Ford 5000 won't start

Hi,
I am having a problem starting my 1970 Ford 5000 diesel. Yesterday when trying to roll it over the battery was weak. When I put the battery charger on it and it still was rolling over slow and sometimes not rolling over at all and simply making a clicking and humming/squealing noise. Today after charging the battery for awhile now it only clicks and makes that noise. On a side note it has been below zero the last couple of days and the tractor is sitting on concrete but even my Farmall H which sits on concrete did start even though the battery was weak. My 5000 does have a brand new NAPA battery so I don know if I have a bad starter solenoid or if my battery has already gone Ka-Put? Thanks

Connections, connections, connections!

It's possible you got a bad battery, but check all your connections for good, clean contact; battery cables, starter cables and wires, etc.

It's also possible your starter or your solenoid or any of the other components of the starting system have gone bad.

Make sure all connections are clean. Then make dang sure the transmission is in neutral and that the tractor can't move. Jump from a hot B+ terminal somewhere directly to the energizing terminal on the solenoid. See if that cures your problem.

Battery cable connection are likely to be bad/dirty. Face it a diesel does not like cold weather so starting one with out a coolant heater and glow plugs etc are a mutt point since your not likely to get one to start till warmer. Plus being that cold the oil is very thick so you need to warm the engine a lot.
That all said check your cable connection. If you tried to much you may have fried the starter if you let it spin enough to get the starter hot

Get a volt meter check battery voltage while cranking should be at least 10v If ok check for a voltage drop between the + battery post and the starter should be zero or close. If not clean connections. Next check for voltage between the starter case and the - battery post this also should be zero. any voltage reading across a connection is a problem.

I did do an Ohm check on both of the battery cables which was 2 Ohms, then I removed and cleaned connections on both ends and the clicking noise still occurs when I turn the key.

Clicking of the solenoid is a sign of bad connections or a bad cable they can be bad and you not see it with your eyes or a meter. Ohms on a battery cable should read ZERO so either your meter is out of calibration or your cable is bad. Or the solenoid is bad. Try jumping the solenoid by taking a wire and go from the small stud on it to the battery cable side of it and see if it spins over. If it dose then you have a problem from there back to the battery. If a click still jumper across the big studs on the solenoid and see if it spins over. Be 1000% sure it is out of gear when doing these things

Bad ground most likely run the cable from the starter to the battery [ ground cable that is ] and make sure you have the big cables for both - and +

Check your battery voltage during cranking, even new batteries can go bad. A bad connection should get HOT, look for that.

my 7000 did the same thing this past july. It was the original starter finally going bad. $90 for a rebuild.

Bunch of things here. yes it needs good connections and correct sized cables. I have had connections that looked good at a glance but then I saw gray film and after cleaning it started. I have never had cables shrink on me. Fords don't care if they are sitting on dirt or concrete. They do however like the inside of a warm garage. Take the battery to your battery place and get it tested, then you have eliminated something All diesels ignite from compression, not spark so they need adequate cranking speed in order to ignite the fuel. if you have good battery, connections and engine temp of at least thirty degrees and it still cranks slow, take the starter off and check for worn bushings.

For one reason or another, your starter circuit can't get enough current through it to drive the starter with enough force. It could be a battery, cables, connections, starter, etc. Most likely, you have a bad connection somewhere if you have a new battery.

By the way, doing a resistance check with an ohm meter on battery cables is a waste of time. That little meter can't push the same current that the starter can draw so your readings are irrelevant for ohms and resistance. Check your battery voltage and make sure it's over 12volts in standby, then check it as other's have mentioned when it's loaded with the starter. Make sure all battery connections are clean and tight at the battery, the starter and the ground. If you have those clamp on battery cable ends, that might be your issue. They suck!

If you haven't already, get yourself some really good heavy jumper cables. I make my own with 2 gauge braided cable and the best jumper clamps I can find that are rated for 600 amps or more.

The easiest way to figure out some stuff, would be to connect a known good battery with some super high current jumper cables as I mentioned above. Chances are, it will turn over well.

If it doesn't, you have more troubleshooting to do. It could be a starter, but I wouldn't go for that first. Battery, connections, cable size, etc are logically first.

I'll bet it's the short cable from the solenoid to
the starter.