79 Hard To Start When Hot..help
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: WHITEVILLE TN
79 Hard To Start When Hot..help
When my vette is cold it will fire right up. After driving for a while and after it has warmed up, the starter seeems weak and it is hard to start. Any ideas? Thanks.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,269
Likes: 54
From: Orlando Florida
St. Jude Donor '05
It's the starter, don't waste money on trying to fix the problem with a heat shield (I tried and failed)...
The $40 AutoZone starters seem to last only a few months on our Corvettes, must be the heat..... I bought a high tourque starter and now it's fine...
The $40 AutoZone starters seem to last only a few months on our Corvettes, must be the heat..... I bought a high tourque starter and now it's fine...
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,362
Likes: 5
From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
Originally Posted by KALAWAY
Won't start when it's hot sounds like the coil.
Hmm what he needs to do is be more clear: Is it a NO CRANK situation, (kinda what he described) or is it a NO START situation (what he actually said) because they are completely different.
If it won't CRANK when hot, yes it's the starter. If it won't START but cranks fine when hot, then the fuel system would be suspect, such as vapor lock or similar.
My two cents ...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,269
Likes: 54
From: Orlando Florida
St. Jude Donor '05
Originally Posted by SanDiegoPaul
Hmm what he needs to do is be more clear: Is it a NO CRANK situation, (kinda what he described) or is it a NO START situation (what he actually said) because they are completely different.
If it won't CRANK when hot, yes it's the starter. If it won't START but cranks fine when hot, then the fuel system would be suspect, such as vapor lock or similar.
My two cents ...
If it won't CRANK when hot, yes it's the starter. If it won't START but cranks fine when hot, then the fuel system would be suspect, such as vapor lock or similar.
My two cents ...
Sounds like the 'normal' hot start problem to me.... as soon as the starter is hot it cranks too slow.
Interessting: I replaced my starter with a high torque starter, then I asked the previous owner how old the starter was - he said it was only a few months old when I bought the car. It was a $40 rebuilt from either AutoZone or DiscountAuto.... unfortunately he didn't have the receipt - AZ's return policy is fantastic...just annoying if you have to return your starter every 6 months...
My new high torque starter is also from AutoZone... works great...
Pro
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 700
Likes: 0
From: Lantana TX
Originally Posted by RALLYWHEEL
When my vette is cold it will fire right up. After driving for a while and after it has warmed up, the starter seeems weak and it is hard to start. Any ideas? Thanks.
Hey Rallywheel, I can finally answer one of these posts. It sucks not being able to help more people out, but you folks here are just too smart
Here is an easy and cheap fix, almost guaranteed. Heat is the culprit; the starter solenoid is near the exhaust (worse if you have headers) and when you have been driving for a while it heats up. When the solenoid gets hot its difficult for the solenoid to allow the starter to start. When it cools down it is fine. I had this problem for 2 years and have tried all the fixes here and have been through multiple starters usually 1 every other year. I remember the reason that was given- Extreme heat expands almost anything especially metal and when it gets hot the internal components swell and cannot engage the starter.
What you need to do is go to NAPA AutoZone, and buy a remote starter solenoid and install it away from the heat (exhaust) and you will never have the problem again.
I did the swap ($10 or less) and it has been 2 years and has never happened again. It takes about an hour to install.
If you need a pic of what I am referring to let me know
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Pro
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 700
Likes: 0
From: Lantana TX
Originally Posted by RALLYWHEEL
76 STING, post a pic. My vette will start when hot, but the starter seems to drag and is real slow and weak. When cold it fires right up.....
I would rather spend $10 bucks before spending money on a new starter, battery, heat shield etc. I cannot seam to get my host up an running can you post a pic of it for the rest of the forum members.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 16,100
Likes: 17
Originally Posted by RALLYWHEEL
When my vette is cold it will fire right up. After driving for a while and after it has warmed up, the starter seeems weak and it is hard to start. Any ideas? Thanks.
Had a problem after car hot from driving,got NOTHING.
Cold ok.Turned out,by replacing spring ( in solenoid ?) fixed the problem.That was twenty years ago....
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,725
Likes: 5
From: Minnesota
Originally Posted by carhound
A lot of times, when a car is hard to start when it is hot, is because it is timed to high. Another reason could be a weak coil. A heated up coil makes for a slow crank also.
Have you tried adjusting the timing back a little (turn the distributor clockwise)?
