Have a DewEze Bale Mobale (aka, hay monster) that starts and runs fine. Unless you manage to kill it when hot. Then it won't start. An other wise fully charged battery can barely turn it over. But give it a couple hours to cool down and she turns over and starts right u.

Engine is a 318 Chrysler........with carter 2 barrel carb.......from early 70's. Hay monster built on Dodge D600 truck chassis. Aside from the hydraulics, more or less a stock truck.

Any ideas on why it won't start? Carb vapor locked maybe?

Now that I think of it, there may be another cause/fix. The fuel line from the fuel pump is now exposed. Somebody had wrapped it with a glass mat insulation and black tape, but that is now gone. I have some insulation tube that I forgot to install. That may help. It also may not help that the radiator and fan are mounted up high and remote. No cooling fan on the motor block itself, so no help for the fuel line.

Ground could also do it, but this one has black battery cable running directly from battery to the chassis frame.

Previous owner told me he was also looking for a coil, so that may help too.

Can't ever recall any farm truck.....once it was running and warmed up......not starting.

Since last year, new points, plugs, condenser and distributor cap. Was advised to get new air filter. I said was probably fine, but did so anyway. Hard to find industrial canister type. Pulled out old filter and found a birds nest and feathers helping filter. Running on a new filter now.

New gas tank (aluminum fuel cell sold to race car guys), new starter, new battery, new gauges, including tach with hour meter. Those are hard to find. 

Did look at battery cables and they are smaller gauge than I remember. Can put on larger ones.

Is it possible something in the engine is  expanding enough when hot to be that much of a problem turning it over? Engine has enough power to spin it but battery and starter don't?

Fresh 10-30 oil.......looks clean and slick.

Ed (Ont) wrote: You have thrown a lot of parts at it and none of those will cure the problem you said you had which seems to be not turning over well hot. Check your timing to see that it is correct. Too much advance could cause that same problem. Put a starter on it. Or get yours rebuilt - that may be the better option give the poor parts quality these days.

Agreed.......except most of those parts were intended to bring it back from the dead. A classic case of "it was running when parked". Had sat in the weeds for 3 or 4 years. Little to none of it to address current problem of not starting when hot. For now, that is just an annoyance. I'm careful not to kill it till the day is done.

But we are now using it. Picking up about 400 bales with it tomorrow. Back in the day, I"m told a good crew would not show up for a job less than 1,000 bales. I don't have that kind of crew.

Agreed, wouldn't surprise me at all if the new starter is failing when hot.

If certain the load is coming off of the engine when not operating, install either in series a shunt fed, or inductive clamp on ammeter and measure starting current. If you see over 800A inrush on starting current, start moving downstream first removing the starter motor and bench testing. Chrysler gear reduction starters should show about 90A inrush when bench testing with no load as example. within about two seconds taper to 30A or less. 

I would agree with electrical connection integrity. I like a minimum of 2AWG from the negative battery post to both the engine block, and frame rail in a gasoline engine application. 2/0AWG in diesel applications. Land that negative lead under a starter mounting fastener is preferred and use dielectric paste to keep corrosion at bay.  

  

Lars(wi) wrote: When you say ‘kill it’ are referring to stalling the engine, or turning the ignition off?

Both of those. Biggest risk is when nudging front end into a barn with full load of 150 bales. That is nearly 4 tons of hay. Helps that transmission is geared way down, but can still be kind of exciting getting it where it needs to be without hitting anything.

Another time was when we had to shut it down to add fuel. Only made that mistake once.

Still odd that when I go out later today, she will fire right up on first turn. But if hot.......at moment of kill, can barely turn engine over with fully charged battery. Half an hour later, will turn over, but drags as if battery is on last legs. But no fire or hint of wanting to start. But once cool, fires right up.

Hydraulics is powered by a single small pump mounted on frame in front of engine. A pto shaft runs from front pulley off crankshaft to the pump. If engine is turning, pump is pumping. Hydraulics running off the pump include a remote fan behind the radiator (runs on hydraulic motor), power steering, lift cylinders for the front snout and when loading or unloading, a hydraulic motor runs drag chains on front snout and conveyor down centerline of the bed.

To give an idea of it's purpose, couple days back driver and two stackers on the the truck picked up 150 bales from the field in 20 minutes. At barn, front snout raises up as much as 12 feet to become hay elevator. Can unload as fast as stacker guys in the barn can keep up. Or would if the driver (me) didn't screw up and kill it. 

I'll mention one more thing.......when we swapped out distributor cap, checked that against a firing order diagram for 318 Chrysler and concluded the distributor shaft had been put in backwards. But they they put spark plug wires on to match the order and it starts and runs. 

So one thing we have not done is to check the timing. With things reversed, not sure how that would work unless #1 is #1 either way.

Have considered pulling the distributor shaft to set it right, BUT, as mounted not sure if there is enough clearance between motor and deck above it to pull it. Because it is running, decided to go with it as it. Lots of little improvements and fixes needed once hay season is over.

The first thing I check (because it is easy) is voltage drop at the battery while cranking. If the voltage barely drops but the engine barely cranks, then there is poor connectivity (corroded connections, cables too small, whatever).

If the voltage drops WAY down then either the battery has no guts or there is excessive load (dragging starter, tight engine, whatever).