Warm start issues
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Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 33
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From: Houston TX
Warm start issues
When I first start my car up after sitting for awhile it cranks over nice and quick. It is another story when the cars hot, the starter acts like it can barely turn the engine and takes a few tries to get it to crank over. It seems like electrical / starter issue. Any suggestions?
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Alot of these hot start problems that are diagnosed as heat soak on the starters are actually a weak battery. Don't dismiss that as a possibility. Also check your grounds/connections at the starter and battery.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 40
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From: Raleigh NC
My '91 would do the same thing, except sometimes on occasion it wouldn't want to turn over even when cold.
Everyone told me it was the starter but it ended up being the infamous head gasket leak at cylinder 7 (driver side firewall). A minor leak developed putting enough coolant into #7 cylinder to cause hydrolock. Depending on the compression stroke at startup, it was too much compression for the starter to turn the engine over.
It might not be a head gasket. But its very easy to pull spark plugs and see if any coolant comes out or if any of the plugs are super clean.
Everyone told me it was the starter but it ended up being the infamous head gasket leak at cylinder 7 (driver side firewall). A minor leak developed putting enough coolant into #7 cylinder to cause hydrolock. Depending on the compression stroke at startup, it was too much compression for the starter to turn the engine over.
It might not be a head gasket. But its very easy to pull spark plugs and see if any coolant comes out or if any of the plugs are super clean.
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