2.9 slow starting issue

[dispatchrobb]

Have a BII with 2.9L and the 4.0L flywheel, clutch, and starter. It has to crank a couple times and it starts up, but when it's warm it doesn't start. I can crank and crank and crank and nothing. The battery is new, the starter is new. I had it at auto zone and they said the alt, batt and starter were good, and I've cleaned all the terminals. I can hook up jumper cables to it when it won't start and it cranks much faster and starts immediately. I had a battery charger on it and then it cranked up fast and started right up, but it seems like it goes down to a lower level and stays there.

My questions are, it's the 2.9 batt with 650 cca, so does the 4.0L starter need a bigger battery? Sometimes my Alt gauge reads a tad low, so is there a possibility that the battery is just not getting a full charge but the alt still tests in the normal range, or maybe the voltage regulator is bad?

Just looking for a place to start rather than just throwing a new alt on it and not fixing the problem.

 

[doorgunner]

My '89 did the same thing....ended up changing all the battery cables (and the extended cable that goes from the frame to the engine)......that solved my starting problems....(also upgraded to a 850 C.C.A. battery)

 

[kimcrwbr1]

The amp guage should never read discharge even a little do you have a ground wire from the alternator chassis to battery negative?

 

[a31ford]

Many people overlook the ground wire, As doorgunner said...

Here's a hint, ever see a car coming at you with one really dim headlamp ?? THAT my son, is a bad ground.

Look at ALL, I repeat, ALL the grounds, engine to frame, engine to battery, battery to frame.

even 1 ohm of resistance in ANY of these, will turn a starter into a gutless wonder.

Greg

 

[dispatchrobb]

Thanks for the info!

I forgot to mention that after it starts, the gauge lights pulse dim to bright to dim to bright about three times and the amp gauge needle follows the same pattern then it's all normal. lights don't appear to dim when I turn other things on or needle doesn't move with the blinker or anything like that. I'll check all my grounds again and see if that's it. The alternator seems to have all the wires attached, is the chassis ground from the alt to battery neg something I should add or should one of the wires already be attached? It's an "upgraded higher amp" alt the previous owner installed so maybe he missed something.