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Original Message
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| Pretty normal, nowadays. |
| By Dave Shoe - 03/27/2004 1:59:44 PM; IP 216.243.176.34 |
I've never had any luck in recent years with stock starters in a performance FE application. Many others have complained just the same.
I've tried the fancy NAPA "Raylock" guaranteed starter rebuilds, as well as their plain rebuilds. Also tried rebuilds from other parts stores.
All crank nice when cols, dead slow when engine warmed. Lifespan is typically a year.
My method for starting when warm (using an 850DP Holley) is to pump the gas pedal about 5 times until it floods and crank the engine. It'll crank slow for one turn, then spin fast about 3 turns and fires up fine. The problem is apaprently that first slow turn is really hard on the starters, and soon the starters go bad. The failures do not follow any trend, each seems to be different -causing me to try another rebuild.
Note that I run heavy gauge cabling and high amp batterys, so electrical insufficiency is not the issue. One rumor is that rebuilders use less copper nowadays. Maybe that's true, I don't know. Maybe modern gasoline is blended for computerized spark timing, allowing more volatiles that fire better on cool days, but don't ping in hot weather because computers adjust the timing.
There are a number of possibilities, but I haven't pinpoionted any culprit.
There are two solutions: Either get an ignition delay or mini-starter. Or both.
The fancier MSD spark amplifiers (series 7??) offer a spark retard when the starter cranks. I don't know if this is desirable when cold, but it sure makes hot cranking easy and generally works when cold. I believe the Duraspark era Ford ignition may have had a model or two with a starter retard, but Duraspark is not an ignition amplifier like and MSD, it only offers normal spark energy as regulated (limited) by the ballast. Either should work well in your case (it's easy and cheap to stick common 302 Duraspark distributor guts into the FE points distributor), and the Duraspark amplifier is easier to hide.
High Torque ministarters are the most common solution. I made the mistake of buying a McLeod ministarter a few years back, and it did NOT fit with Hooker headers on a FE Galaxie, FE Fairlane, or Fe Mustang. It would probably have fit stock manifolds, but I returned it to Summit after a year of no luck, and they happily accepted it. I haven't yet spend on a new starter, haven't been driving a performance FE in years since I'm spending my money collecting factory FE engine blueprints and literature, but next build of mine gets a ministarter. Powermaster seems to get good reviews, as do a number of other brands. Check Jegs or Summit (avoid purchasing from PAW!) and you should be in good shape.
Shoe. |
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