My car starts fine when cold... but after it gets to operating temperature, it has a real tough time starting.... if too hot, the car won't start at all.

I've been having starting issues since I relocated the battery to the trunk when I added the fuel cell up front for the nitrous system. It wasn't too bad at first... but it has now gotten to the point that if I drive the car for longer than 10 minutes, I need to let it cool off before I can start it again.

1. I thought it may be the starter solenoid giving out due to it being so close the the headers or the battery being weak. Battery and starter were replaced in the last several weeks... problem still there.

2. Several days ago, I installed 1/0 gauge wire from power in the back directly to the starter to see if that helped.... not better.

3. Tonite I ran a negative wire from the battey to the front terminal and to the engine as well and disconnected the ground in the back... nothing. I tried hooking up both the rear ground and the ones up front to the battery... nothing again.

4. I also tried hooking up my other cars battery to mine with jumper cables, to see if extra juice would help. Nothing again.

This only happens when the car is hot.

I am thinking it may be the 383 getting tighter and harder to start when hot... needing a higher torque starter... however this problem was not there with the same engine, yet with the battery in the front.

I searched the board for about 2 hrs with no solution to find.... anyone have any ideas?

 

Can you give a quick desc of how you have the system wired to help track down if something that is missed? This is a quick desc of the way I am doing mine...

Positive:

• 0/1 wire from + batt through a master cutoff switch up to a splitter.
• (3) 4 gauge wires from the spliter going to (1) Alt, (2) starter, and (3) through another switch, killing power from the Alt, to the main (red) factory connector at the front.

Negative:

• - batt going to a good chassis ground in the rear
• engine gets a ground strap to front chassis

 

I always use a "0" wire to the starter and have had no problems.


Ya may need a higher cranking amp bat or a high torque starter.

 

Stillsounds like the starter is heat soaked. Might try an insulating wrap on the starter.

Are the headers coated? That also helps, although obviously not an expedient solution for you.

 

The headers are SLP Stainless uncoated.

I would think it may be heatsoak, but the problem only started occurring when the battery was relocated to the trunk.... never happened before.

When the starter was replaced with a new one, event the first time I started when the car was warm, the same problem happened.

As for how it is hooked up, I've tried several "schematics" that both rendered the same outcome. Here are the main points.

- battery is new with 800CCA and was tested to be in gret condition twice
- "+" 1/0 Gauge running from battery directly to starter
- "+" 2 gauge running from battery to front accessories, tried also without this and no difference
- "-" grounded to body in back.... the area was sanded and bolted firmly
- "-" was also grounded to body and motor (near coil mount on head) in the front directly, as well as in conjunction with "-" to rear body... with the same problem

 

Like LR said, you most likely need 0 gauge.

 

Look, assuming it's NOT heatsoak, you can guess at it all you want, but if you have a voltmeter, try to get it so you can measure battery and starter voltages during a hot start and see where the voltage is getting lost. If cranking battery voltage is around 10 (which is OK) and starter voltage is much lower than that, you have a drop across the cable and need more copper or a better ground.

 

So then getting 10 Volts at the battery is OK when the car is started because that is what I got when I measured it.

I guess I should get under the car to measure it at the starter.

Here is the update from today though.

I went to my buddys shop and we measured a drop to 10 volts when the car was trying to start.

He then turned on his charger which put another Maximum 300 amps to the system at the battery... and the car started with no problems.

I purchased a Red Optima battery (800 CCA) and tried to start it... same as before. I connected 2 batteries together for a total of about 1600CCA and still nothing.

I tried with battery cables grounding the motor to the car in 2 spots.. and moved both the grounds to the car and to the motor around... with no luck.

In terms of battery thickness... a 1/0 gauge wire AND a 4 guage wire together to the front... the 1/0 going directly to the starter... and nothing.

Would the starter be "sucking" too much voltage because it has to work too hard to turn the motor? Would a higher torque (ie. LT4 starter) use less power to turn the motor over?

 

It's either that or ground. Can't have one without the other. Although, I have had some starters work beter than others in a heat soak application. Yer missing something.

 

Any success yet, C Man?

 

How does heat adversely affect starter operation?

If this is the case, shouldn't he be able to hear that the starter doesn't operate at all, or is it possible that the starter gear contacts the flywheel ring gear but lacks the ability to turn it?

P.S. Part of a blues tune:

 

I'm pretty sure I just need a high torque starter.... 2 batteries are connected together to double the cranking amps... and the starter is getting tons of juice and i've cleaned and added new grounds b/w the motor and frame.

Even from the rear... I've grounded both batteries to the frame in the back and in the front as well.

I'm now deciding on an LT4 Starter or a Powermaster Mini.... it seems (from my CZ28.com research) that there may be some issues with fitment of the LT4 starter... so I may opt for the Powermaster.