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How fast is the starter supposed to crank the engine. Mine seems to be slower than my M38 but I dont know if this is normal.
Thanks,

Mine's not too fast, even when the batteries were just charged.

Gerry wrote:How fast is the starter supposed to crank the engine. Mine seems to be slower than my M38 but I dont know if this is normal.
Thanks,

The speed should be comparable to the M38, if it is noticably slower with good fully charged batteries, a problem exist somewhere in the system. Bad ground, bad cables, dirty connections, bad starter are all possibilities.

Mine is slow, but as Charles said regardin gthe cables, mine did increase in speed once I installed new battery cables...

Thanks for the ideas. Replacing the cables is probably a good idea they dont look like originals and the battery to battery cable looks a little thinner. Its only money right?

Yep! It's only money!

As far as cranking speed is concerned, if you have good compression, proper fuel/air mixture, the battery has a decent charge, the points and condenser are good, the point gap is correct, and the timing is "on the money," an engine will fire up with 1/2 turn of the crank or less. I've hand-cranked enough of 'em to know that. Suffice to say that, if everything else is up to specs, cranking speed doesn't really matter much.

Gerry wrote:Thanks for the ideas. Replacing the cables is probably a good idea they dont look like originals and the battery to battery cable looks a little thinner. Its only money right?

My cables looked fine until I removed them and cut the insulation off of a portion just ot get a look. My God the whole thing was a nest of corrosion. A buddy suggested I replace them and I am glad I did. What a mess. If I were you I'd install a new set, you'll be glad you did. No tellling how long those old ones were on there.

For sure. Despite what I said about cranking speed, a set of GOOD battery cables and a GOOD ground will make starting easier in miost cases. There is almost always something that will affect ease of starting. Very few engines have everything up to specs.

Lifer wrote:Yep! It's only money!

As far as cranking speed is concerned, if you have good compression, proper fuel/air mixture, the battery has a decent charge, the points and condenser are good, the point gap is correct, and the timing is "on the money," an engine will fire up with 1/2 turn of the crank or less. I've hand-cranked enough of 'em to know that. Suffice to say that, if everything else is up to specs, cranking speed doesn't really matter much.

1/2 turn? Wow - I'm in need of a rebuild. (My engine could use one too! )

Yeah I think thats a bit of an exaggeration! I could concede to problems if the engine isn't firing after a couple seconds of cranking, but 1/2 turn seems an awfully fast start to me. Hell my F150 doesn't even start that fast.

Yes, the 1/2 turn is accurate. When hand-cranking, you pull up on the crank (never push down or go all the way around!) until you feel compression. Then, turn on the ignition switch, reposition the crank for another upward pull. If everything listed above is "on the money," the engine will start on that "1/2 turn" every time. I've started Model T Fords, Model A Fords, flathead V8 Fords, 6-cylinder Chevy trucks, Citroen 2CVs, Allis Chalmers tractors, an antique Twin Cities tractor, and an antique Caterpillar tractor that way many, many times. Got my thumb dislocated once 'cuz I got stupid and tried to go all the way around with the crank and it kicked back on me. Dad woulda pounded my butt for not doing what he told me, but he figured I was already in enough pain to have learned my lesson. Believe me! I never "forgot" again!

Oh, well I can't comment on hand cranking because I've never done that except on a lawn mower. I thought you meant cranking by using the starter.....

Yes, I was referring to the art of hand-cranking. However, it it will start in 1/2 turn by hand, it should also fire almost immediately on the starter. The starter does draw some current away from the ignition system, but it should still fire up very quickly if everything is up to snuff.