Matilda wont start. :-(

[demonhunter77]

My deuce drove just fine on my way from florida (where i bought her) and the generator put out plenty of juice. But i try to crank her and she won't. The starter tries to turn o er but volts are low. Tried charging both batteries, replaced ground wire and terminal connectors. But she still wont crank. Is it because she is too cold? Any ideas on how to get her going guys?

 

[caliber1]

Might check the connection at the starter if everything else looks okay.

My deuce drove just fine on my way from florida (where i bought her) and the generator put out plenty of juice. But i try to crank her and she won't. The starter tries to turn o er but volts are low. Tried charging both batteries, replaced ground wire and terminal connectors. But she still wont crank. Is it because she is too cold? Any ideas on how to get her going guys?

 

[cattlerepairman]

If she ran ok before, then one or both batteries not holding a charge would be my first suspicion!
Sometimes, if the batteries are older and/or have been sitting a lot, a long drive with an alternator pushing them to max voltage can cause them to call it quits. I'd put two known good batteries in and count on Matilda turning over like nothing ever happened!

 

[m816]

The truck is not going to run or even start untill you rename it. What deuce on this planet wants to be called a "Matilda"? Anybody ever called ma Matilda, an I would quit them for sure!!!! Small as the are, They are still Man trucks.

 

[nk14zp]

LOL to cold in Alabama.

 

[demonhunter77]

LOL. She won't get a real name until she runs.
I buy the battery explaination. They aren't holding a charge turns out. I will have to.wait on batteries though. My paycheck doesn't come until Friday. Ashame too. I have her loaded up to take junk to local dump.

 

[demonhunter77]

LOL to cold in Alabama.

Aren't these batteries supposed to go down when its below 45 degrees?

 

[m816]

Its 22 here this morning. Went out to see what would crank over. Nothin, Dump M51 -wanted to start but I gave up before I dragged them down, M54- Nope,M54 Nadda, M35a2-nothing there either, The bobber-deader than road kill. Guess we will have to drag the battery chargers out and see if we can get some life back into those batteries. Gonna stay cold up here for a while So It may be another fortune spent on batteries come spring. Nothing going on untill St. Patrick's day parade so we won't be putting very much effort into the trucks.

 

[Blendmaster2002]

demonhunter, while you’re at it you may want to take the ground off the frame and clean the connection points there (its behind the battery box.). My , I also put Permatex Dielectric Grease on the frame and connection points so it won’t corrode.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Try and find a battery wholesaler or warehouse, they will usually sell blemished batteries at a steep discount. I run all my stuff on Hawkers or Blems, and almost never have battery issues.

 

[cattlerepairman]

Wow. It is 1.5 F (-17 C) here and we fully expect stuff to crank and start!

Of course, a heated battery blanket and a block heater do help a lot.
I have thought about upgrading my Multifuel to Ether start.

 

[demonhunter77]

I've looked for an ether start but haven't found one for my m35a2.

 

[91W350]

Mine starts fine down to about 5 degrees without added heat, I never spray ether. My flame heaters work, but I seldom use them. All three of mine start very easily, surprisingly easy. As far as cranking power, check your batteries to see what they are carrying. You should have over 24 volts. Have somebody hit the starter and see if the voltage at the batteries drops, they should drop some, but not drastically. If the batteries are holding up, try the voltage at the starter. If the batteries are up and you have 2 or 3 volts at the starter when cranking, you have a bad connection, cable or ground. Glen

 

[Flyingvan911]

I just use a can of starting fluid. A half second shot into the mushroom and walk around and start cranking. It usually takes a few seconds for the fumes to be drawn in.

 

[m1010plowboy]

I just use a can of starting fluid. A half second shot into the mushroom and walk around and start cranking. .

I heard from a wizard right here on Steel Soldiers that """""Ether to be added while engine is turning"""""

If you don't and it gets drawn into "one" cylinder, when you begin to crank your detonation isn't spread evenly between pistons and one piston doesn't remember that it is attached to a crank and continues out the bottom of the motor.

I don't use ether enough to have experienced negative effects but how is it some engines don't seem to care if they eat ether?

Just tryin to outline some 'best practices' so Matilda don't blow her top!

 

[demonhunter77]

I heard from a wizard right here on Steel Soldiers that """""Ether to be added while engine is turning"""""

If you don't and it gets drawn into "one" cylinder, when you begin to crank your detonation isn't spread evenly between pistons and one piston doesn't remember that it is attached to a crank and continues out the bottom of the motor.

I don't use ether enough to have experienced negative effects but how is it some engines don't seem to care if they eat ether?

Just tryin to outline some 'best practices' so Matilda don't blow her top!

One thing i don't want is for her to blow her top. Lol
after looking at other threads on here, i think i will pass on ether. Sounds too dangerous for a noon like me. I took the batteries into my heated garage. They don't hold a charge very well even when warm. Looks like i.am bound to buy batteries. Until incandescent afford the goods ones, will any cheap battery do for a few months?

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Yes, a couple of cheap batteries should work fine, as long as you don't have a hard starter that takes a lot to get her going.

Like I said in a previous post, if you can get blemished batteries, they are cheap and you can get good ones. Not just cheap cheap ones that won't last.

 

[cattlerepairman]

If you have a soldier "B", spraying a short burst while cranking is best. If not, then the key is the "half second shot". More is not better with ether cans. The ether vapour is mixed with plenty of air on its way through the mushroom, filter housing and intake. Any one cylinder sucking in air/ether mixture will only get a whiff of it - and that is enough.

Engines get destroyed by five-second ether spurts into the intake of a non-cranking engine, with the air filter removed and hardly a chance for the vapours to dilute. If ether drips off your intake as a liquid, you sprayed too much!!


Optimal are the automatic or semi-automatic dosers; they dispense a metered shot directly into the intake, from the comfort of the driver's seat, so that one can crank and ether at the same time. No danger there.

 

[demonhunter77]

Yes, a couple of cheap batteries should work fine, as long as you don't have a hard starter that takes a lot to get her going.

She is a mil spec starter is all i know. How many cranking amps per battery should i go for?

 

[demonhunter77]

She lives! I took her on a quick 20+ mile drive.