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Been doing lots of research on this recurring problem ive been having and quiet confused on which route to take. To explain the problem, i drive the truck on a trip (the longer the worse) and when i go to start it again it moves really slow. This is a common problem with people it seems and im about 90% ive benchmarked all the wiring from the battery to the solenoid to the starter. All cables look brand new and ive been getting good reads of ground and pos cables everywhere i look. Some people say ignition timing is the problem, some say you need a heat shield, and some say you need a high torque ministarter. The starter i have in there now is a Carquest 3180sn (a brand i dont know), which i have had tested at autozone to which they said worked great. Im assuming it was recently replaced due to there is still a sticker on it. Im not the richest guy so i dont have the money to blow on a 200 dollar starter if it isnt the issue. If anyone can offers tests or solution i'd appreciate it alot.
The starter i have in there now is a Carquest 3180sn (a brand i dont know), which i have had tested at autozone to which they said worked great.
First thing, please be aware an unloaded bench test doesn't mean very much. It's like deciding you're ready to climb Mt Everest because you aced a walk in the park. All but the worst starters will bench test just fine, but one could potentially bog down under the load of real world conditions.
Starting a hot engine is the toughest condition for a starter system. Compression increases, so the load is higher. Heat soak of the starter can be an issue, too, reducing its power output precisely at the wrong time when the maximum is needed. Just a guess on the percentage, but you could have an undiagnosed fault in the starter system so it's only putting out 75% of its rated output. Most of the time this is adequate, but not so much when you need that last bit of oomph.
Duplicate the fault scenario, getting the engine good and warm. Go for a long drive if needed. Hoping to head off Dave at the pass, but this test disables the ignition system and takes timing completely out of the equation. Three quick meter connections, ten minutes tops. Only if all three tests pass should you consider the starter itself at fault.
Been doing lots of research on this recurring problem ive been having and quiet confused on which route to take. To explain the problem, i drive the truck on a trip (the longer the worse) and when i go to start it again it moves really slow. This is a common problem with people it seems and im about 90% ive benchmarked all the wiring from the battery to the solenoid to the starter. All cables look brand new and ive been getting good reads of ground and pos cables everywhere i look. Some people say ignition timing is the problem, some say you need a heat shield, and some say you need a high torque ministarter. The starter i have in there now is a Carquest 3180sn (a brand i dont know), which i have had tested at autozone to which they said worked great. Im assuming it was recently replaced due to there is still a sticker on it. Im not the richest guy so i dont have the money to blow on a 200 dollar starter if it isnt the issue. If anyone can offers tests or solution i'd appreciate it alot.
Thanks, Andrew
Really hope you are running the correct size battery cables. I see too many use the universal parts store versions which are often 4ga CCA wire and cause a huge voltage drop and charging issues.
Ford starters were never known for a heat soak problem. GM starters having the solenoid attached had a problem years ago and only the big block Fords used a starter with an attached solenoid so they also could be prone to heat soak. How old is the solenoid that's mounted on the fender? When you change a GM starter you're getting a new solenoid yet when people change one on a Ford they don't consider that the solenoid contacts are problem worn out also.
My 302 has been driven for many miles back in the day and never had a starting issue a few minutes later
We don't know the complete story, so who knows what has been done to this truck and this engine. Timing can cause this issue, and it doesn't cost any money to check it.
We don't know the complete story, so who knows what has been done to this truck and this engine. Timing can cause this issue, and it doesn't cost any money to check it.
I'll agree with timing and slow cranking. I recall a friends small block Chevy back in the 1970s would run better if it was a little slow to crank. It had a bunch of things done like most of us younger gearheads did back then. But in this case, it would be nice to know background if other things have been changed...
Hey everybody lots of different suggestions here lol, ill send pics here.
First off, trust me i know the wiring look gross with all the electrical ducktape, but its just for temperory use for accesories. Anyways you can see here that the postives line and negatives have been replaced (not by me) and are quiet low on gauge. The battery is under 8 months old and is a 750cc so im about 99% it isnt the battery (yes ive done a load test and everything). Someone reccomended the voltage drop test so im gonna go ahead and do that first before i learn about timing and all that stuff. Even though the connections do not look to good on this lol, all surfaces have been sanded to good metal so visible corosion isnt an issue. Max capacity, what i said is that i think the starter has been changed, i never changed it. Ive changed basically everything else and/or verified its still good (not including voltage drop yet). And yes the truck does have headers and stock exhaust. So the starter is about 2 inches from the manifold pipe. Let me know if you need more pics or to verify anything else!
Your issues are easy to see!! Your cables are improperly clamped and you have very little contact. You are also using parts store CCA 4ga cable with zinc battery post adapters. Just terrible for resistance and voltage drop. If you are going to die cables they need to be properly swedged or soldered.
Those cable crimps look awful. I am not sure why people go to so much trouble to make their own cables, when you can buy universal ones in the store already made up.
I have a puzzle I am trying to solve. What would be worse? Cutting the cable and stripping it back and putting it in the battery clamp in the picture below like it was designed, or making a lousy crimp with pliers and using the one bolt like in the picture below. I am thinking neither one is a very good option.
Thanks for the input, thankfully those battery cables are not my doing so i do not have to take the blame for that. Can you go in-depth and explain what to do with battery post cables? I have no idea of the difference from a 90 dollar cable from a part store adapter.
You can also see that it was just clamped on the posts so it was a really crappy job nontheless. Also if you can send links to things thatd help a ton!
Thanks for the input, thankfully those battery cables are not my doing so i do not have to take the blame for that. Can you go in-depth and explain what to do with battery post cables? I have no idea of the difference from a 90 dollar cable from a part store adapter.
You can also see that it was just clamped on the posts so it was a really crappy job nontheless. Also if you can send links to things thatd help a ton!
Thankfully if you don't want to invest the time or money into tools there is a shop making direct fit heavy duty cables. These are proper sized cables, you won't find any of the components at a parts store. You will need to source a heavy duty battery supplier if you go local for parts. https://www.ebay.com/itm/19237182492...RoCejkQAvD_BwE
Thanks ford390, that looks like exactly what i need, but holy crap 100+ for battery cables? I never wouldve guess cables that simple are so expensive. Any other options besides selling an arm and a leg? Or is it worth just saving for awhile to get those. I bet that is the issue, but blowing 100 bucks i want to make absolutely sure lol
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