Starter issue I believe
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 506
Likes: 117
From: Allentown Pa
Starter issue I believe
Hello All,
1987 Corvette coupe 57000 miles automatic. I just finished my exhaust install last week now I think my starter went. I drove the car several times this week with no issues. I noticed this morning a very slight slow cranking issue. Drove three miles to work and parked it. 9 hours later I noticed a bit more of a slow cranking issue. Drove a mile to an appointment then restarted a half hour later. Slow initial cranking. Parked at home for an hour then went to start it for the trip to the gym. Noticeable slow revolutions but did start. Thankfully I shut it off to test a restart. No go..no click no nothing. Battery is a Diehard and only 4 months old. Dash lights up, power windows work fine, no loss of voltage when I turn the key to start. I don't mind replacing the starter as it is the original but I have a concern. My new front Y pipe does not have CATS thus no heat shield. Is it possible that the heat got to my starter? Its just ironic that this happened a week after the exhaust install. No codes at all. I have never had a starting issue with this car in the past 4 years...It all presented itself today
Any insights on this would be appreciated and thanks as always,
Kevin
1987 Corvette coupe 57000 miles automatic. I just finished my exhaust install last week now I think my starter went. I drove the car several times this week with no issues. I noticed this morning a very slight slow cranking issue. Drove three miles to work and parked it. 9 hours later I noticed a bit more of a slow cranking issue. Drove a mile to an appointment then restarted a half hour later. Slow initial cranking. Parked at home for an hour then went to start it for the trip to the gym. Noticeable slow revolutions but did start. Thankfully I shut it off to test a restart. No go..no click no nothing. Battery is a Diehard and only 4 months old. Dash lights up, power windows work fine, no loss of voltage when I turn the key to start. I don't mind replacing the starter as it is the original but I have a concern. My new front Y pipe does not have CATS thus no heat shield. Is it possible that the heat got to my starter? Its just ironic that this happened a week after the exhaust install. No codes at all. I have never had a starting issue with this car in the past 4 years...It all presented itself today
Any insights on this would be appreciated and thanks as always,
Kevin
Last edited by Bugly87; Jul 28, 2015 at 08:32 PM.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 506
Likes: 117
From: Allentown Pa
After my post I went to attempt to start the car. Started up with a slightly slower crank. Started it 3 more times in a row each time with a progressively slower crank. Did not start the 5th time..no click, no crank, nothing. Battery is strong. Ill have the battery checked along with the wiring but like I said it came all of a sudden. Could the heat kill a relatively new battery?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks again
Kevin
Any other suggestions?
Thanks again
Kevin
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 346
From: Anaheim CA
You could have a bad battery cable. I had a leak in my battery that ate up the copper wire inside the positive battery cable. I drove the car to the auto parts store and didn't notice any problems with starting it. When I went to leave the dash would light up but go dark when I tried to crank. It failed that quickly. Worked OK, then didn't work at all.
I suggest checking both battery cable connections. BOTH ends. Many people just check the battery end, forgetting that the other end is important too.
I suggest checking both battery cable connections. BOTH ends. Many people just check the battery end, forgetting that the other end is important too.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 506
Likes: 117
From: Allentown Pa
Thanks for the replies. I am pretty sure that the battery is good. I will check the cables and grounds when I take the starter out to be tested. My concern is the heat from the Y pipe. Could this has caused the starter to fail? I just don't want to replace the starter only to have to do it again.
Thanks for any suggestions
Kevin
Thanks for any suggestions
Kevin
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,228
Likes: 10
From: That one city...you know that one. Idaho
Thanks for the replies. I am pretty sure that the battery is good. I will check the cables and grounds when I take the starter out to be tested. My concern is the heat from the Y pipe. Could this has caused the starter to fail? I just don't want to replace the starter only to have to do it again.
Thanks for any suggestions
Kevin
Thanks for any suggestions
Kevin
Every vehicle I have put headers but one has had this problem. For me a heat shield would not prevent it, and at best slow it down a small amount.
What I do now is to add universal solenoid, and wire the key to that. At the starter jump the start terminal to the main battery cable terminal. Have not had a starter die from heat this way yet.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 111
Yes heat from exhaust can cause a starter to fail, but it is normally the solenoid that fails.
Every vehicle I have put headers but one has had this problem. For me a heat shield would not prevent it, and at best slow it down a small amount.
What I do now is to add universal solenoid, and wire the key to that. At the starter jump the start terminal to the main battery cable terminal. Have not had a starter die from heat this way yet.
Every vehicle I have put headers but one has had this problem. For me a heat shield would not prevent it, and at best slow it down a small amount.
What I do now is to add universal solenoid, and wire the key to that. At the starter jump the start terminal to the main battery cable terminal. Have not had a starter die from heat this way yet.
Mine (the starter) failed me last night too. I also believe the heat from the headers had a lot to do with the matter...this starter is maybe 10 years old....maybe at most on this car .......far from a daily driver....the headlight motors have seen the last of their days as well....the joys of a 30 year old car....they break when you don't drive them and when you do😩😩
Last edited by 856SPEED; Aug 5, 2015 at 12:52 PM.