I just installed a new starter on my 84 Trans Am and it started fine. I turned the car off and tried to start it again, but it just made clicking sounds. The battery is brand new and fully charged. Any ideas as to what could be causing this? Could the solenoid be bad? I am considering taking the starter back and getting a mini starter. Which one of these is better? I have a GM 350 with 168 tooth flywheel.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...3&autoview=sku

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...A&autoview=sku

Thanks,
Joe

 

All the connections tight?

 

Yep, checked all the connections and they are tight....

 

Check the amount of volts before and after the solenoid if the solenoid is not part of the starter.

 

Okay, update...

I went to start the car today and it started right up. I let it get to full temp and then turned it off. Waited about a minute and tried to start it again, and the starter just clicked. Waited a few more minutes and it clicked. Tried again another minute later and it started. Does this sound like heat soak?

I have a GM 350 in it with a 168 tooth flywheel. Currently, the stock exhaust is on it, including the y-pipe. I have this starter:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku

The starter sits extremely close to the y-pipe. Should I get a mini starter if that's the problem?

Thanks,
Joe

 

First I would get a heat shield and put that around the starter and see if that does anything because it is obvioulosly getting to hot being near the exhaust. If the heat shield dosenot work I would get a mini starter.

 

with stock exhaust i don't see it getting hot, where do you have your ground wire ran too?

 

Sounds like a bad connection at the battery.

Take the battery cables off and clean all the corrosion out of them, with hot water and baking soda.

Leave the starter alone; it's the VICTIM of the real problem, not the source, which lies elsewhere.

 

The battery cables are brand new and there is no corrosion. This only started when the new starter was installed.

There are 3 wires connected to the starter; two on the large post and one on the small post. The one wire on the large post is the positive battery cable - where do the other two go? I can try to trace them back to make sure nothing is wrong there.

Joe

 

the little wire is the "trigger" for the starter solenoid, the other big one is for power for the car, where do you have your ground wire ran to, the block or the frame?

 

Which ground are you talking about? The negative battery cable has a ground going to the frame, there's a grounding strap from the engine block to the frame....is there one from the starter? I was under the impression that the starter is grounded via the engine block.

Thanks,
Joe

 

yeah it is, alot of times people don't run a ground from the engine to the frame, then the motor doesn't ground properly, do you have some washers around the eylet of the ground cable?

 

No, the grounds are directly bolted to the engine and frame. I'll try cleaning them again, but having the 1 grounding strap going from the engine block to the frame should take care of any grounding issues, right?

Thanks,
Joe

 

Try this and make sure the starter is bolted onto the block really good.