Hard start problem.

I finally got to the point in my 53 Chevy build to start it up and test drive it. The motor started with no problem and ran like a champ. I backed the truck out of my driveway and turned around and pulled back in. After checking for leaks, proper oil pressure , temperature, etc, I shut it off. After a few minutes, I tried to start it again and the starter groaned like it was hanging up or dragging. I had to let the motor sit for about 30 minutes before it would start again. The starter then turned normally. Its a 350 Chevy, basically stock. Any ideas? Could the starter be too close to the headers, or could this be a timing issue or something else? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, fasteddie1017

 

First thing is to ensure the bettery ground cable is attached to the engine , not the frame .

Then check your timing etc. .

often the starter needs a sheet metal heat shield as the heat soak kills them .

Sometimes it's as simple as needing dis assembly , cleaning and re - greasing with good high temp Moly based grease...

 

Thanks for the info. I have a heat shield around the starter which is a rebuilt AutoZone one. (maybe thats the problem?). I will check my grounds and then the timing. The battery is grounded to the motor, but I will check it anyway. Many Thanks. I will let you know what happens.

 

Basic Checks

If you _know_ it's going to groan and not spin when hot , have a buddy handy and open the hood , grab the battery cable midway and have him/her crank it , if the cable warms up whilst the starter is groaning and not cranking well , there's a problem inside the starter , just retrun it and say " it's bad " don't elaborate .

If the battery cables are thin like your pinkie finger , they're crap even if the truck starts O.K. ~ special order up some 1 gauge ones and it'll start easily even with a poor battery .

If either cable has one of those add a clamp things , it's trash junk it now and replace with a good 1 gauge cable .

Used cables are O.K. if you're on a budget , gotta be thick like your thumb though and no broken strands , abrasions etc. .

I still do farm repairs and when done correctly , you don't $pend much $ and it works perfectly .

 

If you have a way to solder the ends on, welding cable works best. lots of small wire strands.

Jim

 

Thanks guys for the tips. I'll try everything you mentioned and see what happens. I hope its that simple.

 

Amazingly , it usually is ~ these are old tech , dead simple machines and most often there's a buncha small things that preclude easy starting , replace the cables then do a tune up , I find most owners insist the valves are fine when in fact they're tight and this gaurantees hard starting that gets worse as the temperature rises....

I make up my own battery cables using 0 Ga. welding cable with soldered on ends ~ works like a champ , every time .

Then set dwell (points gap) ' Just So ' , adjust ignition timing , be sure to use solid core plug wires and NON resistor spark plugs , then your clapped out engine with 68 # per cylinder suddenly is easy to start and run strong again

 

Checked and cleaned battery terminals and installed new ground cable to engine. Hard start problem solved!!! Thanks everyone who responded!!!