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Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

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Old Jul 12, 2012 | 02:16 PM
  #1  
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Car: 86 IROC-Z
Engine: 383 Stroker Vortec
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Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

I think it my starter but i wanna see what you guys think, normaly on cold starts the car will start just fine then after driving it after u shut it off and try to start it again it barly with turn over then stop or as of today it didt turn over at all even when cold when it normaly will start it just clicked everytime and the positive on the battery started to glow and started smoking i dont even think it will click now and i have battery power to everything else so its gotta be my starter right??? u should probly know it is covered in some oil scince i have a bad oil leak up front so im guessing that is causing it to act up and maybe even fry its self, id like to get some opinions before droping $160 on a starter
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Old Jul 12, 2012 | 02:16 PM
  #2  
IroczFan's Avatar
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From: Omro Wisconsin
Car: 86 IROC-Z
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Transmission: 700r4 Built
Axle/Gears: 3:42
Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

and its not the battery being dead its only a month old
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Old Jul 13, 2012 | 08:15 AM
  #3  
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Car: 1988 Camaro
Engine: 305 TBI
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Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

Spend $75 on a reman starter at autozone with the lifetime warranty. It sounds like once the starter gets warm ( probably due to it being close location to the manifold/header) it stops working. Mine fails like this once every ~6 months. So Ive stopped buyin performance starters and bought a cheap one. Now I just exchange it when it fails for a new one every time.
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Old Jul 13, 2012 | 09:25 AM
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Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

Going with the assumption that your battery is not the problem:
The starter motor draws a lot of amps, which crudely defined is the number of electrons passing through the circuit. When your positive battery cable gets hot, it indicates that the ampacity of the conductor is not adequate. That is, if the resistance is high due to having too small of cross section area and a high ampere draw, then all the electrons trying to get through that area will generate heat which raises the resistance more. So, my guess is that there is corrosion around the positive battery post. Possibly the corrosion is hidden under the cable's insulation. If you were me, you'd check the cables and replace with a higher gauge (thicker, lower number) cable if needed.
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Old Jul 13, 2012 | 10:20 PM
  #5  
IroczFan's Avatar
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Car: 86 IROC-Z
Engine: 383 Stroker Vortec
Transmission: 700r4 Built
Axle/Gears: 3:42
Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

ended up buying a new starter not a cheap one either, im gonna put it on the car and see what happens other wise trailer it to where i need it to be and tear the motor out for a swap
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Old Jul 14, 2012 | 10:44 AM
  #6  
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Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

Before outsmarting yourself to that extent, replace the batt cable.

You'll probably find that the starter makes no difference whatsoever as well.

Oh well, sometimes learning stuff ends up costing money.
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Old Jul 14, 2012 | 12:45 PM
  #7  
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From: Charlotte, NC
Car: 1988 IROC-Z Camaro, 1981 Trans Am
Engine: 350 TPI, 301 N/A
Transmission: 700r4, 350thm
Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

Yea, agreed... I think the cable needs to be switched out. Chesterfield did a good job explaining that too.
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Old Jul 14, 2012 | 03:53 PM
  #8  
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From: Spokane, Wa.
Car: 88 Camaro
Engine: 416 Stroker LS
Transmission: Magnum F
Axle/Gears: 4.11
Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

Originally Posted by KrazyFirst
Spend $75 on a reman starter at autozone with the lifetime warranty. It sounds like once the starter gets warm ( probably due to it being close location to the manifold/header) it stops working. Mine fails like this once every ~6 months. So Ive stopped buyin performance starters and bought a cheap one. Now I just exchange it when it fails for a new one every time.
I was in the same boat but I bought a mini high torque starter and haven't overheated it or blown it since. Works flawlessly every time.
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Old Jul 15, 2012 | 05:24 PM
  #9  
IroczFan's Avatar
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From: Omro Wisconsin
Car: 86 IROC-Z
Engine: 383 Stroker Vortec
Transmission: 700r4 Built
Axle/Gears: 3:42
Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

new starter is in and runs like a champ
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Old Oct 20, 2014 | 10:01 AM
  #10  
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Re: Starter clicks and positive on battery red hot

What brand starter ??
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