Brand new 6V battery sloooow starter

michaelr

Member
I measured the 6V battery at 6.2 volts then pushed the copper starting button and the starter motor turned dog sloooooow.

Never tried starting a 6 Volt Farmall M before, always have converted them to alternator and 12V.

A dead 12V battery was removed from the tractor before they put on the 6V and we tried to start it.

I have lots of questions. The tractor is indeed a 6V system, has the generator, super huge cables, etc.

Does hooking a 12V battery up to a 6V starter make a lick of difference? Would it damage the system?

I mean I am guessing it at minimum has a blown fuse in the fuse box for the light switch. But can the 12V battery damage other parts of the system?

Needless to say the tractor did not start.

What would cause a starter motor to turn so dang slow?

It was 55 degrees out, so the oil and block were not to blame.
Thanks
 
Since you are used to a 12 volt system, then by comparison using a 6 volt battery will seem very slow! But that is how the original 6 volt systems were.
 
Yes if the wires are still hooked to the reg just disconnect the bat lead on the reg that way 12v wont get there. Why not refresh the starter
 
I am thinking using a 12v battery on an unmodified 6v system could damage the voltage regulator for one thing and the 6v light bulbs will burn out in a few seconds when 12 volts are applied to them.
 
Just remembered that the 12v could burn up the coil, points and condenser too. That is why when converting a 6v system to 12v, a resistor is installed in the ignition to step the voltage to the coil down to 6v.
 
Having the starter rebuilt is an option of course, but trying to start the thing on the cheap to see how the engine sounds. I did read a post where a fella could jump a 6V Farmall M with their pickup by attaching to the positive starting cable and frame(not by jumping any battery terminals on the tractor). Curious if that method would somehow rule anything out. Not sure it would prove anything or more importantly cause the starter to spin faster. I mean, seems it would be best to head back out and undo all the battery starter cables to rule out corrosion. But imagine the starter is just old and tired. It has sat for a couple years in a shed without being started.

So perhaps the rings and sleeves are just too much friction perhaps the culprit. I did not even think to pull the spark plugs and squirt wd 40 in the cylinders. I did bring my compression tester, lol, to measure it had we gotten in running. Hmm, seems I should have had that moment of clarity there about pulling the plugs huh. It ran when parked. Didn't they all. Well, I could go on faith it is all in fine working order, just in need of a carb kit, starter rebuild, and a good examination of the wiring.
 
(quoted from post at 22:23:22 02/06/16) I measured the 6V battery at 6.2 volts then pushed the copper starting button and the starter motor turned dog sloooooow.

Never tried starting a 6 Volt Farmall M before, always have converted them to alternator and 12V.

A dead 12V battery was removed from the tractor before they put on the 6V and we tried to start it.

I have lots of questions. The tractor is indeed a 6V system, has the generator, super huge cables, etc.

Does hooking a 12V battery up to a 6V starter make a lick of difference? Would it damage the system?

I mean I am guessing it at minimum has a blown fuse in the fuse box for the light switch. But can the 12V battery damage other parts of the system?

Needless to say the tractor did not start.

What would cause a starter motor to turn so dang slow?

It was 55 degrees out, so the oil and block were not to blame.
Thanks

had the same problem on my SC i had the starter rebuilt.. new 8V battery and still sloooooow starter... the problem was the ground... i run the ground cable stright to the bolt that holds the starter to the bell housing...used the biggest cable i could find (2 00) made all the difference in the world
 
I agree, ground the battery DIRECTLY OVER TO the starter mount bolt.Clean everything spotless and bright, use PB Blaster to keep corrosion away. Made my H go from s-l-o-w to START!!!
 
Had same problem on my H. Checked starter - perfect! Checked battery : 6.2 volts. Tractor has new wiring harness and 00 gauge cables. Starter Button was the culprit. Replaced with one from NAPA. Put all back together yesteday. Now fires up perfectly. If you have chased everything else, this could be your problem.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming. It does sound like I should head out there again with a new starter button, some sand paper and pb blaster. remove both cables completely and clean the ends and the posts they are mounting to. Swap out the starer button, bolt it back together and give it a spin.

Because this had sat for a year should a guy squirt something in the cylinders before trying to start it?
 
You can jump a 6 volt w/ a 12 IF you hook neg cable directly to starter, turn key to run position then hook pos cable to starter bolt or frame. Make sure there is no leaks from gas first. That will spin that starter fast but don't do it for more than 5 seconds or so at a time.
 
One other possibility not mentioned below. The starter could have been changed to 12 volt by rebuilding it, or using a 12v starter. An amp draw meter that is held against a battery cable will usually show about 250 to 300 amps at that temp. If more the starter may be dragging, or shorted. Jim
 
As soon as I read your reply....I was going to say the same thing. You beat me to it. They change the fields because if you run a straight 6 volt starter with 12 volts sooner or latter it can break the bendix. Too much tourqe.
 
I have no experience with 6V, but ONE bad brush spring on a 12V will result in a slow crank. It's a relatively easy fix compared to a full rebuild. I did my 12V last winter when it got slow. Fixed it right up for about $2.
 
unless you are keeping it original the best money you can spend is convert it to 12 volts using a small alternator for charging that will fit under the hood instead of a generator,there are dozens of diagrams on here of how to do it,6 volt starter will work,the ign.system will work using a resistor between the switch and coil.
 

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