I just bought a solenoid heat shield. Is this what I need to stop the car from cranking very slow when it is hot? I have a new battery, 850CCA but when the car gets to operating temp, it cranks very slow and when it cools down it's fine.

Thanks
Jack
1977 C3

 

that would be the first place i would start, then i would check the timing....

 

Timing is perfect and recently tuned by me. New distr. cap, rotor, plugs, carb rebuilt, timing and dwell set.
So I just received the solenoid cover but I have no clue how to put it on.
Has anyone here put one on to lay down a hint?
By looking at it I can't fathom where it mounts and I have replaced many a GM starter in my day.

Thanks
Jack

 

Also clean the frame connection to the neg battery post and consider using a heavier gauge wire.
Stock exhaust or headers? The solenoid shield they gave me was for stock pipe, pretty useless for headers.

 

I bought the solenoid shield from Corvette Central. I have stock pipes, no headers. But after the car is driving, when I restart it, it cranks slow, I attribute that to heat off my exhaust.

Jack
77 C3

 

The OE shield is only for protection of the Bakelite end of the switch where all the wires attach. It has virtuously nothing to do with cranking speed. If your car has trouble on a hot re-start, clean all the connections especially the one right under the battery attached to the transmission cross-member....its normally the worst neglected connection on a Vette. Most owners don't even know of its existence..

As to the shield, on most of the reman starters they are not replaced by the re-builders.....so its not very often you will find one. ...The same shield is used on the 429/460 Ford engines

 

Previous owner of my '73 had the same problem due to the proximity of the solenoid to the header. He added a kevlar/fabric type heat shield that wraps around the starter and solenoid. He also installed an external soleniod. I've not had any heat soak issues since I've had the car.

You might also double check your battery and ground cables. Increased resistance when the cables heat up might be part of the problem. If the cables are original to the car, there could be corrosion inside the cable jacket that is difficult to see. There is a way to measure the resistance of the cables and compare to known good values. I've forgotten the particulars but I believe there is an old thread that describes the procedure.

Hope this helps.

DC

 

I battled the infamous "slow crank on a hot day" problem when I first got my present car. I chased it around for a while, before realizing that someone had boogered up the threads on my solenoid real good. $12 for a new solenoid at NAPA and the problem evaporated.

 

Just an aside if this problem returns. I had similar issue on a 1974 with a new crate engine installed by prev. owner. The culprit turned out to be the very short ground between engine mount area and car
frame underneath. It is only about 8 or 9 " long but very necessary to ground engine. Must be clean and tight.

 

I had the heat soak problem on my 77. After replacing the solenoid and starter i still had the problem. I bought a Summit starter insulation blanket and wrapped the starter then insalled a Summit starter heat shield. Haven't had the problem for 18 years.

 

Hi,

When I pulled the starter, I found that the solenoid was shot. The small starter wire bolt was loose to a point that the threads were stripped on it. I cleaned the starter, replaced the solenoid, made sure that all of the bolts were tight, I cleaned the ground wire and area that attaches to the starter bolt. Ever since all is well (so far). I don't have headers, only a stock manifold and there is space between the starter and exhaust, so it should be good. I didn't need the heat shield.
I have been rebuilding cars since 1965 (mostly E-Type Jaguars). I still get amazed when I buy a vintage car to repair, when I get into them and see what the previous owners did to the cars, to make them run. It is scary.
Anyone that buys any vintage car should put it up on jack stands and do a major once over before they even drive them.
When I bought this car I was wondering why the rear brakes felt funny. Someone in the past crimped off the right rear brake line and only 3 calipers were working. First job was to rebuild the whole brake system (the master was good).
This is my first C3 Vette that I have worked on and it is quite different than any other car. I thank the lord that it is not a positive ground like a few of my others.


Thanks
Jack
1977 C3

 

i use a blanket shield on my starter and header wrap on the pipes. haven't had a problem since i started using both of them.

 

Just a comment....

The time to check all that stuff out is before you buy the car.

 

JC Whitney used to sell a hard shell type of shields to cover the armature housing and soleniod. I have used them for years with no slow crank issues. (I think they advertised that the material was used on the Space SHuttle). Also, I recently replaced my engine wiring harness and wrapped the wires going to the starter solenoid in spark plug wire shielding intended to protect spark plug wires from header heat. This will prevent these wires from getting brittle and breaking, etc. Just my .02

 

Since I removed the starter and replaced the solenoid, I have no more problems. The heat shield was the wrong one and I have to send it back.
My solenoid was the culprit.

Thanks
Jack

 

I have the same issues. I have headers on mine. got the wrap on the new starter, and header wrap. Still a little slow to star when Hot. I will have to check into to the ground from battery to frame...

 

I've got a 1980 with headers. I replaced the big original 20lb monster with a smaller and lighter (8 lbs!!!) unit from a late 90's Chevy pickup with a 5.7 engine.

It's a permanent magnet, gear reduction starter. I had asked some co-workers if they had experience with any of the mini high-torque racing starters and this is what they recommended. It's a direct bolt in for the 168 tooth flywheel and it's a LOT cheaper than a mini. Only drawback is that the bolts are about an inch shorter, so I had to get the right bolts for it. 2 years later and it's still going strong.

Example PN's for a 1998 Chevy 1/2 ton w/ 5.7
ACDelco 336-1910a
AutoZone DLG9990S

 

Consider getting a ministarter. Not only are they smaller and much lighter, I believe they produce more torque than the original design and from what I gather reading on the forum, they're not as susceptible to heat problems. Being smaller they're no so close to the exhaust manifolds. Maybe this is why they're not so heat sensitive.

I selected my mini starters from the GM Performance Parts catalog. They are compatible with all GM flywheels/flex plates. They'll bolt right in.

 

Got a heat sheild from summit. Cleaned the ground from battery to frame . And still the same ****..... WHERE DO YOU GET THE GM PERFORMANCE PARTS CATALOG AT???