow charts may not even know what an electrock is, or what can go wrong with it , and other such oddites that occur in 90 year old vehicles.

I personally own several 1932 Chevrolets. Bought my first one 50 years ago. Been fixing them and helping other to do the same for those 50+ years.

I like the idea of the electrolock being the issue. Mine would ground out on occasion causing the engine to stop and not restart. The easy way to test this theory is to disconnect the electrolock from the distributor, hook the negative side of the coil to the points (distributor) and the positive side to the battery. For the positive side of the coil, use a wire with alligator clips, so that once it starts, you can turn it off by simply pulling the wire.

At this stage we are not even sure if the car has the original electrock,,,,,,,,