Starter Problems (?)

[66cuda-s]

I took the old Barracuda to work yesterday since it was a sunny day. It's been a few months since it has been run, but I was able to get it started after cranking for a while (it did seem to crank slowly). I keep the battery on a battery maintainer. Well, on the way home I had to make a couple of stops. After each of these stops, the starter was barely able to turn the motor over. It did start, but I was wondering.

I do not think it is a battery issue since the ammeter showed charging after the starts and went down to near zero (the middle) before the next start.

What do y'all think? My brother called it heat soaking. This has not happened before. Please let me know a best guess as to the solution to this.

The motor is a stock Commando 273 with the cast iron manifolds.

Thanks lots,
66Cuda-S

 

[67Dart273]

You can not guess about batteries The ONLY way to tell if a battery is up to snuff is to:

Properly charge it by using a hydrometer

Then let it set for at least an hour or more

Then have it LOAD TESTED with a "real" carbon pile load tester, not some pocket gizmo that the geek behind the counter has in his hip pocket.

AFTER you've figured that the battery is up to snuff, THEN you can use the same carbon pile instrument to measure starter current draw and troubleshoot battery cable voltage drop.

Of course the unknown factor is some wrench in the works like a spun bearing.

There is no other way, oh, ya, there is:

throw parts at it.

 

[66cuda-s]

67Dart273,
Thanks for the reply. You are right, I should make very sure it isn't a battery problem first.
Thanks again.