Grr. A wasted day

[dochawk]

Nice weather today, shirtsleeve even in Las Vegas.

So it seemed like a good day to try to get the '72 going, having realized the tank was probably empty on my prior tries where it kicked over and sopped after a second or so (priming the carb each time).

So to get room, the first step was to get the '93 ETC out of the way.

It's been sitting with the battery disconnected since October, when I found the Fleetwood.  It's waiting for me to pull fender, door, radiator and alternator from the '95 parts car.

So I connected my monster charger. (When the last one went out, I bought one big enough start Frankenstein's monster, with  40 amp sustained and 200A engine start modes).

But before that, it took about an hour to reconnect the positive post--it had dropped the spacer disk, and my wrenches fell in a few times.  After another hour of charging, I still couldn't get more than a click, and pushed it partway into the driveway with a daughter at the brake, just in case.

I moved the charger to the '72, which I'd topped off maybe a month ago.

Put it in neutral to push it out and get more room, as I've done many times over the years . . . and nothing.  It won't move.

So I resign myself to the reduced room (I still have maybe two feet between it and the workbench; it's a '68 house).  I pour a couple of gallons of gas in, with minimal spilling form the funnel.

And after a couple of hours charging, I still don't get more than a click.

grr. 

so in another 20 minutes or so, it gets one last try.   I *really* don' want to have to deal with jacking it up to get at the starter again . . .

*one* of these days, both of them will be on the road again.

grr

[Scot Minesinger]

I ran my 1970 DVC out of gas once.  These 26 gallon tanks often take 5 gallons to allow a start after running out of fuel.  They still should turnover though.  Cables clean?

[James Landi]

Don;t trust those an old ground cable.  You can have a very capable starter, a relatively willing  battery, and a "figuratively"  smoked ground cable with insulation that looks fine but has stranded wire that has turned to white powder at the terminal end underneath the insulation.  Try a jumper cable from the battery ground to a clean unpainted engine bracket and see if you get more than a discouraging click.  Just may be the problem.    James

[cadillacmike68]

Reminds me of last summer when the 1996 Fleetwood refused to start. It was on the side of the house which had turned into  a swamp. That made a mess of getting into and out of it.

Now it is used weekly and sits in the driveway under a cover.

[fishnjim]

U just needa bigger garage...

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The bigger the garage, the more stuff to stick in it, and fill it up.

My small garage was coordinated and everything in its' place.   Now I have a bigger garage, and there is still stuff in their correct places, but, boy, I have a lot more stuff, and trouble finding places to put everything, as I hate tossing out good stuff.

Bruce.

[dochawk]

I *want*  15 car garage.

I'm just not willing to have a mortgage again to do it . . . once I can write a check for it, maybe . . .

This morning, after giving it a couple more hours on the charger and leaving it overnight, the little Eldorado read 12.9v.

And it still only gave single click.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Check for a bad ground.

Remove and clean then replace the battery terminals, and the grounding strap to the frame/body.

With a fully-charged battery, the current still has to get through.

Try turning on the headlights and have someone look at the glow when you are hitting the start "button".   If they are bright, then really dim, then there is a grounding problem.   Lights don't need as much ground as the Starter Motor.

Bruce.

[35-709]

Since it has been sitting for a while, it might also be the starter solenoid contacts have gotten corroded.

[BlackCads]

The joys of old cars!
Some days are great and everything goes smoothly and other days nothing goes right.
I've had many of both and in the final analysis I'm glad I stayed with the cars through all the ups and downs. I've learned a lot from my mistakes so every work session is also a learning experience.
Hang in there. Your patience and perseverance will ultimately pay off.
As my late father used to say "better days are coming".