1958 Cub won't start

AspenPilot · May 4, 2017

I have 1 1958 Cub with a 6volt system. When I went to start it a couple of days ago, the starter motor did not turn over at all. I also tried to crank it by hand, but that, too, did not work. Since my battery is about six years old, I decided to get a new one. After installation, the tractor would still not crank. Not even the lights will turn on. I致e checked all of the electrical connections and posts, and the multimeter shows 6.31v. Thinking I had a bad ground from the battery to the chassis (a little rust), I removed the rust from the chassis with a wire brush. I reconnected the lead to the chassis..but..when I hooked the cable to the battery post, the cable which connects from the negative battery post to the starter motor caught fire and burned the insulation at the starter end. All connections are tight. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

ultrarunner · May 4, 2017

Any possibility there is a short to ground... sure sounds like a dead short

Have an early Cub with battery start and never used it as crank start works so well...

AspenPilot · May 5, 2017

Ultrarunner, you were correct about the short to ground. The cable which connects to the starter motor post twisted when I tightened the nut. A quick re-route solved the problem.