Starter Heat Soak Problem !

[Gio93z]

Thanks to anyone who checks this thread out.

Okay. About a year and a few months ago I installed some Edelbroch shorty headers on my 93 LT1. Not too long after, my stock starter started to go until it finally kicked on me. I would try and start the car and just get a click. Sometimes i would turn the ignition a few times and eventually it would start for me until one day it just died. I thought nothing of it and with a little assitance I was directed towards a mini starter. I bought a mini starter and had it wrapped in aluminum I believe it was to protect from the heat coming off my headers and y-pipe. Maybe 1/2 a year down the road I started getting the same symptoms of my car not starting and myself having to turn the ignition a few times to try and get the car to turn over. Eventually the mini started kicked on my as well. My car had a new motor installed in it this summer, a 383 stroker, and I bought a new mini starter for it. I havn't had the car back for not even 3 weeks now and I am getting the same starter problems. This mini starter I have on the car now is NOT wrapped.

Point is, I believe the problem to be my starter(s) getting heat soaked. I have the headers wrapped but not the y-pipe and the y-pipe bends directly towards the starter. So I figure, with the starter not being wrapped, the y-pipe bending towards the starter, the higher output motor, and teh 100 degree days here in New Jersey....I think the starter is still getting heat soaked.

I have been told to try and get a remote solenoid installed...try wrapping the y-pipe next to the starter, try having a custom heat shield made, and also to wrap the starter.

can anyone enlighten me on what I can and shoudl do and also if what I said about the starter being heat soaked sounds like an accurate guess to what my problem is.

NOTE . I have been told headers give off more heat than manifolds and I only began to have these problems after the Edelbrock headers were installed.


THANKS EVERYONE FOR READING THIS BOOK OF A THREAD I WROTE !!

Giovanni

[ar0ck]

Actually I forgot to mention two things. I remember someone told me that they make heat shields for Turbo Dodges and DSM's thats basically a plate that helps out alittle bit and its pretty cheap. The other idea I can think of is wrap the starter in header-wrap.

Both are pretty cheap options and should help it out.

[Tru2Chevy]

Yea, just get good wrap and wrap the starter. I wouldn't recommend wrapping just the section of Y-pipe that is near that starter, as that will eventually lead to trouble with the y-pipe because of the difference in temperature.

Something like this would be good: http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...57&prmenbr=361

- Justin

[The Fixer]

I made a heatshield out of some 1/16" thick steel, then painted it flat black. It's a flat piece that runs along side the starter (between the header) and then has a tab on the bottom with a hole drilled through it. The outside starter bolt goes right through it to hold it in place. I've got about 5 years and 25K miles on this ministarter and shield with no trouble (knock on wood!).

You can kinda see what I made in this pic - look between the header and the engine block.



Another good thing to check would be your battery cables. If they're original, they're 11 years old now and it wouldn't hurt to change them. Make sure all your ground wires are in good shape too.

[HardcoreZ28]

You can get a heatshield for just the solenoid at any local parts store probably. If that doesn't work then I'd suggest getting a remote mount solenoid and preventing any further issues.....moving it away from the heat is a solution....everything else is just a band aid.

[Gio93z]

all good ideas that i will look into either 2day or 2morrow . i was just outside running a switch to my fans...i previously had a 160 degree fan bypass so the fans turned on and stayed on all teh time if the temp was 160 or higher......when they took the AC out something must have been triggered by that and my fan bypass does not work...so i found out which wires control my fans and ran a switch myself for them......since i got the car back, she was running real hot since my original bypass wasnt working and i was relying on my stock fan set up, but my stock set up turns the fans on at near red line which i didnt want.....point is.....the fans were permanently on because we temporarily ran the wires directly to a ground which functions them, the problem with that, is that not only was my starter getting heat soaked....but also, as soon as i turned the ignition on both fans would run as well as my amplifier.....which cant help the starting problem at all........so i just now ran the switch for my fans so i can turn them on when i want, and for the time being i have just dicsonnected my amplifier.......hopefully this will at least not take anymore power away from my starter and maybe the heat soak problem will at least hold off now......i can only imagine how bad it must have been these past 2 weeks for my starter since my crank power was being drained by the 2 fans, amplifier, as well as whatever juice was needed to turn the starter......

[V]

i also recommend doing the remote mount solenoid. EVERY car i had that i changed a starter in, i installed one, my 93 ta, my 88 iroc, my 87 monte, 79 vette, etc.. Just go to a auto parts store and ask for ANY ford remote starter solenoid, you can use any 78-93 mustang just to help the parts guys out. i for some reason always say a 84 gt mustang, since thats the one car i had which i yanked it from for another car.

as for the fans draining power, if you have a good battery and alt in the car, having the fans and amp on should not affect the ability of the starter.
and with whatever switch you installed be carefull and make sure it is rated for high amprage and not a cheap radio shack switch which can/will eventually melt. fans that are manually controlled should always be wired up with a relay.

[coldkilla]

you need to take that wrap off of your headers and get them coated with jet hot ceramic or your going to keep burning starters, eventually ruin your headers, and turn your engine bay into a blast furnace. it will about 200 bucks to get your headers and y pipe coated and that will make them last for a long long time and take a massive amount of heat out of the engine bay and away from the starter. a cooler engine bay means more horsepower and engine longevity. wrap will destroy your headers because it creates hot spots that wear quicker than the rest of the pipes.