Hey guys, my new problem is VERY INTERMITEN. When I go to turn the ignition switch to start my great running car, I get nothing! I have lights and radio, but nothing to crank. no clicking or dying battery sounds, nothing! I have noticed it does it only after running hot for a while. It has never done it when cold. And the last time it did this was 3 months ago.

Could my starter/solenoid be on its way out? Any thoughts? Thanks......

Hey guys, my new problem is VERY INTERMITEN. When I go to turn the ignition switch to start my great running car, I get nothing! I have lights and radio, but nothing to crank. no clicking or dying battery sounds, nothing! I have noticed it does it only after running hot for a while. It has never done it when cold. And the last time it did this was 3 months ago.

Could my starter/solenoid be on its way out? Any thoughts? Thanks......:yes:
i think the solenoid could be getting hot and binding up.
does the dome/dash lights dim when it will not start???

i would change the solenoid :thumbsup:

Thanks Vince! I haven't noticed the dome/dash lights dimming or anything wierd. Can I replace just the solenoid on the starter? Is it easier to replace the starter w/solenoid?

Sergio, make sure your battery is grounded directly to the engine block itself and all of the connections are clean.... Just a thought......

Thanks Brian, and the negative of the battery cable does go straight to the alternator bolt on the block.

Can you change the solenoid off a starter by itself? I have never tried it. It sounds harder that just replacing it all.

Hi Sergoi,Once the starter is off the car replacing the solenoid is a snap,replacing the brushes is easy too but the drive can be a bit of a pia the 1st time you do it.

Well since you say it always/consistantly spins over ok cold then does absolutly nothing when you hit the key hot but then it does ok again when cooled off so in that case its usually a bad /heat damaged solenoid.

If it were a bad ground or connection i would think it would not only have the problem when hot,it would act up intermittantly at any time or quite altogether which is not the case here at all.

To test this theory out take the car for a ride to get the motor hot,then come home and park if for approx 10 mins with hood cloased to trap more heat.

Then try to start to ensure it wont spin over ,if stater doesnt work then try taking a garden hose or some sort of garden sprayer that can pinpoint a stream of water at the starter and solenoid only not hitting ex manifold when hot as to not crack it.

Then after you hit the solenoid with some water to cool it of or maybe even shoot compressed air at it for a min or 2 to cool off the solenoid/starter try to start it.

If it spins over after you just cooled off the solenoid and starter the ans is you need to replace the solenoid with a heat reistant solenoid along with a h/d solenoid spring which is important to run with hi trq starter and a lot of heat from bbc motor/exhaust.
I have seen the h/d solenoid springs listed in YR1 of all places but i dont see them advertised in summit/jegs anymore and no more hi temp solenoids either.

But if this test doesnt help then it may not be the solenoid/starter,who know's,maybe its the clutch safety switch or ign switch that acts up after the car heat's up

Also,if your not running a heat shield for the starter & solenoid now is the time to install one when you fix and or replace the starter.

But if you find its the solenoid/starter while it's out you should also take a few mins to pop the back plate off and to replace the brushes and put a small (sparingly)amount of grease into the bushing in rear housing cover when the armature seats/spins to keep it from binding when under load spining the motor over when hot.

Brushes are cheap toreplace so you might as well replace the starter drive with a hd one too while your at it . Then replacing the brushes/solenoid/and drive is a decent rbld if the rest of the starter/armature is fine.

I suspect the armature is ok because it only acts up hot which is usally the solenoid not the armature because if it was the armature it would act up more at other times too and not only when hot as you stated.

Brushes/solenoid/drive should be approx $60-$70 or you could just replace it with a new hi trq starter from summit for approx $100 and be done with it very quickly and it's warrentee'd or take it to a local rebuilder and have the starter completely overhauled so its fixed right the 1st time and you wont have any more issues with it for yrs to come esp being a limited use car.

Dont forget the heat shield & starter brace too if not running one,yr1 /ground up sells them .

scott

Thanks Scott, good information as usual. I called Kragen Auto parts and they have Autolite starter for $48. Is something wrong with getting one of those to save some $$?

Thanks Scott, good information as usual. I called Kragen Auto parts and they have Autolite starter for $48. Is something wrong with getting one of those to save some $$?
:yes:only if it craps out at a not so convenient time and leaves you stranded on the side of the road or in traffic:mad:

You really need to check and see if there is 12 volts at the starter's "S" terminal AT the time of failure while turning the key to the start position before you start replacing parts that may not need replacing.

Yea Dean I understand, but it happens so intermitenly that when it does not start, by the time I get a jack under it and get setup, it will have cooled enough to work anyways. I'll see how it tests tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

Sergio,make sure its a true hi trq starter because for approx $48 it may be a std /low trq unit that may not start your bbc when hot very well or maybe be ok at 1st then a yr later when worn a bit not be able to handle the load.

The hi trq starters have approx 1.5" inbetween the lower (Femall/accepts a long screw)terminal of the solenoid and the terminal the comes up out of the rear of the starter case with a screw that threads thru that terminal and a copper tube/bushing at rear of starter into the bottom of the solenoid,kinda hard to explain,hope i didnt confuse you.

If you have a Napa store in your area i think they sell a better quality rmfg starter,will cost motor bts its a better unit .

Either way ask if its a hi trq uint before buying it where even that may be and install a starter heat shield (get from ground up) if you dont have one to keep from frying this new solenoid/starter due to excessive ex manifold/header heat that likely fried your current starter.

Scott

Dean,good suggestion that could possibly catch an issue with ign key or clutch peddle safety switch not activating properly all the time due to worn /burnt contacts.

But more often then not its a fried solenoid/starter thats the culprit with symtoms his starter is experiencing as long ass all batery/grn/starter wire conections are clean & tight.

If Sergio has in fact already removed /replaced the starter i hope it fixes the problem

Scott

What I have done is, when the engine is cold, connect a piece of 14ga primary wire to the "S" terminal on the starter along with the original wire from the safety switch.

I bring it up near the battery and when the intermittent failure occurs you can check the voltage then AND bypass everything by touching it on the battery's positive terminal to start the car.

On one car, I did that plus added a relay and a switch inside to ground the relay which sends 12 volts to the solenoid.

I suppose maybe it is a lot easier to keep replacing parts until you get the right one.

I had what seems to be a similar problem. After changing out the column shift steering column for a complete floor shift unit, the problem went away. The only things different were the neutral safety switch and the ignition switch.

Hey guys. Well I got the starter out after 10 minutes of jiggling it around the header tubes. That thing is pretty heavy after a bit. I had to remove the 2 starter bolts and pull it out a little before I could get to the "S" term and + cable. Anyway, the NAPA store wanted $70 and Kragen wanted $48 for the starter. I asked the Kragen clerk if the Autolite starter was a high torque version and they said yes. It also comes with a lifetime warranty and even a 2 year roadside service warranty. If it fails, i can call an 800 number and they pay for the tow, which seemed cool. Plus the NAPA clerk was a jerk and seemed like I was bothering him, so I got the Autolite at Kragen.

I put it in and what a difference! I mean, I could feel the power of the starter in the ignition switch!! My old one was definitely running out steam. If it fails, I will use your idea Dean to run a wire from the "S" terminal to check the voltage when it gets hot. Thanks for that idea! I ran the car around town and parked it to get hot, and she cranked up fine over and over! So I hope it sticks since I'll be racing it again October 11th! Thanks again everyone!