Ok, I like to think I'm not completely retarded when it comes to electricity, but hopefully you guys can help me solve this puzzle.
I moved the battery to the trunk, on my 63 after doing the TCI front end clip. I ran the summit battery relocation kits 1 gauge red cable to the rear and grounded the battery to the sheetmetal in the trunk. What I have happening is this:
1. After the car sits overnight, or a week, and I turn the key it cranks strong and fast usually on the first turn. If the car doesn't start right away and I let off the key, and I go to crank it again, the starter doesn't turn at all. Its like its not getting enough amps (?) to trip the solenoid on the second attempt or ? What I do next is fire up the other car next to it and put the jumpers to the battery at which points she fires right up.
2. I put a voltmeter across the battery to confirm the charging circuit is working (reads 13-14 volts). All good.
3. I go out for a nice long drive (say an hour). Stop for gas. 50/50 chance she'll start. Meaning, I turn the key and its either good strong crank, or NADA. Black or white. No slow turn of the starter, no whizzing sound, nothing. Get the jumper cables out again, and whalla, back in business.
Talking to some folks around town and at the hotrod shop the consensus was its either my neutral saftey switch (really?) or a couple of people said the summit 1 gauge thick strand copper wire is no good, I need to use fine strand 1 gauge wire sold at the welding supply store. So, I replaced the summit wire with the welding cable, same issue persists.
Hopefully someone else has ran into this and can help me pinpoint on the issue so I don't have to embarass myself and ask for a jumpstart half the time I turn my ride off!
Other ideas I have kicking around in my head:
1. Is it not getting a good enough ground? I have 1gauge going from the negative battery terminal to a nice big chunk of steel in the trunk, and three ground straps from the block to the frame. Do I need to run a 1gauge cable all the way to the block?
2. Is the Costco Kirkland battery just not up to the job of delivering enoug juice over 14' of 1G copper wire and the solution is one of those fancy expensive batteries?
3. Is there something wrong with my starter solenoid?
Thats all I can think of right now. As always your help is appreciated!
I moved the battery to the trunk, on my 63 after doing the TCI front end clip. I ran the summit battery relocation kits 1 gauge red cable to the rear and grounded the battery to the sheetmetal in the trunk. What I have happening is this:
1. After the car sits overnight, or a week, and I turn the key it cranks strong and fast usually on the first turn. If the car doesn't start right away and I let off the key, and I go to crank it again, the starter doesn't turn at all. Its like its not getting enough amps (?) to trip the solenoid on the second attempt or ? What I do next is fire up the other car next to it and put the jumpers to the battery at which points she fires right up.
2. I put a voltmeter across the battery to confirm the charging circuit is working (reads 13-14 volts). All good.
3. I go out for a nice long drive (say an hour). Stop for gas. 50/50 chance she'll start. Meaning, I turn the key and its either good strong crank, or NADA. Black or white. No slow turn of the starter, no whizzing sound, nothing. Get the jumper cables out again, and whalla, back in business.
Talking to some folks around town and at the hotrod shop the consensus was its either my neutral saftey switch (really?) or a couple of people said the summit 1 gauge thick strand copper wire is no good, I need to use fine strand 1 gauge wire sold at the welding supply store. So, I replaced the summit wire with the welding cable, same issue persists.
Hopefully someone else has ran into this and can help me pinpoint on the issue so I don't have to embarass myself and ask for a jumpstart half the time I turn my ride off!
Other ideas I have kicking around in my head:
1. Is it not getting a good enough ground? I have 1gauge going from the negative battery terminal to a nice big chunk of steel in the trunk, and three ground straps from the block to the frame. Do I need to run a 1gauge cable all the way to the block?
2. Is the Costco Kirkland battery just not up to the job of delivering enoug juice over 14' of 1G copper wire and the solution is one of those fancy expensive batteries?
3. Is there something wrong with my starter solenoid?
Thats all I can think of right now. As always your help is appreciated!