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6 Volt Starting Trouble

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JenE
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6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby JenE » Wed Jan 07, 2015 5:50 pm

Trying to get my tractor started in this cold weather and doing some trouble shooting. Unfortunately, electricity is not my strong suite so I can't get past my battery and would love some help. What is the minimum charge my battery should read in order to be able to start the tractor? Do I tell if the ground is a good clean connection simply by looking at it? And if I'm lucky as to get so far; What should it read once running to know whether it's charging or not?
Thanks in Advance,
Jen

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staninlowerAL
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby staninlowerAL » Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:31 pm

Unfortunately, starting issues in cold weather is more involved than just battery (electrical) related. It's just one part of what can be multiple problems when taken together makes starting difficult. You didn't say how cold the temp is but cold temps makes it even more difficult as the oil gets thicker and makes the engine harder to turn over. You didn't say if your tractor is still positive grounded but if it's 6V I'm assuming it is. Does it have a mag or external coil? That being said and assuming the starter will turn the engine, I suggest the following:
1. Make sure you have a good battery, most parts sellers will check it for free. Make sure it is fully charged BEFORE trying to start the engine.
2. Check all electrical connections in the starting circuit, both positive and negative. All connections should be shiney bright clean, not just the battery cables and posts. The ground side of the circuit is the frame and metal of the tractor so don't overlook those places as well.
3. When you attempt to start the engine, check the spark at the plugs. Each plug should have a nice crisp bluish spark when the wire is disconnected and held about 1/4 inch from the connection or metal part of the engine as the starter turns the motor. If not, you will have to determine why and correct the problem before it will start. No spark or weak spark could be any one of multiple problems. This is assuming the engine was recently running in warmer weather.

There are other more complicated things to check, such as points condition and gap, condition of the coil, valve adjustment, condition and flow of fuel to and through the carb, etc. but this is a start. Good Luck and post back if you need more help. I'll leave it to someone else to comment on the battery voltage but when running the Low output reading on the amp gage with no lights etc on should be about 4 or 5 amps and the high reading should be around 8 or 10 amps. Stan

EDIT: I see this is your first post. Welcome to the forum. You can find the answer to almost any Cub question right here.
Last edited by staninlowerAL on Wed Jan 07, 2015 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby offrink » Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:20 pm

I agree about checking the battery first. When you clean the ends of the battery wires clean both sides as well where the wire is getting bolted down to. Use fine sand paper or a wire brush until the metal is shiny on all parts.

When you charge the battery bring it inside. A warm battery has more cranking power than cold.

Hope that will solve it!

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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby danovercash » Wed Jan 07, 2015 10:22 pm

Fully charged battery should have 6 volts, no lower than 4.5 volts when cranking, and 7-7.5 volts charging at full throttle.
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby Zorro » Wed Jan 07, 2015 11:18 pm

Hi Jen, and welcome to the forum.
I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, but I jumped my 6 volt positive ground Cub with my 12 volt truck a few days ago. It started right up, but needed a lot of choke to keep it running until it warmed up more. Also, you should think about your oil. If it is a heavy viscosity oil and cold, it will be harder to crank, and will not protect your engine very well until it warms up. Maybe a dipstick oil heater will help.
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby John *.?-!.* cub owner » Thu Jan 08, 2015 9:29 am

One of these can be very handy. Meters are marked in green for good, simple to use. One note, it is a 100 amp tester, but on 6 volts it is only a 50 amp tester. Simply connect it to the battery, push and hold the switch for 10 to 20 seconds, and see if the meter stays in the green. You can connect it at the starter and verify the connections as well as the battery if you want. Available from any auto parts store or Harbor Freight for $25 to $45 depending on company and sale.

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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby Bigdog » Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:41 am

The guys have given you some good advice. In addition - you cannot tell by just looking at a connection if it is good or not. I suggest you remove both battery cables at both ends and clean them until they are bright and shining. If your ground cable has been replaced at any time in the past odds are that it was replaced with a smaller gauge 12 volt cable and they are not capable of carrying the heavy current needed to start the tractor. If your cables have those replacement clamp-on ends be sure to remove them from the cable and clean the corrosion from the end of the wire and the end clamp both.
Having the engine well maintained and tuned up is also essential for easy starting.
Lots of places to check and things to do but if you maintain the system it will be capable of starting the tractor in cold weather.
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby artc » Thu Jan 08, 2015 5:58 pm

if you have a mag, and your battery is good, as in 6.6 volts at rest and able to test good with the tester John shows, then you stand a good chance of starting, all other things well maintained. If, however, it is a distributer.... cold starting doesn't leave much battery voltage to the coil, perhaps 4.5 volts while cranking. It will be a challenge to consistently start at that voltage in cold temps. best bet to start is when you release the starter because the voltage spikes up. so crank 5 seconds and stop. repeat.

or (at the risk of starting the voltage discussion) convert anything you want to be cold weather reliable to 12 volts. :idea:

oh, and Darrel's comment about the clamp on battery terminals is spot on. those connections are notorious for corroding. I won't leave them on any piece of equipment. mine are soldered when I replace them.
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby danovercash » Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:06 pm

Check all cable/circuits for continuity/resistance. There should be none (resistance). Analog device is good for this but digital will work. Make sure battery box connections are good-top and bottom.
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby JenE » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:12 pm

Well I got the battery fully charged and the tractor started once, but it's definitely a bad battery. A friend of mine is going to loan me a battery charger he says may help restore the battery, but suggested I use an adapter that you hook up between the tractor and a 12 volt battery, so I could run it off of a 12 volt and jump it if need be. Does anybody know what he means and whether or not it's a good idea. I just figured I would get a new 6 volt battery if need be, rather than a 12 volt and an adapter. Any help is appreciated!

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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby challenger » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:50 pm

Follow the advice already given to eliminate problems with cable continuity and general engine tune up. If your engine is tuned correctly, the 6 volt will get you started in cold weather. You can hedge against the cold by getting yourself a 6 volt charger and connecting it to the battery when it is going to be cold and you plan to start the tractor in the morning. The charger will help warm the battery and top it off so you get good engine rotation for firing.

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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby ShakerPrairie » Mon Jan 12, 2015 10:32 pm

I really like the Schumacher model SP2 battery charger/maintainer.
They are for 6 and 12 volt both which is handy.
I don't care for the replacement-type battery cable clamps as they are more likely to have a bad connection.
And as Bigdog said small gauge cables intended for 12 volt service really kill the potential of a 6 volt system.

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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby staninlowerAL » Tue Jan 13, 2015 10:08 am

JenE wrote:Well....it's definitely a bad battery. A friend of mine is going to loan me a battery charger he says may help restore the battery, but suggested I use an adapter that you hook up between the tractor and a 12 volt battery, so I could run it off of a 12 volt and jump it if need be. Does anybody know what he means and whether or not it's a good idea. I just figured I would get a new 6 volt battery if need be, rather than a 12 volt and an adapter. Any help is appreciated!


On at least 2 different occasions, I have had a battery go completely dead to the point the vehicle could not be jump started. Once the battery was replaced, problem solved. It doesn't happen often but it's possible. JMHO, simply installing a 12V battery does nothing to eleminate your problem and sooner or later it will surface again. Best to determine the cause and as others have said do a thorough tune-up will probably eleminate the problem. As far as a 12V battery and "adapter" is concerned, there are several different ways this can be done but there is much more to consider that just changing the battery and installing the "adapter". How you decide to configure the installation will determine what other changes will need to be made to the ignition circuit and the charging system. It's too complicated to explain here but there are several other posts that deal with this which will give you the information you need. You can search this topic keywords at the top of the page. Good Luck Stan
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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby JenE » Wed Jan 14, 2015 11:54 am

Thanks Stan, that's pretty much what I was thinking.

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Re: 6 Volt Starting Trouble

Postby danovercash » Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:50 pm

Checked today at local parts house, starter solenoid used with starter rod on 6V starter is about $22.00 and in stock, don't know brand.
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