Wayne88

Today, I took my C2 out for a run, its 85 degrees out. I stopped for gas and while starting, it seemed like the starter was sluggish. My battery is good.

Anyone experience this? This may be heat soak? Would the heat shield they sell for starters help shield it from the heat?

Nowhere Man

Do you have the factory one in place? Also your starter could soon be due for a rebuild

Donald #31176

My own experience for better cranking is thicker battery cables coupled to a starter with HD field coils in the starter.

Powershift

I agree.

Years ago I had my small block starter rebuilt with additional field coils like the BB cars. It now turns the engine over hot or cold and almost sounds like a jet turbine winding up. All this is good...........but I do miss the sound of the original starter. However, now there are no more starting issues on hot summer days.

Larry

SDVette

My starter was rebuilt just a few years ago.
98% of the time it cranks strong - no problem.
After a long run at speed, and a short stop (as you describe), it won't even turn the motor - Have to bump start the car.
When it cools off, it's fine again.

I'm in the same boat as you.. this is not an electrical problem. I have a 350 in my '61 - there is no shielding at all.

Wayne88

Sounds like mine. When the engine is cold, I pump the pedal once and it fires up instantly. When hot it's sluggish.

Wayne88

Mine's not the original factory starter. It's a Delco Remy with a different number than what was stock for a '67 big block.

Nowhere Man

the stock one will should still fit

MikeM

I have been running SBC's and a few BB's for 5 decades. None of them ever had a "shield" on the starter. Some, when little sluggish on a very hot restart required a couple of pumps on the gas pedal and the crank speed picked up to normal. Timing was a little fast and a light flooding of the engine kept the engine from kicking back.

All that said, the GM heat shields I've seen are just to keep heat off the solenoid so it will engage the contacts and start the motor spinning. Nothing to do with how fast it cranks, rather will it crank at all.

Of course, I could be wrong because I've never needed to install a heat shield.

cardo0

We really need a sticky for starter problems. I'll try a short list here:

Heat soak from exhaust manifold heat. Thin wires inside solenoid increase resistance and solenoid becomes too weak to pull in the contactor to energize starter motor windings. Fix is a functional heat shield that maintains an air gap between the shield and solenoid - not wrap that will soak up heat and conduct it to the solenoid/ starter.

Solenoid contactor covered with spark corrosion. Fix is to either flip the contactor disk over to other side or replace solenoid.

Starter motor bearings seezed. Clean and grease bearings or replace.

Starter motor commutator corroded up. Fix remove motor armature and clean out the slots (something that should be done when cleaning the bearings).

I'm sure there are more but my tablet battery is gonna turn me off and trash my post.

Good night.

R66

I had a 13:1 compression 302 engine that I raced on the strip. The mechanical advance was tuned in for total advance as the vacuum advance plate was locked. It was very difficult to start hot. I had to flip the kill switch and get the motor cranking and then release the switch to fire the engine off when hot. The engine was in a Vega and the small engine compartment would not let the heat escape and the headers were wrapping the starter. I had 2/0 welding cable for the battery cables.

Timing will affect HOT starter performance as well as well as headers and wiring and engine heat soak.

Ron