Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Engine Tech => Topic started by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 03:26:56 PM

Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 03:26:56 PM
well as you know, i just rebuilt the motor in the bird.... its now a 303:hick:  machine shop....:giggle:

im trying to start it and it just slowly turns... barely..... ive fried a battery cable already :hick:

just askin..... should i just run out and get a hi-torque starter? and a new selinoid.....lmao.... ....

whats your guys's opinion
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Kitz Kat on July 12, 2006, 05:09:06 PM
Make sure you got a good ground.I put my motor in went to start it and the starter puked.It was only ground through the gauges.
Forgot to hook the ground from the bat to good ground.
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 05:21:08 PM
im gonna clean up the firewall ground wire next time i go out there...... and fix that  stuck injector D:
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Haystack on July 12, 2006, 05:27:34 PM
you pull the engine and then dont fix the injector?

Well, I would bet it would be more better with a better starter or something like that.
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 05:40:18 PM
i got to looking at mopar starters, would a 318 starter work? looked like they were the same...

and ideas?
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: mjbtbrd on July 12, 2006, 05:41:56 PM
how is the timing?  if it is off it'll crank hard
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Sick88Tbird on July 12, 2006, 05:43:22 PM
Quote from: 87thunderbirdBlackJack
i got to looking at mopar starters, would a 318 starter work? looked like they were the same...

and ideas?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say NO...stock style starter should fire that thing with no problems...unless you have diesel like compression of 16:1+ lol
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: softtouch on July 12, 2006, 05:46:37 PM
With the plugs out, can you turn it over with a socket and breaker bar on the crankshaft pully bolt?
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 05:46:47 PM
timing is dead on..... maybe i just have a weak starter
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 05:47:42 PM
Quote from: softtouch
With the plugs out, can you turn it over with a socket and breaker bar on the crankshaft pully bolt?



yeah and its a biznitch lol it moves freely....  but it does turn
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: softtouch on July 12, 2006, 05:56:37 PM
Quote from: 87thunderbirdBlackJack
yeah and its a biznitch lol it moves freely....  but it does turn


Huh?
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 12, 2006, 06:07:02 PM
it turns freely, but its kinda hard to turn..... harder to turn that it was when i first took it out..... but thats because of the rings..

did that help? ...... im in a zoney mode today
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 18, 2006, 03:45:09 PM
NEW ISSUE!

alright, i changed the starter it cranks alot better... but the battery cables are getting real hot... to the point where the terminals start melting

help me out, i really wanna get this thing running again
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Cougar8775 on July 18, 2006, 04:45:00 PM
for some reason you are pulling too much voltage to start with. the wires should be 8 gage. but me im going to build my own battery cables when it comes time for that but if they are 8 gage wire i would go out and get 4 gage wire. a little more bulkier so that doesn't get hot. but before doing that look into why you are pulling too much voltage. a short maybe? or possibly a open curcuit? i can't really do much without the car sitting here and all and without a wiring diagram. but if everything checks out look into replacing the cables.
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: Clayton on July 18, 2006, 04:56:45 PM
im running all 4 gauge wire, uhm... all the grounds are wired nice now.. still no avail

imk beginning to think that the shop is gonna get rich off of me
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: softtouch on July 18, 2006, 05:21:21 PM
In the bad old days the shadetree proceedure for starting an engine that was too tight after a rebuild: Hook a chain on it and drag it behind a truck to jump start it.
After it starts, run it for 100 miles. It will either break-in and loosen up or it will seize-up and you start all over.
Title: Cranking hard (Solved!)
Post by: V8Demon on July 18, 2006, 07:00:44 PM
I don't ever remember seeing 8 guage wire on the battery terminals of either of my '87 cats.  My first one was owned only by me and my step-father.  He never changed the cables and I got the car with about 50K on it.  I remember 4 guage.....

My current cat had 4 guage when I bought it, but I have no idea whether it was original or not.  I've replaced it since with 4 guage.