katt68

I am confused !!
My 78 baby is being a royal pain in the butt.
Sometimes she starts.....some times she won't.
I can hop,press in the clutch turn her over and away she goes.
Then maybe leave her for a little bit do the same thing and i do not even get a click.
Any ideas ?

cw823

How good is your ground cable? I had similar problems....found it started fine when I pulled a bit on the ground cable from the inside. The one day it pulled completely through!

Eddie 70

Almost sounds like it could be heat soak also. Does the car start fine the first time of the day, then after a little drive get out walk around, come back and it not start. Wait for a few minutes and then it will start. This sort of describes some of the symptoms of heat soak. This is caused by too much heat at the starter. You turn the key and nothing happens.

katt68

So, does that mean the starter is shot ?

Burgundy 69

I have been experiencing the same problem with my 69 SB lately. It only happens when I have been driving around in the heat. I have noticed that if the engine temp is running below 200 degrees, it starts up every time. Any hotter and I can almost guarantee a hard start. On Monday I ordered a starter heat shield from Summit (wrap around) for $25. I hope that will take care of the problem.

baja216

I purchased one for my vette and it works pretty good. I did have some trouble this past weekend though. We cruised to a cruise night and when I got there I tried to start the car and it was dead. It was pretty hot out and we hit it fairly hard going there. I lifted the hood and let it cool down and it started with no problems.

I'm thinking it's time to break down and get a new starter as well!

Boofers

You say that once in a while you get no click whatsoever... sometimes what may look like your starter being too hot is actually another problem.
First thing is to make sure of is that all your electrical connections are tight. Also make sure that all connections are free of dirt & oxidation, they should be shiny so use a file, wire brush or sandpaper if you need to.
Another less likely but not impossible possibility is - the ignition wire that goes from the keyswitch through the clutch switch through a connector or two then to a terminal on the starter solenoid. If there is too much electrical resistance in this path the solenid will not get enough current to pull in. Starter heat soak is sometimes mimmicked because heat increases the electrical resistance of copper wire, so your starter may be ok just not getting enough juice. If your keyswitch or clutchswitch are dirty inside they may need to be replaced. You may find dirt or oxidation on the contacts of the connector(s) in this path as well. If you have a kill relay for an aftermarket alarm system in this path you may want to bypass it to see if that is causing your intermittent problems. Good Luck.