Wow, I thought I was the only one who had this happen, but it seems like it's not uncommon.

I've read a bunch of threads here about the hot start problem, and I have similar behavior for about the last 5 years (it never happened prior to that).

When it's warm out and I drive the car for at least a half hour, there's a good chance the car will not start after being shut off.

Others talk about the car cranking, but no start. For me, it's a little different. When the problem is active, I can turn the key but nothing happens. I get dash lights while the key is in the on position, and the dash lights dim a bit while the key is turned to the cranking position, but there's no sound at all. No clicking, no starter action, just nothing.

All obvious things have been checked...battery, wiring, etc are all in excellent shape and I had the alarm ignition cutoffs removed.

Anytime from 15 minutes to 2.5 hours later, the car will start as soon as the key is turned.

When the problem first started occuring, my mechanic diagnosed the problem as a faulty starter and replaced it with a Bosch heavy duty starter but that didn't solve it.

No one else has been able to figure it out, mainly because the problem never seems to occur when I bring it to the shop. But if I'm on a deserted dirt road 20 miles from civilization, it's almost guaranteed to happen.

So, does this qualify as a genuine hot start problem? Does the remote solenoid solution work? Someone mentioned that the neutral safety switch could be the problem, but I don't like to have stuff replaced on a guess.

The car is an '83 Firebird with 2.8l v6, automatic, 229k miles.

Ed

 

Sounds like a hot starter. Have you tried tapping it with a hammer, bat, etc? Sometimes that frees up a stuck solenoid and would confirm the problem.

 

Yeah, I've spent a lot of time on the ground looking up at the starter while whacking it but it has never worked.