Re: 6 volt system

Posted by John T on January 21, 1999 at 06:46:21:

In Reply to: 6 volt system posted by Dick on January 21, 1999 at 06:21:05:

Dick, the checking consists of looking for tightness of connections, corrosion build up, carbon build up and evidence of heat. This holds true for hot and ground connections both. I would just remove and wire brush the batery terminals and the battery connectors including any clamps that bolt down over the battery cables. Do the same on any and all solenoid and starter connections (just take them all off and wire brush and reinstall and tighten to be sure). If it has a manual push down starter switch instead of a solenoid, you can remove and clean it also. I have seen many of them with carbon build up on either the starter post and the push down button itself, both of which can be wire brushed. If you're sure the battery is charged and still a slow crank persists, its time to check the starter itself. Typical failures are worn down brushes and weak or corroded brush hold down springs or bushings going bad allowing the armature to drag against the field coils. However, always check the simple things like connections and battery charge state and its condition first. Try jumping with another battery to help troubleshoot the problem also. Check cables by looking for freyed spots or hot spots or places where sharp bends are or where insulation may be partially melted. If they are off, a gentle flexing would indicate where weak spots may exist under the insulation. A real test would be to pass two or three hnndred amps through them and measure the voltage drop across them (a bad cable has a high resistance somehwere), but it would be easier and cheaper to get new ones instead of goin through that hassle. Its usually the connections that are bad, not the cable itself anyway, but people just generally say "check the cables" when its the connections they mean mostly. Let us know. John T in Indiana jmn50@msn.com

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