Slow starting/cranking problem
 

hey guys. the other day, 3 days ago, i went to start my car after it had been sitting overnight and for the first time it took a few seconds of a slow start to start the car. the starter was cranking real slow. reminds me of a dead battery or tired one bout to go out. anyway i didnt think overly too much of it and drove it a while then parked then about 3 hours later i started it again and it did it again. so i drove it back home and started it up the next morning, same thing. but after the car starts it runs fine, normal and all the electrics work great. i think its the battery hopefully. i cheecked the volts and its 12.6 off and around 14.3 running so the alt is putting out a charge. the volt meter on the guages is ok too. thing is, if i drive somewhere say to the gas station, turn off the car, put gas in it, then get back in the car, all in a matter of like 5 min or less, go to start the car and the car cranks over like nomral and starts right up, seems to me like it is the battery because affter it has been driven a bit it charged the loss power that it sat overnight or 3+ hours. i think my battery is just going south and i hope it is cuz its no problem for me to get another one. just wanted to know if u guys have had this problem and what it was and if these symptoms are of a tired batttery. it cranks real slow after it has been sitting for 3+ hours or overnight. after it has been ran for a bit and started in less than an hour or so after it is turned off, it starts up fine no problem. let me know what you guys think. im going to put a load tester on it to see if it is a weak battery. but i probably am going to change it and it will probalby fix it. i havnet had time to get another one i have been pretty busy lately. let me know what u guys think thanks.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

check your fuel pressure. it sounds like fuel pump problem...
Sebastian

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

havent checked the fuel pressure yet dont have a guage. dont think its the fuel pump. drives fine after it starts and the pump turns on and primes. also the volt meter in the car when i go to start it and it turns slow, the needle drops down to a little above the 8 which is about 10 volts or so. when it starts fine it usually stays at around 11 volts when turning it over. i truly think its my battery and hope it is and not my fuel pump. i am tryign to get a new battery from a bud that works at my dealership. i think my battery is just weak and tired and doesnt have enough juice in it in the mornings or after it has set a few hours to turn the car over normally but when its driving and set an hour or so it will start up fine causet hte car had already been charging the battery and it still has enough juice to start fine. its a duralast that i have had fora lmost a a year and a half and the guy i bought the car freom had it in there and i dont know when he replaced it last. its probably been several years.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

ok, got problems now. went to autozone and got them to put a load tester on my battery. test came out saying it was a good battery. but... this was after i had already driven it and it had already charged up the battery full charge. it hasnt been sitting overnight or more than a few hours. i still think its a weak/tired battery because when i go to start it the needle drops extremely low on the voltmeter in the car. almost like it barely has enough juice, but has enough so it will start and be fine until it sits again. im really worrieed that its my fuel pump and its not going to be cheap or easy to replace. the reason why i dont think it is the fuel pump is because it runs fine and great after it has been started. doesnt run any different than it has ever been. it runs normal. drives fine, doesnt sputter, miss, all my electrics work and everything. dont think its the starter either because after it has been driven and there is plenty of juice in the battery it starts fine and no problem, fast starting/cranking and no signs of slow cranking at all. my main question is even though the load tester that was put on my battery at autozone said it is a good battery, can it still be bad to the point that it does what my symptoms are? slow starting in the morning? or after it sits a few hours? thanks

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

ok i have an update. bad news. i went and got another battery a brand new one and it iddnt solve the problem. i dont know what to do now. how much is a fuel pressure guage and i hook it up to the shcrader valve? isnt that at the back of the intake manifold? also how would i check for shorts in my electirical system just incase there is one and its draining my battery a bit. the thing is though the car runs fine and normal like it used to before this slow starting problem. it runs fine drives good gots plenty of power, no stuttering, hesitation at any rpms. thats why i dont think its the fuel pump. ih ope not at least. if it is something with fuel, coul dit be my fuel injectors? fuel pressure regulator? could i b losing fuel pressure as it sits? since i dont have any problems while driving it i wouldnt think it would be fuel injectors or a fuel pump because i know it would cause problems. im really tore up about this cuz i cant figure out wahts wrong with it. the alternator is charging correctly and the starter is fine after i start it after it sits. it will crank slow for a few seconds, then start and be fine. if i drive it somehwere then shut it off in less than an hour i go out to start it again and it starts normal. dont know what it is but i need to find out asap. any other suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated thanks.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

Alright let's distinguish between slow starting (cranks fast but doesn't fire up right away) and slow cranking (starter rotates the engine slowly)?????? I read all the above and was led to believe the starter cranks the engine slowly. Is this correct or not? If the starter is continuing to spin slow on initial start up, chances are good that the windings are shorted together internally and it is drawing too much current. It rotates faster after the engine is warmed up since the oil is hot and easier to spin. You should check the engine and frame grounds to be sure they are clean, shiney and secure.

Let us know.

Dave

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

yea man. you are right. it is slow cranking. the starter rotates the engine slowly for about 3-4 seconds then fires right up no problem. runs great, drives great, until i turn it off and let is sit for a few hours then it will do it again. and when i do start it and the engine cranks slowly, the voltmeter in the car drops below the 1st mark after the 8, supposedly a little less than 10.5 volts. each tick mark on the guage represents 2.5 volts. i will try to check all the grounds. how many are there? ii know of the ones from the battery and a few that are on the front of the car where there is a ground on each side but where are the others. thanks.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

I believe the grounds are located on the driver side.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

ok, thanks, ill try to check them out. i havent gotten a chacnet to yet thanks again.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

ok, im trying the starter next. how hard is it to replace. supposedly all i do is just remove theo ld one and install the new one, right? anyway where should i get it from GM, or autozone, advance auto? from advance they have an ac delco reman thats lifteime warranty for like 165 with a 45 core or so, it makes it only 120. where would you guys buy your starters and how much hsould they be? how hard is it to replace? thanks!

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

just did some research on a starter and some of u guys buy the lt4 starter and its suposed to be heavier duty. is it? also its a lot smaller, will it bolt right up no problems? no modifications like shims or anything in the way? i thikn u guys said jason cromer is 150 or so from him. i will check on it. is it better then the lt1? i plan on gettting it very soon and hopefully it will fix my slow starting/cranking problem. thanks!

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

any ideas on the lt4 starter. sounds like a better deal then an autozone ac delco reman and no core on the lt4 and its new i believe.

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

First of all the core charge is NOT removed from the cost of the part. You have to pay the core charge up front if you don't have the old starter. Once you bring the old core back, you get the core charge back. If you bring the old starter with you when you pick up the new one, the core charge is waived.

Second, never EVER buy electrical parts from the cheap auto parts stores like Autozone or Advanced. Even if they have a good name like Bosch. Also, a lifetime warranty means nothing if you constantly have to replace the part. Think, how many times do you want to crawl under the car to take advantage of a lifetime warranty.

Third, you can test the old starter in the car by doing 2 things. First, have someone crank the engine over while you measure the voltage across the battery. The voltage should not drop below 11 volts while cranking. If so the battery may have a problem and it may not be the starter after all. Second, jump power to the starter and solenoid directly with a jumper cable to eliminate any wiring issues. Don't forget you may need to jump the negative as well as the positive but the negative can be jumped to any clean spot on the engine.

Hope that helps, good luck

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

One other thing that really nobody addressed is that any time you have any kind of electrical problym one of the first thing you should check is ALL the connections not just the grounds also check the battery cable and starter wire at the starter make sure there clean and tight. You could also have corroded battery cables

Re: Slow starting/cranking problem
 

I vote the starter as well. Mine went out on my car couple weeks ago, starter takes all of ten mins to get off and on. I went with the lt4 lifetime warrenty deal from auto zone mainly cause i get a discount threw work and it was stocked on the shelf. My car was doin the exact same thing as yours when i pulled my starter off, the wire that connects the cylnoid to the actuall starter was burnt. So i say buy the 96 vette starter vin code 5 from the zone for 120 bux and wrap it in insulation.