Troubleshooting help needed- hot start issues

[wreckwriter]

I've been having hot start problems for years on this car, nothing I do seems to help. Now, after second new starter it seems to be getting worse, certainly no better.

Car is a 08 Pontiac G8, stripped down for drag racing use. What happens is that once it gets hot it just won't start. You get a single 'click' per key turn. Only time will make it work. Once it starts it runs great.

Starter has been replaced twice, battery 3 times, starter relay once. I have a brand new top quality battery jump box, attaching it does not help. Battery voltage shows good, I keep a battery maintainer/charger on it during the week. Wiring to the starter appears ok. I keep a blower fan on the engine between rounds but it still does it.

Anyone have any ideas, no matter how off the wall? Getting desperate here, afraid to shut the car off in the staging lanes at this point.

Thanks for any tips!

Tom

[rjones916]

First, when it is doing it, the only thing to really check with a testlight is B+ and then signal on the purple wire while cranking. If your not getting any power there start tracing back, such as neutral safety switch and crank relay... if your getting signal and its still clicking try jumping the starter from B+ to purple with a screwdriver across the terminals. If its still not starting id say your getting extreme heat soak in the solenoid for that many starters to be going bad. Are your headers coated? Heatshields missing?

[wreckwriter]

Impossible to get to the wires with the starter installed. Neutral safety switch, if bad, would not give a click, just dead.

[rjones916]

Yea, I understand. I was just trying to give some basic checks to 100% isolate the problem. I know on the newer GM V8's the starter is a lot harder then you would think it would be. Something else that is a easy check is G102 the ground for the starter relay. Its "in the engine compartment, on the right frame rail below the underhood fuse block"...But it sounds like the problem is heatsoak if its going away after cooling down, which i'm sure you already know...You could try headerwrap and if it stops, get them coated? Possibly making your own heatshield to go over the factory one? Goodluck.

[wreckwriter]

Extra heatshield has already been tried. The only reason I think its not standard heatsoak is so many others running same header setup without issues. I think I'm going to try a heavy gauge ground from engine or bellhousing direct to battery.

[wreckwriter]

Does anyone know, for sure, what type/size wires should be attached to the starter. I think mine may have been modified by alarm installers.

[dandragonrage]

What do you mean? There is generally only one wire - a 4 to 6 gauge power wire. Ground will come through the engine block as long as there's not too much corrosion.

[wreckwriter]

What do you mean? There is generally only one wire - a 4 to 6 gauge power wire. Ground will come through the engine block as long as there's not too much corrosion.

Mine has 2 wires. Need to hear from someone who has seen theirs if possible....

[wreckwriter]

Possible news on this: I hired a local car alarm expert to come out to the house and we found some shoddy wiring in the starter interrupt of the alarm system. It was in a hot area and, with a bit of luck, could be at least part of my problem. Can't get car hot enough to test without racing so won't know til next track day. Hopeful but not completely confident that I might be ok.