My '54 F-100 starts fine when engine is cold. After a few cranks it pops right off. But after I drive it and want to start it while it is still hot it starts real hard. It sounds like the battery is almost dead, it turns real slow. After a while of slow turning it pops off, usually! I try to park on a hill so I can bump start it...

I thought my engine which was rebuilt in 1979 needs another rebuild or needs freshened up. One mechanic told me perhaps my starter is getting hot and it expands and then is binding and turning hard and slow because of that...

What do you think? Engine rebuild due (complete overhaul or valve job) or is it a hot and therefore a tight starter????

thanks!

 

I am curious to see some responses to this, as my 54 F250 is the same way. I wondered if after the engine runs and warms up the compression increases a little. I have a pretty cheap 6V battery in it for now, so have been wondering if a better battery would help.

 

Is this something it's always done or a new/recent occurrence? Have you made any changes to the truck recently, or "fixed" anything?

 

It is not new. I have been dealing with it for maybe 10 months now... I haven't made any changes that would affect how the truck starts...

What are you thinking? Would the inside of the starter expand when hot that much that it would not spin properly?

 

Abe, I would take a look at the starter....
I had the same thing happen on an OT car, replaced battery and all starting circuit parts.....turned out the starter was dragging. If your starter has never been "tuned up" it may be worth checking out. That's where I would start.....

 

I was just about to post the same issue!

My 56 Engine always ran great, but was always hard/impossible to atart when hot. Mine is definitley not the starter or battery as it cranks a s well hot or cold.

I've narrowed it down to a vapour lock condition, either in the supply line, car or intake, or.... not enough spark when hot (coil?).

I've looked it up every which way and I'd LOVE to hear someone with a definitive answer!!

 

The starter was rebuilt in 1999 after the truck came back from the body shop. I will stop at the shop that rebuilt it to see what he thinks!

 

Ford starters can get bowed shafts, or sloppy bearings (bushings) that let the armature drag on the field coils. The attraction of an energized field coil pulls the armature towards it. It is a common mod to turn the armature 0.030 - 0.050" to give it a little room. New bushings help too.

But I would expect all those problems to be there cold or hot, and it would only explain slow cranking. Most engines will heat soak the carb after shutdown, boiling some of the gas into the intake. That both "floods" the engine to a degree and leaves less fuel in the bowl.

So maybe you have two problems, one of which (starter) aggravates the other?

 

[quote=ALBUQ F-1;11007866]Ford starters can get bowed shafts, or sloppy bearings (bushings) that let the armature drag on the field coils. The attraction of an energized field coil pulls the armature towards it. It is a common mod to turn the armature 0.030 - 0.050" to give it a little room. New bushings help too. [quote]


I had the same problem on my 68 F100 and new bushings fixed it. I seem to recall it was worse hot than cold.

 

Timing too far advanced commonly will cause slow crank when the engine is warm. You'll get that 'arrrruun...arrruun....arrruun' sound. Also bad starter, bad wiring, bad battery, dirty cables, anything that would increase resistance in the electrical system when demands are highest. My thoughts were perhaps you recently gave the truck a tune-up, adjusted the timing, or changed the battery cables and didn't get high quality ones. Anything like that could contribute to your problem.

 

+1 for 52Merc, I also had that type of symptoms.....at first I thought mis adjusted float, starter getting hot, fuel pump is bad.....until I checked my timing. Big difference starts up every time

 

sure sounds like the starter. how old is battery? could be losing a cell. any oil dripping on starter? sounds like bushings.

 

First, check all of your connections and grounds. make sure they are CLEAN and TIGHT.

Second, pull the started and have it checked out. good chance it's time for a rebuild.

I have NEVER heard of an engine tightening up 32 years after it was rebuilt.... come to think of it, never heard of that happening, EVER unless there was an oil starvation issue.

you might also consider either a heat shield over the starter, or a thermo wrap on the exhaust near the starter.

 

 

battery is just over 1 year old; cables are 12 years old and are 1 gauge; The battery shows great power when truck is cold and spins the starter fast.

Valves were adjusted in Feb of 2010, timing was adjusted at the same time. So the timing too far advanced can cause slow cranking when engine is warm??

Sounds like it is either: bushings in the starer or the timing??? It does backfire sometimes while driving a little bit, more like a hick-up. Would this indicate too far advanced timing?