1949 8n Electrical Issues Starting

Tsouth

New User
Good evening guys. I'm a tinkerer and a new owner of a '49 8n with the side mount distributor. You all were wonderful in helping me with other posts regarding the one time fuel issue. Looks like we have another issue regarding the start.

I can jump it and she purrs as it should. Without jumping sometimes I hear clicking at the starter solenoid. Other times nothing. My voltmeter shows the battery to be right around 6 volts so I would presume the battery is good, the generator working, and no faults in the regulator. The problem is when I turn the on toggle switch, the battery voltage drops severely to .4 or so. What do you all think is going on here? Walking back to the truck to jump start her is getting old fast. Thank you for all of your suggestions and help.
 
I appreciate the quick reply cole. What was that 5 minutes?! I'll give it a good cleaning but the battery is from 2015 and shows good at a little over 6 volts... Until I flip the on toggle switch. Has me scratching my head. Forgot to mention it's a positive ground still with the 6 volt system if that helps. Thanks again.
 
Maybe you should run your numbers again. The first side mounts came out in April or May of 1950 so you cannot have a 49 and be side mount.
As for the starting problem CLEAN TIGHT and BRIGHT at ALL battery connections and you need 0 or 00 battery cables the wimpy auto type are not enough to spin it over with 6 volts due to amp loss in the small cables
 
Sounds like the battery is toast. A good 6v should read about 6.7 to 7 volts with no load, probably a minimum of around 6.25.
Hook up your volt meter and hit the starter button. If it drops below 4 volts, head to TSC or NAPA.
 
Thank you for the advice. When I do hit the starter the voltage does plummet to around 2 volts. It sounds like a new battery is in my future. In the meantime is there a way to run cables from the battery to starter just to rule out a short somewhere? I appreciate it.
 
I also forgot to mention the amp gauge stays pegged at 0. It's the type with the pass through wire - not sure how to test it... I presume the generator is working considering the voltage in the battery but want to make sure before driving the hour to tsc. It's looking like that trip is inevitable, just want to pick up all that is needed at one shot.
 
" '49 8n with the side mount distributor."

It didn't come that way in 1949. Someone put a later model engine in it.

" Without jumping sometimes I hear clicking at the starter solenoid."

The solenoid is making a noise because of low voltage. That is likely caused by:

1. A weak battery (charge it & check it per tip # 49. Or get it load tested.)*

2. Dirty grounds/connections (remove the cables & clean the connections)

3. Bad cables or incorrect sized cables (replace them - see tip # 41)**

4. Bad ground between the starter & the block. (pull the starter away from the block & clean the mating area - see tip # 36)

" My voltmeter shows the battery to be right around 6 volts so I would presume the battery is good,"

Nope.

It should read right at 6.35 volts about 24 hours after it's fully charged. At the end of charging, it should read 7.2 volts. At 6.22 volts, you've got a 75% charge. At 6.12v, it's only 50%.

" The problem is when I turn the on toggle switch, the battery voltage drops severely to .4 or so. "

See suggestion # 1 above.




* No matter what else you do, the battery must be fully charged. A float charger is helpful; not a trickle charger, but a float charger. (I use Battery Tenders on all my tractors) If you need to jump it, see tip # 43. No, it doesn’t need to be 12v. Plenty of N’s start just fine on 6v in below 0* temps. Your battery loses 33 percent of its power when the temperature dips below freezing, and over 50 percent of its power when the temperature falls below zero. A fully charged battery will not freeze until -76°F; however, a fully discharged battery can start to freeze at 32°F. So……keep the battery fully charged!
** You can't see corrosion under the insulation.
75 Tips
 
" I presume the generator is working considering the voltage in the battery "

See my previous comments.

Chances are very good that you have a bad battery. But don't accept my guess; check it out!

" before driving the hour to tsc."

TSC is a nice place to buy chicken feed & shirts. Not tractor parts. Get your N parts from this site or nnalert's. If can't wait for shipping, go to NAPA.
75 Tips
 
Tsouth........surprizingly enuff, batterys don't care positive (+) or negative (-) ground ...BUT... yer genny cares. It must be "polarized" to match the battery ground. While N's came from the factory 6-volt positive (+) ground, no tellin' what the previous owner installed. Could be negative (-) ground like his BelchFire-V8. The factory amp-meter is generally fairly rugged and the "0" reading is tellin' you, you ain't gotter wired right and yer constantly discharged battery is proof. As a general rule, you should see about 3-5 amps charge (+) with engine runnin' 1/3-throttle. Unlike 12-volt alternators, 6-volt gennys don't charge at idle. And to re-iterate yer battery cables MUST bee zero-ought (thick as yer thumb) many places try to sell you size-4 battery cables and that just won't support 6-volt starter motor. Oh yeah, the "loop" style amp-meter is polarity sensitive and iff'n yer showin' discharge (-) when you know you be chargin' (+) change the direction of the wire thru the loop. And believe it or not, amp-meters don't care 6-or-12 volts. ........HTH, electrical Dell
 
Where are you measuring the battery voltage, at the battery post or on the wire. If it is on the battery post the battery is severely discharged or has an internal fault. if the battery is severely discharged it may show 6 volts with no load on it. If you are measuring the voltage on the wires leading from the battery to the starter, try on the battery post instead. You may just have a bad contact from the battery to the wire and a good cleaning will fix it.
 
all good advice
working on a sick patient....big and easy first...
the 'heart' has to be good.
test it or get it tested
I have a 12v battery sitting in the shop like that.
very pretty..lol...fairly recent, voltmeter reads as it should.
put a load on it...doubt it could make an RC car move...
not a battery expert...don't know why...but I know
it's [b:780b081e53]j u n k[/b:780b081e53].
 
Have the battery load tested. Your local auto parts store or garage should be able to do this.
Don't mess around trying to jump the starter switch. It can be dangerous and lead to being run over.
 

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