Skruball73

I know there have been several posts on this and I have not gone through all of them but figured I would ask anyway.

After running the engine then stopping a couple of times, then finally to get something from a convenience store, attempted to start engine and the starter seems real slow like it is not getting enough juice and barely wanting to turn the engine over. Also it was such a drain that it knocked out the memory on my stereo becuase I lost my station presets.

Is this the "starter heat soke" that I saw mentioned? What can I do about it?

LFZ

definitely sounds like a classic case of starter heat soak...try one of those heat blankets..i never heard of anyone using them...i guess it depends on how lucky you are with starters..i got mine through GM, and its a heavy duty ac delco.

68shark

Agree....classic case! Starter could be losing it's "punch" requiring replacement, wiring to the starter could be less than perfect ie corroded/loose, timing could be off (or some other condition causing car to run hotter than normal). If all of those items check out ok, then going to a high torque mini starter/heat shield or even using a remote solenoid in conjunction with the stock starter are cures I've seen posted.
:cheers:

JB

Remote solinoid fixed the problem in the '78 I used to have. Cheaper than a heat blanket & a heck of lot easier to install. A Ford solinoid only costs about $5.

JB

norvalwilhelm

I agree with JB about the ford solenoid only I paid $10CDN for mine heavy duty. I have no faith in blankets, to me they hold the heat in once the motor gets hot.

joe73vette

I had the same problem until I replaced my battery. When they tested it it only had 380 cca's! New one has 700. Joe

Jack71

Would heat soak block power to your radio though? That sounds unusual. Is there a draw on the system when the key is out?

Damn, I hate electrical problems.

geezer

I believe what knocked out your stereo memory was the massive current draw by the starter. I'd say it's time for an entire new starter! That means the motor, solenoid and bendix. Also check the condition of your battery cables and conections at the starter. If there is any green corrosion showing, then it's time to replace the cable or wire. Those cables and wires have been there for over 20 years.
I once made a heat shiels for my '69 BB starter out of sheet aluminum. It went between the starter and the block. I used one of the solenoid attachment srews and the lower/rear starter case bolts as the attachment points for the shield. Never had a problem.

Diode

The heat stroke doesn't 'block' the current to the stereo. The starter is drawing so much current that it's almost a dead short. Under those conditions the battery voltage falls below the minimum required to keep the stereo memory alive (9 volts maybe?). This is strange for you guys, huh? My 68 does that every time I try to start it hot…

Jack71

Wow, didn't realize it could draw that much as memory presets require next to nothing to maintian.

Diode

Yes, that's correct; all of the memory items including the station presets use a fractional amount of current to 'stay alive'. The problem is that these devices have a limited range of operating voltage. Once the battery runs out of current (amps), the voltage starts to drop. Of course, once you stop cranking the starter motor the voltage bounces back up. It's important not to confuse current with voltage. If the memory chip can only operate from say 9 to 15 volts, even if you had an unlimited amount of current available, if the voltage were to drop to 8.5 volts the chip would still 'forget'. There IS a way to get around the voltage drop out problem though. If you're interested I can send you a schematic. It's an idea that I cooked up to keep my clock running when I turn the battery off. Naturally you'd be better served to take care of the cranking problem directly though. Nice looking shark by the way.