OA331 cranks slow

[Crazyguyla]

I've finally have made it back down to my parent's house to work on my Deuce. It's been about 4 years since she last ran and now she doesn't want to turn over. Here's what I've done/ have. Before someone says "because it's cold", It was turning over slow before the bottom fell out the thermometer.

I've pulled all the spark plugs, still cranked slow..
Ran the starter with no load, spins up fast.
Cleaned all connections, grounds
Both batteries are 550 CCA Walmart specials.
Tried turning the engine over by putting pressure on the generator belts and turning the fan, It only moves a little in either direction and stops.
I have poured a mixture of PB Blaster and ATF into each cylinder to lube/release any sticking rings. It's been soaking for about 8 hrs now.

I feel the batteries may not be up to the task, but should at least spin the engine decently without spark plugs.

Any suggestions I should try to free this stubborn engine?

Marcus

P.S. Pictures will be forthcoming

 

[porkysplace]

I've finally have made it back down to my parent's house to work on my Deuce. It's been about 4 years since she last ran and now she doesn't want to turn over. Here's what I've done/ have. Before someone says "because it's cold", It was turning over slow before the bottom fell out the thermometer.

I've pulled all the spark plugs, still cranked slow..
Ran the starter with no load, spins up fast.
Cleaned all connections, grounds
Both batteries are 550 CCA Walmart specials.
Tried turning the engine over by putting pressure on the generator belts and turning the fan, It only moves a little in either direction and stops.
I have poured a mixture of PB Blaster and ATF into each cylinder to lube/release any sticking rings. It's been soaking for about 8 hrs now.

I feel the batteries may not be up to the task, but should at least spin the engine decently without spark plugs.

Any suggestions I should try to free this stubborn engine?

Marcus

P.S. Pictures will be forthcoming

Even in warm weather those batteries are not up to the job.

 

[Crazyguyla]

Even in warm weather those batteries are not up to the job.

I figured the batteries were the problem. Guess it'll be another couple months for it to run.. I really need to get this thing moved to Florida.

 

[SETOYOTA]

On your way to florida how about stopping by in ga and I’ll give you a running 0a331 for a spare engine.

 

[Crazyguyla]

On your way to florida how about stopping by in ga and I’ll give you a running 0a331 for a spare engine.

If I still had my Ford Ranger, I'd be there; but fitting it in the back of a Jeep Wrangler might not work.

 

[Crazyguyla]

 

[Crazyguyla]

If I put the two 550 CCA batteries in parallel and used a third battery with something over 800 CCA to make 24v, then that should be enough juice to spin this cold engine over?

 

[rustystud]

Another thing to consider is the starter itself. Old style starters use permanent magnets and they have a tendency to loose their magnetism over time. This will create a slow turning starter. I had over 12 starters in my shed that I through out this last summer due to the magnets going bad. Most repair shops today have no way to re-energize the magnets properly like they used to in the good ole days.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I had over 12 starters in my shed

You, sir, have a....lot of starters. There is help available. Or a bigger shed.

 

[NDT]

Truck's gonna need a lot of love to be roadworthy. Is a 61 year old gas powered compressor truck the deuce you've always wanted? You know they have trouble with maintaining 45 mph.

 

[Crazyguyla]

Truck's gonna need a lot of love to be roadworthy. Is a 61 year old gas powered compressor truck the deuce you've always wanted? You know they have trouble with maintaining 45 mph.

I have plans for an OD transmission. I'm no longer in a rush to get anywhere anymore.

 

[frank8003]

Truck's gonna need a lot of love to be roadworthy. Is a 61 year old gas powered compressor truck the deuce you've always wanted? You know they have trouble with maintaining 45 mph.

Yeah, You had me snowed there for a while...........
I had to read it all again thinkin about sparkplugs in a multi-fuel...................
I just moved closer to the heater, maybe that will help me think again.

 

[M543A2]

Can you pull start it to get it running? Would let you warm up the engine and get oil on all surfaces again to prevent rust. Are all of the starter brush springs pushing down on the brushes as they should, or brushes hanging up in the holders? I have had one hanging brush cause that problem. The worst one to figure out for me was a vintage Massey Harris 55 diesel, a 383 cubic inch 4 cylinder, that would not turn over with any speed. Starter disassembly showed the brushes to be very good, commutator good, no shorts in windings, brush springs good. Still same problem with all connections cleaned. Finally found that two of the good appearing brushes had the molded in wires loose in them! Never saw that before. New brushes and I am on my way.

 

[Crazyguyla]

I pulled the radiator off to try and turn the engine over by hand. Luckily, the socket that fits a VW Bug's rear axle nut, is the same size as the crankshaft nut on the OA331. I figured out why the engine was turning so slow, the truck was in gear. Now it spins freely and dropped both batteries down to 60% after three quick spins.

Looks like the engine needs a serious flush. The antifreeze from the engine was bright green, but the radiator was dark and muddy looking. The bottom bracket of the radiator is looking a little rough, should I see if a shop can fix it or start looking for a replacement. At least the ignition has a strong spark.

 

[gringeltaube]

I have plans for an OD transmission...

If you thought about the Spicer 3053, it won't help you much. With the gasser engine it is not so much a matter of limited rpm but rather the lack of power and torque.

Back in my early Deuce-years I tried that myself: even with the truck empty, it simply won't hold 5th OD, except when going downhill - and down-wind, combined...

 

[rustystud]

You, sir, have a....lot of starters. There is help available. Or a bigger shed.

I'm going with the bigger shed er shop !

 

[Barrman]

No need for Od as posted above. A good running OA331 will out speed the brakes on that truck just fine on flat ground or going down hill. You will be down shifting going up hill no matter which transmission you have. Only 1 gear is different between the direct drive and OD transmission anyway. Unless you want to take it apart, it isn't worth the effort in my opinion.

 

[74M35A2]

I'm going with the bigger shed er shop !

RS's garage is awesome. Full to the top with all sorts of treasures. It is like the movie Goonies.