# Ford 1920 starts hard



## twintip42 (Sep 24, 2012)

My 1920 runs fine but it is hard to start. Even after it has been running for a while. If I shut it off and turn it right back on it will crank and crank but after awhile it eventually will start. Any ideas what it could be would be greatly appreciated.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

If diesel.have you check injectors?


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## Big_T (Dec 1, 2011)

Thomas makes a valid point regarding checking injectors. 

I suggest that you do a starter system clean-up to improve your cranking speed. Diesels do not start well if the starter cranks slowly. Diesels require high compression to ignite. Slow cranking loses too much compression during the upstroke and they become difficult to start.

Clean the battery terminals to fresh metal (lead), ground connections to bare metal, replace the battery if is is old. Pull the starter off and clean and lube the bendix section. Make sure the starter has bare metal to make ground contact with the block.


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## Pedalstomper78 (Nov 6, 2012)

I would think a more likely cause would be fuel system related. Your injection pump is gravity fed. Once it starts pumping, it's sucking away, but if you let it sit for a second, it'll have to re-prime. When was the last time you checked your fuel filter?


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