wont start when warm

[Teefivetee]

87 GTS

wont happen everytime, oddly enough only had it happen during the day

Ill drive for 15 miles, drive, run into random place to get something, come back out to start, nothing


doesnt crank over, attempt to start, nothing all the lights on the dash come on, radio will play, but the car will not make any attempt to start.

Ill let the car sit for about for about 45 min(after maybe its cooled down a bit???), try to start, itll struggle, then attempt again and boom it runs normal again.

once in a blue moon ill start it for the first time, itll die real quick like a second after, start it back up, and boom back to normal

what can this possibly be? I ruled out the opening circuit relay, im stumped, where should i start looking???

[jondee86]

When you hit the key but the starter does not turn/crank... does the radio
go off and the lights dim, then come back on when you let go of the key ?

If it does, then you could have a heatsoak problem with the starter...
HEATSOAK KILLING YOUR STARTER, Get a wrap! - DIY

If the lights don't dim, then you have another problem... bad wiring connection
or bad ground connection.

Cheers... jondee86

[Teefivetee]

When you hit the key but the starter does not turn/crank... does the radio
go off and the lights dim, then come back on when you let go of the key ?

If it does, then you could have a heatsoak problem with the starter...
HEATSOAK KILLING YOUR STARTER, Get a wrap! - DIY

Cheers... jondee86

i think so, ill turn the key and ill see the lights on the dash come on, but if i let the key go and and leave it in the ignition the lights are less dim afterwards, radio comes back on too.

think its heatsoak then?

[Drifto King]

Do you have a heat shield below your exhaust manifold and over your started motor? It's likely Heat soak in starter I've had this happen before. Have someone turn the key while you're under the hood- see if you can hear the starter pinion spinning. If it is, the reduction clutch gear is stuck. Try knocking on the back of the starter motor with a spanner extension or something to dislodge it. Then try turning the key again. If that fails, .pull starter off and pull apart/ replace.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jondee86]

Sounds likely. Just checked and I see that the AE86 cuts power to the accessory
output of the ignition switch when the key is in the CRANK position. So it is normal
for the radio to switch off during cranking, which means you can't use that as a clue.

Makes things a bit more difficult to check as its hard to see how much the lights dim
in daylight. At night, if the starter is jammed, the headlights will drop to the point
that you can barely see them shining on the road in front of the car when you try
and crank the engine. Let go of the key and they light up again, but come back kind
of slow... not fast like when you turn the switch off and on.

Probably easier to check with a multimeter reading between the battery terminals
while someone turns the key to CRANK. Try it when the car is starting normally, and
you should see the voltage drop maybe 2-3 volts. Then try it when the starter is not
turning, and you will most likely see a drop of 6 volts or more.

That is because a working starter draws a lot of amps, but a jammed one draws a
heap more. Make the test on a jammed starter as short as you can, as you will burn
it out if you crank on it for too long.

Cheers... jondee86

[Teefivetee]

Do you have a heat shield below your exhaust manifold and over your started motor? It's likely Heat soak in starter I've had this happen before. Have someone turn the key while you're under the hood- see if you can hear the starter pinion spinning. If it is, the reduction clutch gear is stuck. Try knocking on the back of the starter motor with a spanner extension or something to dislodge it. Then try turning the key again. If that fails, .pull starter off and pull apart/ replace.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No current heat shield set up

Where could I find a replacement starter?

[F0Bman]

also consider routing the power cable underneath the motor mount rather than over it so that the power cable does not have heat soak and if you're capable check the starter contacts as well. If they are very worn it will cause excessive resistance causing the starter not to turn over

[Teefivetee]

Thanks for the input everyone. Threw a new starter on with a heat shield, no issues since! That older starter looked cooked!