MTFCA Forum

I have a 22 touring and I put it away last fall. We pulled it out and it would not start. To cut to the chase; cleaned carb twice, charged battery several times, sprayed a little starting fluid, put oil in the cylinders, and finally restored to pull starting. It fired up immediately and ran beautifully. Put several miles on it, filled fuel tank and started it several times.

This morning went to start it and it would not start. It seemed like it was turning over slower than normal. Had the battery load tested and it showed poor cranking amps. I bought a new battery. Still nothing.

I'm scratching my head. If the starter brushes were worn enough, would it turn over slower?

Remove the cover band on the starter and take a look at the commutator. It may just need cleaning. You can take a look at the brushes at the same time. I just us a little carb cleaner if needed. If it is still cold where you are, that could also account for the slow turn over. Be sure you connection to the starter is clean and tight, but be careful not to bend the piece inside the starter when you tighten. I cut a slot in the top of the stud with a dremel so I could hold the stud with a screwdriver when I tighten the nuts.

New batteries may need a charge. Is your generator working? You may have a starter issue, as noted above. Did the starter work well last fall? If so, oil may have seeped onto the commutator, in which case cleaning it will probably cure the problem unless the starter is loaded with oil. All battery cable connections are suspect, including the ground, since they can corrode when the car is sitting. I'd check the ground cable to frame connection. The starter switch contacts can oxidize, too and there is a chance the engine is not getting a good ground to the frame due to dirt or rust at the motor mount bolts.

Dennis Pings wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 08, 2026 4:51 pm

Had the battery load tested and it showed poor cranking amps. I bought a new battery. Still nothing.

Did you check your battery cables and connections to starter, button, & ground?

The starter cable terminal has two nuts. The first is tightened only firmly against the hard plastic bushing in the housing. Wrenching it up even tighter may well crush the bushing and twist the internal bar connecting the field core windings. You need a thinned down wrench to hold this nut when tightening the second nut holding the cable in place. The two nuts act like lock nuts against one another. Not holding that first nut with a wrench invites twisting of the terminal and breaking the solder joint on the terminal to internal bar. This will compromise the starter's effectivness.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Cold starting, especially during cooler temperatures, may require a richer mixture. Turn the carb adjustment knob one quarter turn counter-clockwise (or more if necessary). Once you are driving and the engine is fully warmed-up, you can adjust the carb again and make the mixture leaner.

Check the ground connections at the battery and the frame! Clean, tighten as needed!

While a lot of good suggestions have been thrown out there, there are a lot of possibilities, and the possible problems list needs to be narrowed down.
Years ago when playing with boats there were a lot of "new" problems that showed up at first startup every spring.
Salt Water, Iron, Aluminum, and Wood are not a great mix.
Rust, corrosion, gunk, rot, temperature shifts, cracks, and just general deterioration can take it's toll anytime, especially over winter storage.
Pull starting will will compensate for a lot of issues and make it run in spite of issues.

What was (is) the issue?
Excess friction?
Low Compression?
Cranking slow?
Not actually firing when cranking?
Not starting but firing a little bit?
Does it now start "fine" after getting it to start for the first time this season?
I ask a lot of questions because I prefer troubleshooting and diagnostics over throwing parts at it and guessing, that is my style.

My gut is telling me that it cranks slow and there is a poor connection somewhere causing slow cranking speed.
I would go through it and measure voltage at certain points from the battery posts (not clamps) all the way to the starter motor bolt and starter ground.
There should be about 4 volts or more delivered to the starter while cranking (under load) to rule out battery or wiring issues.
You probably need a helper, one to measure and one to press the starter button.

If I knew more I could be of better assistance.
Mike

Dennis,
If possible, I always leave my cars in the high gear position. That way, when the handbrake is pulled back, the clutch plates will turn freely and not be congealed together.

It makes a difference with my Armstrong starter...

: ^ )