'94 350: good cold starts, struggles to crank when restarting or still warm

[OngoGablogian]

Thinger2,

I'm having this exact issue with my 5.3 swapped '99 Tahoe. Would you please elaborate on what constitutes a "hot start kit"? I want to try some things before I throw money at a new starter. Thank you very much.

 

[thinger2]

The starter isnt a year old.

I can crank the motor easy, shut it back off, then struggle to restart it. Otherwise I was thinking heat soak originally.

I plan to replace the knock sensor being the easiest think to start with. Then verifing base timing.

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A starter pulls a lot of amps. It is a very high reduction motor.
The "s" wire going to the solenoid gets hot as hell the first time you crank it.
That heat spikes the resistance in the wire immediatly.
The starter being less than a year old doesnt mean a thing.
Especially if its an aftermarket.
But, all GM parts are aftermarket.
AC Delco doesnt manufacture anything and they havent for several years now.
AC Delco is the marketing division for GM parts.
Most of those parts are now branded under the Delco name but are manufactured by Delphi.
Delphi manufactures parts in at least 24 different countries.
Hardley any of those parts are made in the US.
Just enough to stick a made in usa flag on the box.
Delphi will show you a picture of headquarters in Michigan.
Its just an office.
They dont show you the devastated weed grown manufacturing plants where nobody works anymore.
Its all Chinese crap and you cant assume anything.
Oddly enough, quite a few Duralast parts are made by Wells in Wisconnsin.
But Wells is owned by the Japanese.

 

[usar17]

Any way to truly test if it is heat soak?

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[usar17]

Or maybe high resistance in a wire to the starter?

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[Frank Enstein]

Check the cables with a voltmeter and a helper. Get it hot and put the pos lead on one end of the cable and the neg lead on the other. If it registers voltage when the helper cranks the starter the cable has too much resistance.

A hot start kit uses a Ford solenoid near the battery to send more current to the "S" terminal on the starter. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tff-7629 If it's cranking slow you don't need one. If it clicks, clunks, or is silent when you hit the key it will help.

Just because a starter is new doesn't mean it's any good. Remember it has moving parts, it was built by humans, and it involves electricity. That's three strikes right there!

 

[thinger2]

Close, the hot start kit uses a bridge between the battery wire and the "s" terminal at the solenoid
You relocate the "s" wire to a different location away from the starter so it doesnt heat soak.
The "s" wire that used to go to your chevy solenoid is now used to trigger the ford solenoid at a remotely located position away from the heat

 

[thinger2]

Cranking slow is exactly the reason to look at a hot start kit.
Thats why they were invented

 

[kenh]

I was having a random no hot start on occasion. The starter wouldn't even click. Just like the battery was dead as a doornail but everything BUT the starter worked just fine.

When I had the engine out I cleaned ALL the grounds and hot connections on the engine and chassis. Haven't had an issue since.

Ken

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

My truck developed this issue at the end of January. Removed all 3 battery cables, checked them out. The long positive cable that goes across the fan shroud and over to the backside of the computer had some corrosion in it. Got a battery service shop to build a new one. 8 feet long, but it only cost $11 to have them make it from bulk cable. Cleaned everything up, also found that the small terminal on the starter solenoid was loose. Tightened it up, reassembled everything, got cables and grounds good and tight, starts up fine. Cable corrosion down inside the cable where you can't see it is a known issue with our trucks. I agree that the ignition wire is probably too small a gauge for some applications. Also if you have headers on your truck, that puts more heat around the starter. GM has the heat shield on the starter for a reason! Unfortunately most people don't transfer it to the new starter when it's replaced the first time.

 

[usar17]

So I'm going to pull all the battery cable and rewire the truck. I never did that properly. Also I'll clean up connections.

I'll have to look for a heat shield

And what is everyone's thoughts on the Sender wire. I don't get how that needs to provide anything but a trigger signal for the solenoid to open. Mines currently in wire loom all the way to the solenoid terminal.

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