The '47 strted doing a trick while in the alignment shop. I think it's mostly when it's hot, but the first crank of the starter is really labored or doesn't happen at all. Then it cranks longer than usual before starting. What gives??? Plus, does anyone know how long to let weatherstriping glue dry before driving? The guy wasn't done with my car yesterday and this was my last weekend home before Paso, so I'll be putting the weatherstriping in the night before I leave for Paso.
Weatherstrip cement that I've used (3M Black Snot in a tube) works like contact cement.......apply to both surfaces, let dry for 20 minutes, and then press together.......it is quite glued at that point, let me assure you.......you'll tear the weatherstripping before the glued part would let go.... As far as your starting problem, what engine? If it's a small block Chevy it might be overheating near the starter area......I had to install a heat shield around the engine side of my starter when I was in college and drove a '57 Chev Convert........(1960!) Brucie
Only when hot? small block chevy? Sounds like the starter is getting hot...might need a heat shield or go to a mini starter.
Test the battery, you may have a bad cell. Got a different starter you could try? The starter in my Buick engine started acting like the battery was low on voltage. A new battery didn't cure it - so much for guessing in the dark and I should have known better. A new American rebuilt starter from NAPA cured the problem. Cranks over like a champ now....
The wife's 454 does that, but I assume it's 'cause the headers are about 1/8 inch from the starter... new battery, new starter, and check all connections and grounds would be my suggestion.
Do you have a loose ground connection at the engine? Assuming the ground cable goes directly to the engine. If the batt's in the trunk and you ground it to the frame, do you have a good ground between chassis and engine? I have a parallel ground setup in that the battery - under the body in front of the rear axle - is grounded to the chassis by a stainless 3/8" bolt-nut combo. Another ground cable is connected to that same bolt then the cable goes up under the seat where the wiring etc. is. From there another ground cable goes to the front of the frame and connects to a 2nd stainless bolt-nut. From that bolt-nut the last ground cable connects to a clean no paint or rust - bolt on the block. It's been a trouble-free setup. The whole thing can be accomplished by using several #1 gage batt cables. Aside from the cable/frame grounding setup, the only frame/engine ground in the car is where the two 7/16" bolts go into the transmission mount. The motor mounts electrically isolates the engine from the frame. Wasn't planned that way, just the way it worked out with the motor mounts I use and the same is true for most hot rod and stock motor mounts. Another one that can fool you is when you get a thin black film - which insulates from current flow - between batt terminal and batt cable connection. Clean that up if you find that and your problem should be over. Keep in mind too, that water leaking into a cylinder will slow down or stop the engine from cranking at all. And sometimes a carb float bowl boiling over or too high a float setting will flood and engine when parked and trying to start it after a short time will be tough even if the starter is spinning over pretty good.
If I didn't make it clear above, all ground cables are bolted together. And . . . one last thought. If you're using the GM style side terminals, be aware they can loosen up. Re-torque them, but don't get carried away cuz most battery's with the GM terminals have threads in lead and don't use a tough insert like they should. Just wiggle the cable and see if it swings to and fro parallel to the bolt head. If so, tighten er up - with care as noted. I had the same symptons as you early on when the 32 was first running and found the GM style terminals were loose. 2nd time it happened, I changed to regular batt cables and used the top terminal on the battery - an Omni which comes with both terminal styles.
My money is on a hot starter followed by an overly rich condition in the engine caused by an excess of fuelvapor in the inktake.
I had a chevy starter dragging for a while and then the "tic, tic,tic" routine so I put a solenoid in it just because I had one on the shelf, and was about to bolt it back up when I figured with 70,000 miles on it Id just check the brush wear. One of the four brushes was worn down to just the wire! It was running on half it's circuits and still working, just not very well. Check things that wear out during use first, brushes, solenoid contacts on starters that have them, moving parts for hanging up, or needing grease, etc. If you said it was a 70's era Oldsmobile, I'd have said that was normal!
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters . . . Patty, Maxine and Laverne. Bette Midler did a fine rendition as well....
Not that old... Here's some more of it. Yeah, I see youre goin down the street in your big Cadillac, You got girls in the front, you got girls in the back, Yeah, way in back, you got money in a sack, Both hands on the wheel and your shoulders rared back root-doot-doot-doot-doot, do-wah,
OK, one more bit pf info...everything is NEW. To me that lends itself more to the bad ground or battery scenarios...I hope.
Just because parts are new doesn't mean they aren't NFG. Check to see if the brushes are screwed down tight in the starter. Is that a "slap shoe" starter? Check to see if that isn't binding if it is. D Picasso knows his shit kicker music.!
i would agree with C9 check the grounds and the gauge of the positive wires. when everything heats up it takes more power to turn it and create more resistance.
Check the solenoid. Sounds like that's what it is to me. Sometimes the starter also "sticks" inside, and ya need a few taps on the casing with a hammer (or handy roadside rock). Years riding old Harleys taught me THAT little trick.
see if you can find the conversion in a jegs -summit catalog to convert to a starter with remote (ford) type solinoid....... this will remove heat absorbing electrical components from near exhaust and cramped areas and making it easier to control too grounds all cleaned at contact points is good to check on when you use your ride when wet and then let it sit...rust on the bare metal .. and poor contacts causees heat through these connections causing corrosion too the fix list shown on above posts seems like a long one .....but its all sound advice paperdog
generally a hot start issue is telling you there is a bad ground somewhere - when warm the resistance increases, causing the problem.
i had a 84 5.0 mustang that did that and the battery cables had corrosion inside the cable where you could not see it ,i replaced the battery /solenoid, starter and timing chain and then i found the corrosion in the cable ,replaced the cable and never had a that problem again joe
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