When my car is hot it rarely starts again unless it's left for an hour to cool down again. I have checked the brushes in the starter motor and
the commutator and gave it a good clean with fresh grease but is still the same! It means I can't pop out to town etc unless I have someone to
give me a bump. When you crank it over it almost sounds like a flat battery with it spinning very slow. The battery is fine and charged up, car starts
fine when cold. I have put an earth straight to the starter incase it was this but no change. The only thing I haven't done is use a jump lead
straight to the starter terminal.
Anyone got any other ideas? It's a 1800Zetec with a type9 box I believe. What starter would I have on there anyway?
Thanks in advance, Jon
My old mk2 wouldn't start when hot, it was 2.1 pinto on a single 45 (night rally car) so we had to put two 12v batteries on it and wire it so it
sent 24v to the 12v starter. It works, but shortens starter motor life. car still ran on 12v. Only real down side is weight of extra battery.
Hope this helps, Cheers.
I had exactly the same issue, and after some research on here, bought a Powerlite geared starter from rally designs. It was £130 ish, but I can now
leave my car anywhere and be confident that when I come back to it, it'll start every time. Money very well spent!
You are definitely not alone, this is quite a common issue for this engine/ gearbox combo!
Cheers
Adrian
[Edited on 24/7/12 by adrianreeve]
Looks like the only option I a new better starter then really :-( I was hoping someone would say the starter was knackered and I could get another cheap. So is it heat soak into it or does the engine get tighter to crank when it's hot?
Mine's the same (2.0 Zetec). It has never failed to start but can be a bit unnerving when you stall in heavy traffic.
I assumed the same as you - i.e the starter was knackered.
Stu
quote:
Originally posted by adrianreeve
I had exactly the same issue, and after some research on here, bought a Powerlite geared starter from rally designs. It was £130 ish, but I can now leave my car anywhere and be confident that when I come back to it, it'll start every time. Money very well spent!
You are definitely not alone, this is quite a common issue for this engine/ gearbox combo!
Cheers
Adrian
[Edited on 24/7/12 by adrianreeve]
Just a quick suggestion before you go spending your pennies:
Try slackening the starter mounting bolts. It could be that your started is slightly tight on the ring gear. I had the same problem on a Mk2 Escort
fitted with a BDA engine and tried two new/different starter motors but it always struggled to turn the engine over when the engine was hot.
Slackening the bolts proved the problem so I drilled the mounting holes slightly oversize which was enough to move the motor away from the ring
gear.
It may not be your problem but it's worth a try.
Thanks Owelly, I will give that a try then i think first, It did cross my mind but wasnt sure if it would be affected by being hot or cold. I guess some expansion could affect it.
Strange, i've had the same problem with my mgb. It turned out to be a fuel filter and regulator under the bonnet, took them off and the problem
disapeared.
The heat from the engine caused a air lock in them. Great advice from RPI Engineering.
If you have mappable ignition you can retard the timing to 5 deg or less at cranking point it makes a big difference.I had the same problem and doing
this helped but I finally cured it by stripping and cleaning up the terminals from the solenoid to the brushes and now have no problems at all which
pleased me as I was expecting to have to buy another starter.
Paul
I have an Omex 600 ecu but I don't know if it's adjustable like this. Anyone know?
quote:
If you have mappable ignition you can retard the timing to 5 deg or less at cranking point it makes a big difference.