Lately, my 88 GTA has had an intermittent problem. Sometimes after I've been driving it, and I stop somewhere and go back out to restart the car, it won't do a thing. I turn the key and nothing. Not even a click. All the lights work fine, and the battery has plenty of power and the rest of the electrical components work fine. But if I go back out an hour later and turn the key, it fires right up. Could my silenoid be going bad? Sometimes it doesn't do it at all even when I've been running the car and starting it a lot. Can the silenoid be replaced without replacing the starter? Thanks for any info or thoughts! Matt

 

Could very well be the solinoid locking up from heat soaking.

Replacing the solinoid can be done without removing the starter as long as you don't have headers. If you try it you'll end up inventing new swear words...but it can be done.

 

yea heat soak

was wiring and solenoid..

wrap that sucker and check wires. should be fine

 

Agreed... it's heat soak.

I'm actually having the exact same problem on my '89 IROC, except that my starter is new. Well, by "new", I mean that I recently bought it remanufactured from AutoZone (although I made sure not to get the cheapest one they had--I think mine's a Duralast or something).

Anyway, I was wondering: Are no-starts due to heat soak really the fault of a sub-par starter?

My bet is that these cars didn't have problems with heat soak from the factory, and the location of the starter never changes from it's stock position. I'll admit, the starter is dangerously close to the exhaust (even stock), but still: that's nothing new.

 

No, they didn't have heat soak problems from the factory, but remember, these cars are getting old, things start to break down with age (wiring) gear mesh isn't optimal as things wear. Every little thing contributes to cause a larger problem.

 

..and in my case uncoated hooker lts

 

So is heat soak mostly a wiring/electrical issue or a mechanical issue?

I always thought that a heat soaked starter didn't budge because the deformation of the moving parts (esp. armature bushings/bearings) due to excessive heat.

Either way, though, it looks like both KC10Chief and myself need to look into something to thermally insulate the starter. Does anybody make something specifically for this purpose?

Thanks

 

you can get starter wraps or heat shields, check jegs or summit...

 

Heat soak actuallt affects the electrical parts more than the mechanical. The hotter a wire gets the higher its resistance becomes until the battery just doesn't have enough juice to push current through the wires.

 

=

 

had the exact same problem, older starter, 6mnth old solenoid and it started acting up. I got sick of it, went down to auto zone and bought a Ford solenoid for $6.39 for a 1980 LTD with the 351. I mounted the solenoid on my strut tower as the picture shows.

 

Friends dont let friends build a 305 lol u my friend are an A1 *******

 

Its definately the starter, you need to wrap the starter and solenoid and you want have anymore problems, headers create too much heat for the starters to handle

 

Ive had the exact same problem for a while, I bought a Mr. Gasket heat sheild for the starter. No more problems It got really old after a while, your in a hurry, go to start your car and nothing. I paid 23 bucks for the heat sheild, i think it was a good investment. It just sucked spending the 23 bucks on non-go fast parts

 

I think more people with this problem should look into tuning, rather than heat soak of the starter. If the timing is advanced too far, then you will get the exact same symptoms. Try retarding the dist. a little bit and see what you get.

I've had to change out a few VatoZone starters myself, but not because I had heatsoak, just because they were cheap. Cracked casings and such.

 

I can assure you that it's not the timing. Why wouldn't it do it all the time then? Matt

 

I am always the only one that suggests this. I know this has happened to more people than me. Anyways, i had the same problem, car would get hot and then nothing. It would leave me stranded all the time, and i would have to wait for it to cool down. I changed the starter 3 times, solenoid 3 times, put a heat shield on, and i even did the ford solenoid trick. Nothing would fix it. I even ran a push button swtich to the ford solenoid. That worked for awhile until the wires got too hot and melted together while i was starting it (not a good thing, engine jus kept cranking even after it started).

Finally one day while i was waiting for it to cool down so i could go home from the store, i leaned on the shifter and turned the key, and it fired right up. I was like WTF?!?. So i shut it back off, and pull the gear shifter over to the left a little bit. Turn the key, and nothing. Pull the gear shifter to the right a lil bit, turn the key, and starts right up. Turned out to be the Neutral Safety Switch, located underneath the console. $20 from autozone, and i never had the problem again. I just wish i could have figured it out alot sooner. Changing the starter is not fun, but atleast i got good at it.



good luck, atleast try it. sure beats climbing under the car.

 

Well, it just happens. Have you checked the timing? Or have you had the starter tested? Checked for loose connections at the starter or battery? Checked all the grounds, especially the ground strap from the passenger side head to the firewall? Any of this yet?

 

I've had the same problem with my '89 IROC. Turns out it was due to my Edelbrock headers heating up the starter solenoid. I went to the parts store, bought a heat shield for the solenoid, and haven't had the problem since.

 

ok i have headers on my 86 camaro with a remanufactured duralast starter from autozone about 4 months old, and i dont drive this car every day, anyways, how come when i drive the car after it gets hot, when i go to restart it, it will make the turn over sound once pause a bit, then turn over normally and start? i have one of those starter blankets on it that go around the whole starter and solenoid. any help would be appreciated

 

I had the same problem for many years. Got stranded more times then I care to recall waiting for the car to cool down. I installed a heat sheild but I wanted extra insurance too.
Take a medium guage wire and clamp an fork type end on it, get under the car and slide that sucker in with the regualr wire on the selioniod, then run the other end up the the battery but don't connect it, just strip it bare and top it off with a wire connector. When it happens again, turn the key to the run position, get out and pop the hood. Uncap your wire and touch it to the positive battery terminal. Vrrrooom.
You've just made a direct 12v shortcut not dependant on the rest of the system. It must be the extra juice available by the direct connection that makes the diffrenence.

 

That's a great idea! It happened to me again tonight after I'd been on the highway for about an hour. I stopped somewhere and when I went to restart it, nothing. I popped the hood and after about 20 minutes, it started. I checked stuff like the neutral start switch and the VATS and it wasn't them. I'm sure it's heat soak. I'll just get a new silenoid and do the wire thing you suggested! Thanks! Matt

 

Just a reminder, I have an automatic, but if you have a stick, make double sure your in netural and your brake is set before trying this! What is more embarrasing than getting run over by your own car?

 

Getting run over by your own car while you're naked! I have an automatic! Thanks! Matt