About 2 weeks ago, I replaced my stock starter with a Powermaster mini starter to solve the classic heat soak/no start problem (yes I tried the heat shield route first--no dice). Anyway, Friday on my way to work, my stereo and fuzz buster started to flicker on and off. Then the guages all pinned to full top (87 GTA digital) and the tack started jumping from redline to 0 and the engine died temporarily. Scared the crap out of me (my Fiero did this once too).
As I was deciding if I should turn around, keep going, stop and look under there or what, it did it again only this time it just quit. Since I was rolling 55mph, I started for the shoulder, and it came back on so I flipped a bitch and went back towards home.
When I got there, I grabbed my tools and disconnected the battery. When the car had cooled down, I went out and hooked up the battery to pull the car in the garage, and when I tried the key, I got a plume of smoke and nothing else. So I pushed my car up the rest of the driveway and into the garage.
I got the starter out and the wire that runs from the solenoid to the motor had completely melted all of it's insulation off and the starter felt like it had been on the surface of the sun for about a week, that bastard was hot enough to burn me through my gloves. I hooked it up on my bench, and I couldn't even get a click out of it, so I decided it was a bad starter.
I call Summit and get a new one sent out. Well I put it in last night, and I'm wondering if there is anything that I may have done in the installation of the thing that may have caused it to crap out. I triple checked all the clearances like the installation sheet said to, and they are all great. What do you guys think. I'm a little wary of the car now, I really don't want to burn the damn thing down.

 

let me know how you make out I got the same one the other day & haven't installed it yet. I crawled under there the other day & took a peek @ how the wires would hook up.I wasn't sure how the wires would hook up the directions kinda didn't make since to me. I have 3 wires going to the LARGE post & one small one going to a small post. The new starter only has a large post & some spade & butt-connector going to it.

 

Well, let me tell you. You have to cut the banjo coupler off of the factory harness and attach the connector they supply with the starter. Piec of cake to install. A little tip, clean out the holes in the block really good, and then run the bolts in as far as you can before you hang the starter. The burling on the shank of the bolts make it feel like you are bottoming out, when in fact you aren't.
All that aside, I wouldn't buy another Powermaster anything as long as I live. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't give you a squirt of **** for any of their crap. Let me just say that Summit has been awesome through this ordeal. I got my new one, and installed it. I triple checked all of the clearances (which is quite time consuming and frustrating) and everything was right where they said it should be. 20 starts later the new starter is just doing the click, click, click bullsh!t that they do when the starter is going bad. I have checked all of my car's parts (switch, wiring, etc) both voltages and amperages and everything is fine, perfect even (according to my factory service manual). I have worked on cars for the better part of 12 years, and have never, ever, had this problem with a starter. Trust me, box that bitch up and exchange it for a Summit one ($5 more) with the Nippondenso motor (PN. sum-820323). I don't have it yet, but I have never had bad luck with Nippondenso parts, and I used to work in an import salvage yard. If you decide to keep that P.O.S., do yourself a favor and throw a wrench for the battery terminal and a fireextinguisher in your car.