Engine barely turns then stops
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Pickens SC
Engine barely turns then stops
Im hoping this is a simple fix and I have just overlooked something. I have a 406sb that I just swapped into my 77 frame. Im trying to start it to make sure that everything is ok before I put the body back on. It has an MSD ignition and a new summit racing high torque mini starter as far as the ignition goes. I primed the oil pump and saw good oil pressure. I have the ignition hooked to a batter and I put jumper cables to the starter and jumped it with a screwdriver. the motor will atempt to turn and then stop. Wont turn enough to get a full piston stroke. When it stops turning and I unjump the started you can hear the motor decompress the cylinders. Thats all it will do. Could it be the jumper cables arent allowing enought amps to get to the starter? If anyone has any ideas please let me know. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,058
Likes: 27
From: Eastern North Carolina
Do you have any problems turning the engine over by hand? Take the plugs out and see if the problem goes away. You might be right and the jumpers are losing too many amps for the starter to turn the motor.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Pickens SC
I turned the motor at the crank to find top dead center of the number 1 piston to set up my destributor. The motor turned freely. The jumper cables at the starter got very hot after just a few atempts at starting it. Thats why I was thinking that it was losing a lot of amps.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Pickens SC
Not sure about the guage of the cables. They arent a massive set. I believe that ill just take the battery cables and put them on and see if it changes any. Hopefully thats all it is.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
Most jumpers now a days are small like 4 or 6,the earlier C3s cables I believe were 0 gauge and then when the compression came down they went to 2.
Hopefully the cables will do the trick other wise you could do as Tim said and remove the plugs and see how it cranks over.
Hopefully the cables will do the trick other wise you could do as Tim said and remove the plugs and see how it cranks over.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,520
Likes: 11
From: Hinckley OH
Most jumpers now a days are small like 4 or 6,the earlier C3s cables I believe were 0 gauge and then when the compression came down they went to 2.
Hopefully the cables will do the trick other wise you could do as Tim said and remove the plugs and see how it cranks over.
Hopefully the cables will do the trick other wise you could do as Tim said and remove the plugs and see how it cranks over.
It's tough to even find a good set of jumper cables now. A really good set is worth the money.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Pickens SC
Got it to start with the batter cables. Turns over like a champ. Now the issue is the starter and getting it to stay running lol. The starter wants to move back and forth when its trying to start. The bolts are tight but for some reason its pushing the flywheel so hard its wanting to move. I can get the motor to start and run as long as I give it some starter fluid but then it dies. So ill have to play with it a little more to figure it out. The main thing is that it starts though.
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