'55 Crown starter cable V8 6v pos ground

[Sarge]

Hi all, new to the forums. Quick question.

My starter has been sluggish for as long as I can remember. I have an aircraft grade cable going to the starter. What I want to know, is does anyone know what the resistance is supposed to be for that wire? Can't seem to find it anywhere, and my old factory manuals are in storage. (I know....) I'm just getting around to tinkering again now that I am out of the military.

Thanks in advance.

Oh, and if anyone would like to link me to any worthy websites that sell parts for my old girl, that would be great.

[CarlG]

Just because it's "aircraft grade" doesn't necessarily mean that it will work OK with your 6-volt system. The 6-volt cables are the heaviest of the lot. If you can't find real 6-volt cables, make some up out of 0 or 00 welding cable. More than likely your "aircraft" cables are designed for 12 or even 24 volts, and are way too small.

[34pickup]

6 Volt systems start slower than 12 volts. It may just be normal.

[Ole Don]

Welcome to the group Sarge. CarlG is right. A typical 12 or 24 volt starter cable is about the diameter of your baby finger. A 6 volt starter cable is about the diameter of your thumb. The big thing is grounds. The factory put a star washer between the block and the cable to dig in through paint. Make sure the cable is clean, the bolt threads are clean, and the hole threads are clean. Then remember, a six volt system turns over very slowly. They didnt spin like the modern 12 volt system. A buddy has a six volt Lincoln Y block that had been hard to start. He uses two six volt dry cell batteries wired together. It wont spin fast, but has tons of power while it does spin, and starts right up now.

[ponymare]

Yes, using the proper 6vlt cable is a must, also the starter may need to be pulled, taken apart, cleaned, and maybe new bushings put in.

[dmsfrr]

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Originally Posted by CarlG

Just because it's "aircraft grade" doesn't necessarily mean that it will work OK with your 6-volt system. The 6-volt cables are the heaviest of the lot. If you can't find real 6-volt cables, make some up out of 0 or 00 welding cable. More than likely your "aircraft" cables are designed for 12 or even 24 volts, and are way too small.

Originally Posted by Ole Don

Welcome to the group Sarge. CarlG is right. A typical 12 or 24 volt starter cable is about the diameter of your baby finger. A 6 volt starter cable is about the diameter of your thumb. The big thing is grounds. The factory put a star washer between the block and the cable to dig in through paint. Make sure the cable is clean, the bolt threads are clean, and the hole threads are clean. Then remember, a six volt system turns over very slowly. They didnt spin like the modern 12 volt system.

YES to the above.

Also, both battery cables need to be the same large wire gauge size as the starter cable.
Use sandpaper, a file, wire brush or whatever, to thoroughly clean both sides of any of the connections to bare metal. Battery terminals, both sides of the starter solenoid, starter power bolt, and the end of the battery cable that's bolted to the block.

My neighbors '55 developed starting trouble because a previous owner wanted the terminal lugs on the battery cable ends shiny, and had painted them silver before bolting them on the car.

While you're at it make sure you have a good sized clean ground wire from the block (or positive battery terminal) to the car body, it can't hurt.
.

[Sarge]

Thanks for the replies guys. The reason I went with the aircraft cable was because of its low resistance. That was many years ago, and honestly I can't remember what the circumstances were. I'll look for, and install the correct one as soon as I'm sure it isnt going to snow anymore here.

The starter was rebuilt recently by a trusted friend who does that sort of thing for a living. The solenoid, block connections and starter connection are all near pristine as is the rest of the car. I take great care to make sure any corrsion is addressed at first sign. This is why I suspected wire resistance.

I know the 6v turns slow anyway, but it just seemed a bit slower than normal lately. Checked and tested the battery just to rule that out as well. Once I replace the cable, that should likely do the trick.

I was just curious what the resistance was supposed to be.

[34pickup]

Looks like a beautiful car if thats yours in the avatar, sarge.

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by Sarge

......The reason I went with the aircraft cable was because of its low resistance. That was many years ago, and honestly I can't remember what the circumstances were. ....
I was just curious what the resistance was supposed to be.

I've forgotten almost all of what I used to know about OHM's Law but to paraphrase it here; To accomplish the same amount of 'work' with half the voltage, you need double the current/amperage in the circuit. It's not really the resistance of the wire that matters (all copper wire is pretty low anyway), it's the rated current capacity of the wire.
Hypothetical example: if a 12v car had a 40 amp starter, the same car with 6v electrics would use an 80 amp starter, and 80 amp wiring to it.

If there are '12 volt' sized battery & starter cables in a 6 volt car they won't work nearly as well. The 6 volt ones are sized correctly for the current/amperage.
A good analogy would be the difference between using a three quarter inch garden hose to put out a fire, or a three inch fire hose.
As CarlG mentioned above, if you can't find new 6v cables look for new, leftover or gently used welding style cable and make your own out of the '0' or '00' sizes. FYI, welding cable often comes in a couple grades of stiffness/flexibility, you probably won't need the more expensive extra-flexible stuff.
.

[54vicky]

I would also try a new solenoid.reasonable price and eliminates one possibility.

[5851a]

Most of the Farm/Tractor supply stores have a variety of the large size battery cables.

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by 5851a

Most of the Farm/Tractor supply stores have a variety of the large size battery cables.

I like that option too,
and it reminded me.... shops that sell parts for Semi-trucks may have suitable cables.
Pre-made cables have a much more 'finished' look to them.
.

[smtichy]

Hi Sarge,

I have some recent experience with this. I bought a '55 with 6V positive ground in 2013, from the beginning it was always sluggish on starting and this would get worse when the car was warm.

The car had a 4 gauge cable on one battery lead, a 1 gauge on the other, and in general 1 gauge wires to the block, solenoid, and starter.

Last summer I had a complete new set made from 0 gauge welding cable. I cleaned up all the connections and installed these. The result was a 100% improvement, since then the starter turns swiftly even when warm.

I also replaced the ground wire from the block to the firewall with a 0 gauge cable and this resolved some issues with flickering lights on the instrument panel.

I've seen pre-made 0 gauge cable sets available from either Casco or Concours parts.

Good luck,

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by smtichy

...... The car had a 4 gauge cable on one battery lead, a 1 gauge on the other, and in general 1 gauge wires to the block, solenoid, and starter. ......

This is something that most folks don't think about, electricity has to make a complete circuit. All the way from the battery, to the part doing the work, then back to the battery.
The weakest link at any point in a circuit reduces the flow of electricity to only what the weakest spot can handle. (ie. the 4 gauge cable, above)

This also/often applies to how a part is grounded since that part of the circuit in a car isn't usually as obvious.
Example: If the battery ground cable is bolted to the body instead of the block, the weakest link in the starter motor circuit then becomes the smaller, melted ground wire from the block to the body.
.
.