TI box burning starters
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,270
Likes: 375
From: Randolph nj
TI box burning starters
good friend bought a 68 427 tri power car and he suspects that the ti box is burning his starter , starters, he went through 3 so far,, has anyone ever had this problem before ,, he suspects it was wired wrong ,, I asked him if he shimmed the starter but he said it spun fast with no hesitation and does not suspect that its off in any way . so some how the ti box must be back feeding into the starter when its running burning the starters up ,,,, cant wait for feedback 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 6,938
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From: melbourne florida
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
has he got headers? are his connections good? is his battery good? is his timing right? does he buy junk starters? lots of ways to go with this.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,270
Likes: 375
From: Randolph nj
the truth is he has only drove it like 5 times since he got the car in november only around he block and to move the car around the shop all three starters burned up I dont know what the particulars were they were installed properly ..and i dont think heat was the issue
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,270
Likes: 375
From: Randolph nj
car is 100% stock , no junk parts , timing is on the money, all connections are good ..the car was restored and all new parts were installed even the TI box ,, battery is brand new
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Lantana Florida
good friend bought a 68 427 tri power car and he suspects that the ti box is burning his starter , starters, he went through 3 so far,, has anyone ever had this problem before ,, he suspects it was wired wrong ,, I asked him if he shimmed the starter but he said it spun fast with no hesitation and does not suspect that its off in any way . so some how the ti box must be back feeding into the starter when its running burning the starters up ,,,, cant wait for feedback
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 904
Likes: 46
From: Crestline CA
So whats happening to the starters"burning up" is kinda vague. If hes running aftermarket starters such as mini-starters(no I terminal) then you need a diode in the circuit to prevent the starter from running whenever the key is on.
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Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: BC
Not sure about 68 but a 69 big block used a brace off the front of the starter bolted to the block to prevent flex and starter failure. The brace probably wont work with a mini so flex could be a problem. Try a stock starter with the proper brace.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 904
Likes: 46
From: Crestline CA
Hmm, makes me wonder how the TI equipped cars are wired for ignition. Typically, w/ points, the power is fed to the coil from the ignition switch through a resistance wire(reduced voltage) during running("on" position) and through a regular wire(full voltage) fed from the "I" terminal on the starter while cranking("start" position). Thats where the problem w/ mini-starters comes in. They usually dont have a "I" terminal so people try to put the wire that was once on the "I" terminal on the "S" terminal or leave it off completely. That causes one of two problems, either the starter continues to crank in the "on" position or causes a crank/no start condition because there is no power to the coil while cranking. The remedy is to put a diode in the wire that was once on the "I" terminal so it can feed power to the coil while cranking but can backfeed power to the starter in the run position. Ive also been told you can run a later style ignition switch from the HEI years as they feed the coil power while cranking directly from the ignition switch but Ive never tried it.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2010
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From: Randolph nj
My friend is looking into the diode .. Also checking the timing again ... He is a seasoned corvette owner and owned several over the years with the TI boxes and never had this problem before