What do you think is wrong here?

[Bud]

The situation is as follows: Pull up to a stop sign, the car dies. When trying to restart, the starter barely turns over. Prior to this the generator was putting out 10 amps. After the car dies the ammeter reads zero. (There is no discharge indicated). Car finally restarts after about 30 seconds and runs fine until the next stop sign. Car restarts again but then we pull over to troubleshoot. Cutout is changed, car restarts right away, but suspect the dead short is not solved. Increased the minimum throttle speed at the steering column to prevent the car dying and drive home. I suspect there is a shorted plate in the battery. What is your opinion?

[J Franklin]

Since a stop sign will not cause a short in your car I think you have a few things going on. your starter could be less efficient when hot your battery cables and connections could exacerbate the problem. Carburetor float settings and jet length can cause stalling coming to a stop. loose wires on coil or other ignition parts can cause stalling when shifted during a stop also. a short in wiring usually makes smoke which is most likely visible. In a battery it is verifiable with some test gear, check easy to hard.

[Patrick L.]

[quote]After the car dies the ammeter reads zero. (There is no discharge indicated). Car finally restarts after about 30 seconds and runs fine until the next stop sign.[end quote]
I'm confused, which is normal for me.. What does the above quote mean?? When the car quit did the ammeter read zero, as it should?? Or did it read zero once the engine was started, [with nothing turned on like the stoplights]?? Or, since you said it ran fine, was it charging?? What makes you suspect a short?? Did the cut-out change make a difference?? Could the replacement cut-out be defective?? I know I need more info..

[BrianBurkert]

If opening the throttle reduces the stalling at stop, you may have a float level or some other issue in your carburetor.

If the car turns over slowly when hot, you may have a poor ground (especially of you don't have the pans installed on either side of the engine). It may help to add an accessory ground cable between the ground strap bolt on your frame and a transmission cover bolt. This will ensure a good circuit between your starter and battery.

[Purdy Swoft]

What J Franklin Says plus. Could the battery be shifting around when you come to a stop and allowing the brake pedal linkage to contact the battery cable and short out the system?

[TK in LA]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Do you still have stop lights? Try putting on the brakes while still accelerating as normal and see if it dies. Could be in the brake light switch or harness?

[Dick So. Cal.]

I'll bet you have 12 volt battery cables. Make sure you have good connections to the battery and you have 6 volt cables. 6 volt are much larger.
I also run an extra ground from the frame to a bolt on the U-joint housing.
Check it out.
Dick

[Bud]

I'll address your questions, thanks for your comments: The ammeter shows no charge when the car is running after a restart. I already run an auxiliary ground from the engine to the battery (actually the cross member next to the battery). My cables are definitely 6V not 12V. The carb issue is a good idea but does not address the starter barely turning the engine over. I think the cutout is a non-issue since the ammeter shows no discharge or charge with the engine running. The ammeter is working because I see discharge due to the turn signals. The car does not immediately die when I put on the brakes, so I don't believe it is a short in the stoplight switch wiring. I have yet to dig into this because I have some other priorities right now, but I wanted to get others' opinions before I begin troubleshooting. Again, thanks for your replies.

[Bud]

I forgot to mention that the battery is well secured and is not shifting around.