Starting Problem

[Jim Bulas]

I have a 1975 Stingray 350. I have a problem that when the car is driven for a period of time and it is hot, when you shut it down it may not start again. To start it you have to wait for it to cool down before it starts. There is no power to the starter until it sits for a period of time (I did check the hot wire on the starter with a meter when it wont start and there is no power). It could be 10 minutes or it could be an hour. I can go and jump the starter by disconnecting the connector (red wire by the starter) and jumping it to the hot lead on the starter with the key on and it will start and be ok. I thinking that there is some kind of resistance built up some where cutting off the power to the starter. I also am thinking that is may be a problem at the electrical junction box on the fire wall that connects the interior wiring to the wiring under the hood. I am not an electrician and could use some guidance with this problem. Has any one had this issue and what is the problem? It is scary when you are and all dressed up and have to crawl under the car not to mention it could be embarrassing. Such a nice car and people see you crawling under it to start it. The problem has to be very simple but trying to pinpoint it for the last three years has been unsuccessful. Please help!!!!!

Thanks Jim

[Roy B.]

Re: Starting Problem

Corroded battery cables or a bad grounding some where, if you can ground the starter housing using heavy battery cables and it starts OK you have a bad grounding, if not the positive cable may be bad. Sounds like a cable connection problem.

[Brian Monticello]

Re: Starting Problem

Sounds like the starter solenoid to me. They act up when they get hot - especially if they are starting to go bad. When you jump the starter you are simply bypassing the solenoid.

brian

[Donald B.]

Re: Starting Problem

I had the same problem with a '71 Camaro. Something to do with the spring in the solenoid.

[Stephen P.]

Re: Starting Problem

I had a similar problem in my 65 coupe. Installation of a remote solenoid solved the problem. No starting problems for the past 18 months.

[Jim Bulas]

Re: Starting Problem

If it was a grounding cable it would not ever start not just when driven and it is hot. Im not sure.

[Rob A.]

Re: Starting Problem

Jim,

Although it might not make sense, I had the exact same problem with a '67 small block, only when hot. If I let the car cool down it started right up. Although I can't explain it, a new negative battery cable solved the problem.

[Roy B.]

Re: Starting Problem

Your engine is insulated from the frame by the rubber engine mounts and trans rubber mount, that is the reason C1's have a ground cable going to the front engine support , from the frame . later C2's ground to the frame???. So if you loose ground ????

[mike cobine]

Re: Starting Problem - several ideas

This is caused by a bunch of problems. Which one is yours is the puzzle for you to find.

1. Most common - hot solenoid is too resistive, won't pull the current needed to overcome the spring. The fix is to replace the spring with a lighter compression spring. I can't remember the part number. Send a note to Bob G. and ask him. It will make his day that he knows something about Corvettes that I don't.

2. Solenoid wire overheating. This occurred occasionally in the '60s on some Chevies in the summer. The purple solenoid wire would heat up, change resistance just enough, and the solenoid wouldn't pull in. Many seemed to fix this by moving the wiring harness higher above the engine on the firewall and rewrapping to relocate the purple wire in the bundle. (Not sure if it wasn't wishful or really #1 above.)

3. Bulkhead terminal block. These connectors can sometimes become less than ideal connections. Heat can make them break contact. There is also a fusible link between the two connectors on some cars which can also fail while hot and contract enough cold to work. Basically, you need to check voltage inside and outside of the block when the failure occurs to find out if this is it. Fix is to clean the pins and be sure not have receded into the block -or- replace the fusible link in there.

(ha ha ha, that is a good one. Buy a new car instead. The last fusible link between the two I ended up simply bypassing because there was no way in the world to get the two to come apart. I sure hope the engineer who figured that one up isn't on here.)

4. Terminal connections on any of the high current wires used in the starting process, including battery cables. Cold, they start, but heat them up and corrosion or loose fit can create enough resistance that insufficient current flows to pull in the solenoid and spin the starter. Yes, the sidepost battery cables are notorious for this. They corrode inside that neat plastic cover and look beautiful while being worthless.