Engine Turns Over For 20 Seconds, Then Stops

[boboh1]

I changed out the fuel tank the fuel pump and starter. Had the carburetor rebuilt and just added fresh fuel to the tank. The car turns over nice and fast for about 20 seconds or so then just suddenly stops as if I turned it off. I then recharged the battery and attempted to start again. The same thing happened again three times. I have no idea why this is happening. Hope someone can come up with any ideas.

 

[Don Frelier]

Since the starter was changed if you didn't have this symptom before I'd guess it's the starter.

Could also be the battery but usually the starter will slow down and then quit turning.

Check your battery voltage afterwards.

It won't start either?

 

[boboh1]

It turns over fast and then cuts out as if I turned the key to off. I should check the battery voltage after it dies?

 

[davek]

clean connections on battery,I chased a starting problem for 3 days. Did you have your battery checked?

 

[davek]

what was wrong with old starter? if good put it back in and go from there.

 

[boboh1]

When I got the car many parts were old and worn out so ended up replacing several items one of them was a brand new starter. I had not checked the battery. Could the battery be the cause of suddenly stop turning the engine over? Maybe ignition switch issue? Has a new starter relay and here it click before the engine turns over.

 

[davek]

did you check the connections? That is were I would start. Any local auto place can check battery for free for a bad cell. Bad cell bad battery.

 

[Dennis H]

20 seconds way too long under any circumstances.

 

[Aron Gleason]

A clicking sound indicates a loose battery cable connection. Recheck all your connections,

 

[boboh1]

Checked connections and they were all tight. I was thinking the car is taking long to start because no gas in the line or carb and has a long way to travel initially. Might be the battery since cranks strong and fast then dies. Will start again after I hook it up to the charger.

 

[Jerry Hall]

Prime the carburetor and it should at least bust off. My guess is a starter going open after a long start cycle.

 

[boboh1]

I’ll try that. After a certain amount of cranking time, do starters have an internal automatic shut off feature?

 

[early2drsedan]

Checked connections and they were all tight. I was thinking the car is taking long to start because no gas in the line or carb and has a long way to travel initially. Might be the battery since cranks strong and fast then dies. Will start again after I hook it up to the charger.

sounds like a bad cell in the battery . also pour a little gas down the carb a couple times it should start .and stop but after a couple times it should suck the fuel through through the fuel line up to the fuel pump .

 

[Don Frelier]

I’ll try that. After a certain amount of cranking time, do starters have an internal automatic shut off feature?

No

 

[Jerry Hall]

I’ll try that. After a certain amount of cranking time, do starters have an internal automatic shut off feature?

I don't know what starter you are using, but no original mopar starter that I know of should do that.

 

[boboh1]

I put in a Powermaster high torque starter. The more I think about it the more I suspect the battery. I’ll try a bit of fuel down the carburetor also.

 

[davek]

put gas in carb

 

[eldubb440]

why would you spin the motor for 20 seconds?

 

[boboh1]

I fully charged the battery and put some fuel down the carb. It fired up but made this god awful sound something like when the starter is still engaged. What would cause that after I let go of the key? Had to shut it off right away.

 

[Kern Dog]

No offense, but it appears that you are new to this so I'll pass along a few bits of information.
Do NOT crank an an engine for extended periods of time whether it is a fresh start or a restart. This accelerates wear on the crankshaft bearings, cam and lifters, cylinder walls and piston rings since almost no oil pressure is being generated.
Check the carburetor for fuel by working the throttle lever and looking down the throat. If you do see gasoline squirting and it won't start, check to see if you're getting spark.
One time doing 20 seconds of cranking will not drain the battery much in mild weather but will as the weather gets colder. Repeated episodes of 20 second cranking will drain the battery to the point where even if you have gasoline, the ignition system may not have enough voltage to fire.
What is probably happening is that there is some level of corrosion in the battery terminals and after cranking a short time, the poor connection just wasn't enough and the electricity wouldn't flow. I've had this happen. Simply twisting the terminals at the battery is often enough. Other times, you may need to remove the cables from the battery and clean them and the battery terminals. Sometimes the cables develop corrosion inside.