M35a2 electrical gremlin

[cessnapilot89]

Good morning all,

I'm a bit perplexed. Tried to start my deuce today, and the pump kicked in and I hit the starter and I heard the solenoid clock but no turning over. Let off the starter and tried again this time no click and lights and power go out. Currently I can get dash lights on and blinkers but headlights result in a load of power and if I turn in the master switch I have a load of power. Thought it may be the breaker but no luck after letting it sit for 3 minutes.

This is our first rather cool morning, but the truck was running perfectly yesterday. Any thoughts?

 

[cattlerepairman]

Check battery terminal connections to ensure they are tight, check battery voltage (each battery should be at 12.5 or thereabouts; if you measure across both, they should be well over 24V). Hook a charger to the batteries. They could simply be low.

Yes, it could be a bad starter or starter switch, or ground strap or... but let's do the simple things first.



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[Welder1]

Pull the batteries and load test. If they pass check all the connections, terminals and grounds. If all is good start seeing where you may be loosing power. Push button controls the start solenoid which controls starter solenoid. Follow the power path.


Eddie

 

[cessnapilot89]

Thanks guys. Have my charger on them while I'm at work. Gauge on the charger showed 70% and 11.9 volts on the batteries when I left. Will see what happens tonight.

Where do I find the star solenoid? Also mine has the spring switch not the push button if that makes a difference. It's an 87.

 

[Mullaney]

Thanks guys. Have my charger on them while I'm at work. Gauge on the charger showed 70% and 11.9 volts on the batteries when I left. Will see what happens tonight.

Where do I find the star solenoid? Also mine has the spring switch not the push button if that makes a difference. It's an 87.

.
Sounds like your batteries need a charge. Once you get voltage enough - I am guessing the solenoid will engage and spin her over...

 

[cattlerepairman]

Yes, 11.9 static is very low. This already low voltage will drop further rapidly into the 10V range when the starter tries to suck massive current. Now...why are the batteries low when the truck was running fine (and was probably driven the day before)? Alternator is charging? One needs to peek at the current gauge on the instrument panel, with the engine running. Is the pointer in the green? If in doubt, measure alternator output voltage. Should be 26-28V (details in the TM).
Maybe one or both batteries are ready to pack it in? Sometimes, reviving them with a good battery charger that can de-sulfate them, helps.

 

[Valley Rock]

11.9 at the batteries ?

Is this a 12v truck or are you charging them independently ?

If You ran it yesterday they should be around 12.5v each .

I think the cooler weather is telling you that one or both of your batteries are tired, OR they didn't charge yesterday while it was running due to either a faulty generator or bad connection .

A cheap multi-meter will tell you if the gen is working, charge the batteries and then load test them for your answer there .


Here's something I bought a few years ago that's been great to me, it automagically knows whether it's 12 or 24v when you hook it up so you don't have to separate your batteries .

It also has a "repair" feature on it that has brought ailing or long dead batteries back to life for me, I don't pretend to know how that works, but it does at the push of a button .

 

[cessnapilot89]

That's a great charger. My truck is a 24V but I have to charger each battery individually. According to the gauge in the truck they were charging, but I may have to go to Napa and buy a pair of new batteries.

 

[Valley Rock]

Disconnect your batteries from your truck, charge them up fully, and then load test them with one of these and it will tell you whether your batteries are bad or not, and you may be able to keep your money in your wallet .

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I’ve found it to be almost a guarantee that my batteries will go kaput at the 3 1/2 to 4 year mark. It doesn’t seem to matter if they are use extensively or hardly used at all. I use Walmart batteries almost exclusively. I went with more expensive batteries from NAPA one time and they died around the same amount of time. The GI batteries are no different than the rest and they take more maintenance than the Walmart batteries.
I live in Wyoming where we get brutal winters and summers. That may have an on battery life, I don’t have a way to test for that.
I have one of those load testers but haven’t had a need for it yet. A charge of less than 11 volts is inevitably its death knell. Good luck!

 

[cessnapilot89]

It was the end of the positive truck mounted battery cable. It cracked and wasn't making connection. Found it as I was pulling it off to clean the connections.Any tips on how to put on a new end and what parts to use?

 

[G744]

Cut the old lug off, far enough back to not have green copper (acid damage).

If you still have enuf slack, strip the insulation off and crimp on a new lug. If no, get ready by reading the next paragraph.

If you can't find a proper lug or don't have powerful crimpers, take it to a welding supply house...they make up high gauge cables all the time. If you buy the lug there, they may do the crimp free.

 

[Valley Rock]

And you didn't have to use good batteries for cores and throw money away at Crapa auto parts !

 

[98G]

It was the end of the positive truck mounted battery cable. It cracked and wasn't making connection. Found it as I was pulling it off to clean the connections.Any tips on how to put on a new end and what parts to use?

View attachment 931851

Hydraulic crimper. Accept no substitute.

How long does the cable need to be? I may have something suitable. Yours if so.