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won't start when hot

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Old May 30, 2010 | 09:41 PM
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Default won't start when hot

81 vet problem started yr ago. starts up good when cold no problem.
when hot when trying to start get nothing. has to sit 1 to 3 hrs before it will start. it went to once a month now its everytime. had the starter & selinode replaced and they also put in a blower relay.

thanks in advance
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Old May 30, 2010 | 09:57 PM
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Your starter is getting too hot.
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Old May 30, 2010 | 10:10 PM
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does the starter engage and crank real slow, or does it just click and not draw any current?
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Old May 30, 2010 | 11:03 PM
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completly dead. no starter no click.
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Old May 31, 2010 | 08:12 AM
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Default Possibly a bad ground....

go to your ground underneath the battery attached to the crossmember and clean it ....you probably did not need the starter....by the way 'everything' gets hot under the hood.....so should you replace parts by how hot they get?....


If this is a automatic car, a close inspection of the shifter cable may reveal corrosion.. If that is the case your engine was grounding itself through the cable and may break down the road...
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Old Jun 2, 2010 | 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Ironcross
go to your ground underneath the battery attached to the crossmember and clean it ....you probably did not need the starter....by the way 'everything' gets hot under the hood.....so should you replace parts by how hot they get?....
The flaw with your logic is that the starter getting too hot and then not working is a common (and well known) problem with Corvettes. Ask me or my friend with a '69 how we know...
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Old Jun 2, 2010 | 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by VCuomo
The flaw with your logic is that the starter getting too hot and then not working is a common (and well known) problem with Corvettes. Ask me or my friend with a '69 how we know...
I don't have to ask anyone anything, I sell the best starters in the country and can line or stack them up against anybody's...I know exactly what and how they work and what will cause failures interpreted as the starters fault....that's a cop out, there's more to it than crawling under a car and taking a starter off...especially when there so hot you can hardly touch them,,,,One more point, these cars started flawlessly when new whether a hot engine or cold and no matter what engine too.......Right or wrong?
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Old Jun 2, 2010 | 09:55 PM
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Originally Posted by pgh red
completly dead. no starter no click.
Sounds like the classic solenoid heat soak problem , replace the solenoid.
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Old Jun 2, 2010 | 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Ironcross
I don't have to ask anyone anything, I sell the best starters in the country and can line or stack them up against anybody's...I know exactly what and how they work and what will cause failures interpreted as the starters fault....that's a cop out, there's more to it than crawling under a car and taking a starter off...especially when there so hot you can hardly touch them,,,,One more point, these cars started flawlessly when new whether a hot engine or cold and no matter what engine too.......Right or wrong?
If I recall correctly, even GM had a service bulletin that advised adding a heat shield to cure this problem.
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Old Jun 2, 2010 | 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Ironcross
go to your ground underneath the battery attached to the crossmember and clean it ....you probably did not need the starter.......
^^^ HA! ^^^ (spoken with experience here too).



also, go under the car and re-tighten the cable to the starter. I had the exact same thing. Double check all starter connections, battery connections etc first
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Old Jun 3, 2010 | 01:25 AM
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Originally Posted by OregonVette80
^^^ HA! ^^^ (spoken with experience here too).



also, go under the car and re-tighten the cable to the starter. I had the exact same thing. Double check all starter connections, battery connections etc first
Most likely the spring that pushes the contact in the solenoid assembly is weak, the a rotating contact is not spinning. Your solenoid needs to be replaced, I would change the whole starter and use a heat blanket on the system.
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Old Jun 3, 2010 | 09:26 PM
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I removed my battery ground cable at the frame and cleaned and shined all parts. Reassembled with dilectric grease and no mo troubles.
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Old Jun 4, 2010 | 03:58 PM
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I have the same problem with my 81, only after I installed my headers. Should I fab a heat sheild or insulate the starter?
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Old Jun 4, 2010 | 07:33 PM
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Its the cables. The postive gets corrossion inside the insulation and breaks down the ability to carry enought amps under hot load to start the car. AND ALSO as others said REMOUNT THE GROUND TO the frame . Over time the connections of metal to metal goes away and won't carry the current when it gets hot.

This happens all the time in C3's .happned to me .......people FORGET about the battery cables and think because they look solid , then they must be ok. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

Buy a quality set of GM replacemnet cables and EVERYTHING on your car will work better. ...........I did same thing you did replaced the starter TWICE and solenoid twice ..... It is pain and people ignore the postive cable as its a itch to put in.
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Old Jun 4, 2010 | 10:13 PM
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This will probably fall on deaf ears and people will still believe that 'heat soak' is real even after changing starters and switches including the solenoid spring and then want another starter for the one just purchased....Hell that was the last thing purchased and should under normal conditions last years and its one of the hardest things to replace. What can kill a starter is a poor ignition or fuel delivery system causing one to crank and crank therefore overheating the starter and actually burning it out as the battery starts to die....

Heat shields are not new, GM and Ford have used them. What they really protect is the bakelite cap on the back of the switch where the wires connect, not the starter as over time some can crack from the exhaust heat....But whatever...next week 'heat soak' will be back as strong as ever and for all the wrong reasons.....
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Old Jun 4, 2010 | 10:24 PM
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Parts counter guys , gotta love em.
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Old Jun 5, 2010 | 10:39 AM
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I had the same problem a few years ago. Turned out to be a bad connection at the starter. Once I cleaned up and tightened all the connections, it worked fine. I still recommend installing a late model gear reduction starter. They are better in every way. They are lighter and work with a weak battery when a conventional starter won't. They are also a lot easier to install because of their smaller size and lighter weight. OK, there's one down side. They sound funny.
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Old Jun 5, 2010 | 11:26 AM
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Had a similar problem...my issue ended up being a bad ground.
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