discussing the old Chevy hot start problem, a guy I know says he solved the hot start on his 350 by running the battery neg cable to 1 of the starter bolts.
think it's true? or should I go with the ford solenoid. thanks, Larry
If he didn't have a good ground, installing the negative cable anyplace on the engine could solve the problem. If you already have a good ground, it will do nothing more.
The solution to the hot start problem can be multi-faceted. No doubt, any time you can eliminate a flaw or weak link, things get better. I don't think the Ford solenoid is a cure all, just a bandaid for other weak stuff.
If I was going to spend money on the problem, I'd start with a permanent magnet gear reduction starter. They started using them in the 90s, and if it's a block mount starter, the 90s starters bolt right in. Even an aftermarket mini-starter helps here. I prefer the factory starters because they should be more powerful than the aftermarket ones, and if you're travelling you can get one at any auto supply.
Besides good cables, good grounds, and all that obvious stuff, initial ignition timing is something that should be reviewed. The more the initial advance, and the higher the compression ratio, the harder it is to turn over the engine when hot.
Rick is dead right about all of this. The newer starters also take less current to run since they have permanent magnets instead of field coils. The one thing I didn't see mentioned is that many starters fail when hot. Main thing is solenoids and relays are just a band aid. Billions of V8 chevys start perfectly well without them, yours can too.
The FIRSt thing to look at is the cables. What shape are they in? How big are they? Besides establishing good grounds the best thing you can do is provide the starter with some big cables to ease the voltage passage when the cables and starter get hot. Small hot cables can build up a huge amount of resistance. Replacing small, old cables with new 1/0 cables will make a huge difference in your starting amperage on a hot motor.
Mark
Getting full power to the starter solenoid since the solenoid completes the circuit to the starter is essential. Consider a relay with heavier wire to feed the solenoid with the ignition switch just engaging the relay. Too much resistance in the circuit is mostly the issue. Also a gear motor starter will draw less current. The old GM starters have to split the power between the poles and armature while the gear motors use magnets for the poles. The big 1/0 cables help with resistance issues when hot.
You took the easy way out. We used to have one person hold the key in the start position and the other person hit the starter with a hammer, or rock, or whatever was available.
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