Thanks for the friendly jibe, Bill. Actually, I also assumed the system was
6 volt. You'd think that if someone had gone to the trouble of putting in a
solenoid, they'd have made it a 12 volt system. Of course, Tim probably
wouldn't have had the problem in the first place with a 12 volt system.
If I'd only reasoned the whole thing through, I would have concluded that
Tim really didn't have a problem at all and was just kidding us all.
Regards,
Grant S. gls@4link.net
----- Original Message -----
> You missed a clue Grant. He said "... turn of the key yielded only ..."
> Sounds like he has a solenoid system, not a foot starter.
> If all of Grant's other very good troubleshooting suggestions
> do not solve your problem you can either replace or (if you are
> incredibly cheap like me) fix the solenoid yourself.
>
> I learned how to double the life of a solenoid from a Chevy
> mechanic in the early sixties.
>
> Remove the solenoid from the starter.
> Remove the plastic end cap from the solenoid.
> Turn the 2 large studs in the cap a half turn which will
> expose new unused contact surface. These studs have a
> square shoulder under the head that allows them to be installed
> in any of 4 positions, but only 2 positions will work correctly.
> Make sure you turn them a half turn.
> Use emery cloth (several steps coarse to fine) on the copper
> alloy disk removing the pitted/corroded/arched material.
> Re-assemble and re-install on the vehicle.
>
> Most of the time the solenoid will be as good as new. Of course
> someone may have already done this once, in which case you probably
> need a new solenoid.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: G. Simmons [mailto:gls@4link.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 1999 11:45 AM
> To: tim; oletrucks@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: [oletrucks] "thunk" is rarely a good noise
>
>
> Hi Tim:
>
> I've got the same truck, and used to have a similar problem.
>
> Your thunk probably means
>
> 1) Poor connection between battery or starter. Current is not flowing
> between an otherwise ok battery and starter. Rust under the contact
points
> does not conduct electricity and the resistance it builds up creates heat,
> which reduces conductivity even more. Start with cleaning the battery
> terminals and making sure they're tight, then clean the starter and ground
> strap connections with a little sandpaper or wire brush. Sometimes this
> makes a big difference.
>
> 2) Dead battery. This may be because your battery has a bad cell, but
more
> likely means you really have a generator or voltage regulator problem;
>
> 3) Dead or almost dead starter (I'm assuming you have a foot starter, so
> there's no solenoid, and that the starter switch is in good shape).
>
> For specific tests, I usually pull the component and take it to my local
> parts store, where they know me pretty well by now, and are happy to test
> things. I think they're honest about it even though it's in their
interest
> to sell me stuff. For simpler tests, I follow the shop manual.
>
> Other than recommending to you a thorough cleaning of battery terminals,
> grounds and contacts, I want to address the general philosophy of dealing
> with balky 6v systems. There are 2 approaches, or perhaps 2.5.
>
> The first is to redo the stock ignition, charging and starting systems.
> I've read lots of opinions to the effect that it is sacrilege to do
anything
> but restore the stock system, and I understand and sympathize with this
> viewpoint. I had my starter, voltage regulator and generator rebuilt,
> replaced the battery cables and ground straps, cleaned the attachment
> points, got a new battery (a couple, actually) got a new coil, and a
Mallory
> dual point distributor. You know what? I still had the same problems.
Not
> all the time, but usually at the wrong time. Of these items, only the
> Mallory dual point made a consistent improvement.
>
> The second approach is what you come to after you get sick of the first
> approach. Sacrilege or not, I wanted to drive my truck, so, I bought 12
> volt components, including a new wiring harness, which I also recommend
> strongly. Now it runs beautifully, starts every time, Vroom! and looks
> absolutely stock, except that the brake and parking lamps now double as
turn
> signals thanks to the new wiring harness. I wish I'd done it straight
away
> instead of messing with the 6v system. Patrick's has a good, short "how
to"
> guide on the conversion.
>
> The extra .5 solution is to get an 8v battery and use it in the 6v system.
> I've heard that the extra 2 volts sometimes give a tired 6v system what it
> needs. You don't have to change any electrical components, although some
> people say the voltage regulator should be adjusted to charge a couple of
> volts higher or you end up with an 8v battery putting out 6v. I believe
the
> voltage regulator charges at between 7.2v and 7.4v anyway, so adjustments
> may be unnecessary. This might actually be worth trying before going to a
> 12 volt conversion. A lot of 8v batteries are made for boats.
>
> Regards,
>
> Grant S. gls@4link.net
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: tim <lloydt@Colorado.EDU>
> To: Ole Truckers <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 1999 7:17 AM
> Subject: [oletrucks] "thunk" is rarely a good noise
>
> > I ran into a bit of a problem starting the old girl this morning. It
> > occasionally takes me more than one try to get the truck started in the
> > morning, especially when it's cold, but this morning, the second turn of
> > the ignition key yielded only a dull "thunk," and then nothing.
>
>
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
|