Hard start when hot

[Ratrod312]

So for as long as I have owned the truck, from a cold start, the truck fires right up real quick, no issues. But if the truck is warm, it cranks really slow, as if the battery is dying. BUT it always starts. Battery and alternator are both fairly new, even after replacing the battery, this condition never changed. I will hold the key to crank it over, and it turns over real slow once or twice and sometimes fires, or it'll go silent for a second and finally crank again and fire. I have checked the ground straps and the seem intact. Any ideas? Starter?

 

[Ratrod312]

1992 C1500 4.3 auto

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Your battery cables good clean and tight? The starter could be going bad, usually they start acting up when warm. If you take it off and have it checked out at a parts store or shop, it may take a few tries to get it heated up,to replicate the issue. Also, check that the connections on the starter and solenoid are good,clean and tight too.

 

[Ratrod312]

Your battery cables good clean and tight? The starter could be going bad, usually they start acting up when warm. If you take it off and have it checked out at a parts store or shop, it may take a few tries to get it heated up,to replicate the issue. Also, check that the connections on the starter and solenoid are good,clean and tight too.

Battery connections all look good and are tight, Starter looks the same. I will take the starter off and have the part store check it, hopefully that will rule out something.

 

[Schurkey]

BEFORE you remove the starter, perform voltage drop (VD) testing on the + and - sides of the circuit. I'd do it with the engine cold, and then again with the engine (battery cables) hot.

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[HotWheelsBurban]

Battery connections all look good and are tight, Starter looks the same. I will take the starter off and have the part store check it, hopefully that will rule out something.

I had an intermittent hot start on my Burb a couple of years ago; that's when I changed the cables( the long positive cable had corrosion down in it). I discovered when I pulled the starter, had it checked,and was reinstalling it, that the smaller terminal where the ignition wire attaches, was loose. This is the small post on the solenoid. You also want to be sure the big cable from the battery IS NOT touching this smaller wire or terminal. If it is, the vehicle will try to start when you reconnect the battery (ask me how I know!).

 

[Ratrod312]

Turns out, this problem was a bad starter!

I let the problem go until recently when i heard a loud "marbles in a can" sound starting the truck one morning. Took the starter off and noticed the bendix was sliding in and out by simply moving the starter around. After installing a new AC Delco starter, i no longer have the marbles in a can sound, plus no more slow starts when hot. The truck cranks much faster now too!

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Thanks for updating! I will have to look at mine, it's got a lotta starts on it in six years of daily driving with many starts every day. Don't want it to get bad enough to ruin the flywheel/flexplate again....

 

[Ratrod312]

Thanks for updating! I will have to look at mine, it's got a lotta starts on it in six years of daily driving with many starts every day. Don't want it to get bad enough to ruin the flywheel/flexplate again....

I'd definitely recommend looking into it if you're having a similar issue. A starter is a much less expensive and easier repair than a flexplate.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Yup! Been there done that,seen the movie,got the t shirt....