Join Our Ford Truck Forum Today

Document your Ford truck project here and inspire others! Login/Register to view the site with fewer ads.

'73 360 will not start

I am at an major loss for words here. I have tried all that I can think of, New starter, new battery, recharged the batter, looked for a ground in the electrical system. I just can't figure it out. When I turn the key in my truck, sometimes it will make the bead battery clicking noise, and other time it will have an extremely slow crank. Please anything you might have in mind will be great!
 

bucks77ford

We will Rise Again
Another common problem would be the solenoid. Have you replaced that?
 
There is NO SENSE in just replacing parts hoping to solve the problem

Learn to trouble-shoot

ALWAYS start with a Good freshly charged battery

Then you go backwards in the cranking starting method

Won't start is different than Won't CRANK

Does your starter crank the engine ?

No?
Then you have a No Crank issue..not no start issue

Fordstartersolenoid.jpg



StarterCrankCircuit-1.jpg
 
Alright, I understand what you mean. It is true.
But the main thing I can not fathom is that sometimes it will crank really slow, and other it will not crank at all.
 

bucks77ford

We will Rise Again
I agree with not replacing parts just to see if something works. I was just wondering if the solenoid has been replaced or not to at least eliminate a possibility and get the whole scoop.

It still sounds like more of a dead battery or poor battery cable connection. But, try and crank the engine as described in the diagram above and see what happens.
 
Last edited:
Did you know that battery cables oxidize underneath the insulation ?
That then prevents full electrical current to flow
Corrosion builds up on battery cable end,and battery posts, and ground connections.
all these can cause cranking issues.
They are Maintenance ....Cost FREE things to do
 

bucks77ford

We will Rise Again
I have seen many cables that you wouldn't think they are bad or corroded enough to cause a problem and sure enough after doing a little cleaning or having to replace one, it fixed the problem.
 
@bucks yeah I understood what you were saying. it is still worth replacing, because I just picked up this truck a month ago. I am not sure how old it is.

@mil1ion I already replaced the battery and cables because they were shot. I keep my cars and truck well maintained. This is just something more then regular Maintenance.
 

BKW

Ford Parts Guru
These trucks need...at minimum, an R24-F (group) 55 amp battery, but should have an R27-F (70 amp) or R27-FA (94 amp) battery. The more amps, the better.

The R24-F will not fill the battery tray, the R27-F & FA will.

Most batteries sold today are wet (include the acid), are made from cheap plastic and have minimum lead plates (if any at all) and may sit on a shelf for years before being sold.

Look on the battery before buying it for the date code it was made. If older than a year = PASS!

The longer a wet charged battery sits on a shelf, the less time it will last once installed.

In the old days, batteries came without acid, and were only filled when someone bought one....so they lasted faaar longer.
 
Last edited:

Ford Truck Articles

Recent Forum Posts

Top