SBC Starter Question. Click, Click, Click, Click, Vrooooom!

[NealinCA]

The starter on my GMC has had an intermitant problem for some time. Every once in a while, I would get the click, click...routine. Sometimes 20-30 times before it will catch.

I pulled the starter, had it tested and everything checked out. I haven't had a problem with it for a long time, until the past week or so. It does it almost every time I try to start it up.

Do I just throw a rebuilt starter on it?

Or could it be a ground problem? What do you think?

Thanks,

Neal

[FONZI]

Is your starter from a large chain auto parts store? If it is just throw it in a box and use as a spare. THEY SUCK. I had the same prob. Only thing that fixed it was to buy a real starter from a real parts house.

FONZI

[Deyomatic]

What are the weather conditions when this happens, is it raining, is it really hot, do you have headers, is the starter really close to the headers with no heat shielding, etc.? The starter on my SBC would get heat soaked every now and then out here and kind of spin really slow, "Woooow, woooow, vrooooooom."
It sounds to me like your solenoid is on the way out.

[38Chevy454]

Neal, I think you have a solenoid problem. Either the solenoid contact is all oxidized and dirty, or you need more voltage to pull it in harder. I bet if you put a new solenoid it will fix the problem.

[NealinCA]

Thanks guys. The problem has increased since I put on a set of block hugger headers. The exhaust is a lot closer to the starter than it had been before.

I will check out the solenoid.

Thanks,

Neal

[The_Monster]

I'd aggree with the solinod. I'd check the wires on the back and battery cables too. Sometimes a loose or nasty cable is enough to make it into a mystery.

[Deyomatic]

86 them blockhuggers or double wrap it with some heat shielding. Summit sells sheets of heat shielding wrap. Cut to size and hose clamp it on.
BTW, I pm'd you about the rear end again.

[NealinCA]

The problem seems to happen even when the truck is cold. So I don't think it is a direct heat problem, but could the added exhaust heat shorten solenoid life and magnify the problem?

I probably know the answer to that. Come to think of it, I have had the slow cranking starter syndrome a few times also.

Neal

[Deyomatic]

I didn't realize it until I moved here, but HEAT just reaks all kinds of havoc on cars. Back in New England, that same car with the SBC never gave me any starter troubles, and would run 190 degrees on the hottest day. Out here, the first day it was over 100 the temp guage shot up to about 210 and stayed there. I never had an overheating problem, but I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling either, especially driving to Tucson with it pinned at 218 the whole way.
My starter started having these problems when it broke 100 here also.

[Fat Hack]

As has been said, the two points to take note of is that you want a starter from a reputable rebuilder, and you want to keep it cool! I had the same problem using junk starters from a fly-by-night rebuilder in a Chevelle with headers.

On the flip side, when I was playing with my "test mule" Malibu, I installed cheap headers that actually TOUCHED the starter! It was a brand new starter from our rebuilder, and I was working at a parts store back then, so i figured I'd just warranty it everytime it failed. Only thing is...IT NEVER FAILED! The rebuilder was Royal Remanufacturing in Detroit...and I became their biggest fan after that!

The clicking you hear is the result of the solenoid getting too hot. The header tube on my Malibu touched the starter body, but must have been far enough from the solenoid not to harm it. Either that, or Royal uses some damn good solenoids!

I've seen guys install a relay system similar to what Ford uses on their Chevy cars to try and band-aid the hot start problem, but a quality rebuilt starter and at least a LITTLE effort to keep it cool works just as well!