Hello. Nubie to this board (been reading it awhile though). I was dumb enough to buy an 84 model last year
(it was so cheap, cheap, cheap I couldn't resist). I was wondering if any of the rest of you have had a
problem with the car not starting after it is hot? Mine does this randomly. Turn the key and nada. No clicking
sound like a cellinoid would make. Pure silence. Yet lights, radio, etc. work fine. Car just won't crank. As I
said this happens randomly, but at least once a day. Let the car sit for about 20 minutes or more and she
cranks right up.
I have been told by other 84 owners that this is a common problem with the 84 year. The starter is too
close to the exhaust system and gets too hot. One vette owner told me he put a heat "sink" between the
starter and the exhaust to draw the heat away from the starter and hasn't had a problem since. More than one
mechanic has suggested a "heat blanket" (I didn't know of such a thing but more than one person has suggested
using one, so I guess they exist) around the starter to shield it from the exhaust heat.
Have any of the rest of you had this problem and if so how did you solve it?

Thanks

Just an old fart in a young man's car.

 

GRAYDOG
First, welcome to the forum, as far as your starting problems thats another story, just bought a starter blanket from summit raceing, cost$25 dollars, try this first, remove starter and put blanket on, check all connections,battery,altinator, key (don't know if an 84 has a c chip in ignition switch)these are the basics, worked all summer on my 89 and finally had to eliminate the vats system to make it depndable. GOOD LUCK

:jester :jester :jester :jester :jester

 

First, you are not dumb for buying an 84! Do Not Apologize. It is and always will be a great Vette. It was the first C4 and it estabilshed the Vette as a World Class Performance Car.
I have suffered hot start problems too, twice it was the starter going south and three times it was the battery. Looking back, a less than stellar starter and a weak battery have something in common as far as hot starts, Volts.
If the starter won't spin fast enough [or at all] and draws to much current (not enough back EMF), your battery cable voltage drop goes up and subsequently not enough voltage drop occurs across the starter motor. A weak battery exhibits similar behavior in that not enough voltage is dropped across the starter motor.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but, make sure that your starter and solenoid are in good shape, make sure that your battery is in great shape, make sure that all the starter cables and connections are in good shape.
Try this, next time the Vette is hot and won't start, measure the battery voltage when attempting to crank it over. Then, measure the battery voltage when you start your Vett when it is cooled down. You will be surprised how a big current load will suck the life out of battery power. All those lost volts are dissapated in the battery cables and connections ( referred to as I*I R losses; read as "I squared R" losses).
Oh yes, install a heat shield for the starter.

One finale thought, TBI Vetts can be made to perform. Get the wrenches :cheers:

 

OK Mister Ohm, the next thing you try to make us believe is that P=I*E! :D

 

Sorry, only one lesson a year I did kinda get carried away didn't I?
Did you hear what the battery said when they replaced generators with alternators?

ans: Well if that ain't that a re-volting development. groan

 

And here I thought a transistor was a nun with a sex change. :lol:

 

do a search on my name. I replied to someone's post last week about the same problem and my solution. Dealership installed three starters, each fried from teh heat. No problems after the hat blanket installed. Yeah, that's right I'm gonna make you work for it. Sorry I'm not typing the whole thing over again. :crazy:

 

First suspicion is the starter over heating as stated above.
Second is the VAT system (theft prevention). Even an overheated starter will usually give a noise of some kind.

 

84's don't have VATS, no pellet in the ign key. Problem is heat soaked starter and can be proven by the garden hose method, but take care to squirt water on the back 3/4 of starter body.

 

I had an 84 TransAm that had the same problem.. Starter motor next to exhaust manifold cause it to overheat.. Solution was to install heat sheld around the starter... no more problem.. cheap fix..