Engine Slow To Start When Hot

[Tazzzzman1]

Ok got an odd issue with the car and thinking it may be a duff battery but not sure. Battery showing 12.2v.... Car starts fine when cold. But when engine warm the engine struggles to turnover, just like a flat battery. Leave the car 5 mins to cool down and it cranks over ok... Battery is a race gel pack type. It is 3 yrs old and has been run flat a few times which gel batteries don't like, yet she seems to charge up and hold charge ok. Strange that it only happens when engine hot.... Any ideas?

[Guest paulsnow]

Had this on my car . Changed the battery for a new one now starts when hot or cold.

[Grim]

too much ignition advance when hot?

[Tazzzzman1]

Hi Andy, why would ignition adv change when hot?

[Tazzzzman1]

Sounds good Rob. Let's know when

[Guest 2b cruising]

Try a standard battery through jump leads, with current battery disconnected.

Those batteries are to expensive just to change without checking first.

Make sure jump leads are really good ones

If the fault still happens, look elsewhere. ie Lazy starter when hot is not so uncommon.

Neither is a tight engine when hot.

 

[sj-bradley]

3 year old powervamp battery?

 

Sounds like mine which also went duff around that length of time too even though it's disconnected through an isolator when not in use.

 

If this happens again after another 3 years, I'll be changing for a standard type instead as not much weight difference really.

 

Simon.

[alanrichey]

Standard problem with the Superspec (see my article in the magazine). Went through the new battery/advance/earth strap solutions with no luck. No help to you though as I reckon it is a design fault where the starter itself is buried deep down with no airflow, so gets cooked and struggles to crank.

[Guest mark little]

Probably way off here but when I had bike carbs fitted and things were hot the petrol sometimes vaporized in the carbs before it got to the cylinders and could be a pig to start, however leaving it to cool for 5 minutes, like you, it started okay. Maybe a possibility?

[stevedohc2b]

Its the super charger giving off to much heat need to remove and sell on, bad design etc.

 

Get richard to fit a steam engine then you can have a brew at road side.

 

Stephen

[Guest 2b cruising]

That not a cure for overheating, just bloomin good improvisation of the situation.

[Tazzzzman1]

Gonna try cranking when hot with another battery connected as it gives all the symptoms of a duff battery. Except it seems fine when cold, so may also be a sign of starter on the way out. I'm thinking that when Starter becomes hot ( from engine) internal resistance increases requiring more CAMps. So gonna start with battery then swap starter as I have a spare...very strange though.

[sj-bradley]

I wouldn't have thought that heat would make a drastic effect on the electrical properties of the starter.

 

Maybe it is binding because of dissimilar metals expansion rates causing it to bind under heat?

 

Maybe brushes are worn / sticking with heat causing poor connection?

 

When starting, try and noticed what the battery voltage drops down to on cold / hot starts? If it drops less when hot, then suspect higher resistance, but if lower, it may be a stiff motor?

 

Just ideas ...

 

Simon.

[Andi]

I had exactly the same problem with the pinto.

Started fine cold, but after some serious driving it just acted like a flat battery, or like it was massively advanced.

Turned out the plug to the alternator was mashed.

 

Andi

[alanrichey]

I wouldn't have thought that heat would make a drastic effect on the electrical properties of the starter.

I got the idea from an American PBS program called "Car Talk" (http://www.cartalk.com/), one of the funniest programs I have ever listened to. I think the show has finished now as one of the brothers died, but they are still releasing a weekly podcast. Someone had phoned up asking this identical question and that was their answer. Apparently they had seen it quite a lot on whatever model of car they were talking about. Highly recommended listening if you are in need of cheering up.