wfridolfson 10 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 does anyone else with a 351c have a hard time starting it when its hot, my starter, alt, starting sol are all new, have a red top optima battery, starts fine when cold and have checked timing all is good, need help Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeDemon 211 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 so what is your initial timing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wfridolfson 10 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 14 initial Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemon Owner 11 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 (edited) Is it cranking when it is hot or will it crank but not start? If it has a hard time cranking over when hot and you timing is only 14degrees then it will 95% likely be a bad earth/cable. So make sure all you starter/earth cables are in good condition and grounded properly. Edited June 13, 2012 by Lemon Owner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wfridolfson 10 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 cranks really slow, have headers too and they run close to starter, could it be getting to hot, would a starter blanket help? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemon Owner 11 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 (edited) There is a small chance the starter getting hot but I can almost guarantee it will be cable issues. Another member here had the same problem and it was his cables. I have the same problem and it was my cables. I have had this problem before on other vehicles and again it was cables. Make sure all the battery leads are tight and where they ground to the engine and sarter etc. is clean and tight. Backing off the timing will help a little but it just hides the real problem. Edited June 13, 2012 by Lemon Owner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wfridolfson 10 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 thanks for the help Lemon, i will check it out tomorrow and let you know how it comes out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Powershift 19 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 My Cleveland did the same thing when hot. I swapped over to a mini high torque starter, and it was perfect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ash 145 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 My last Clevo did this after installing a new aftermarket starter. I built a heat shield for it as the solenoid sat up top close to the block and headers. Never did it again after I installed the shield. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredfordguy 16 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 Had a similar cleveland problem, especially when the engine was fresh, 2 years ago I swapped over to a gear reduction starter, problem eleminated. This unit spins the engine like the plugs were out, and shopping around found a very reasonable priced starter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coz 108 Report post Posted June 13, 2012 yep - have to agree with the others - check you starter and your gound cable to the block. Ground cable should be the 1st cable (if more than one on the nut) against the block and make sure it's tight and free of rust/debris. For some reason mine would not start when hot until I moved the ground to the "inside" and tightened it up. A mini-starter is almost a requirement with headers. The old full sized starters are too close to most headers and the can't take the heat. Back in the day, I'd swap a Ford OEM starter out of my first Mach 1 about every 6 months. It would get so bad the bendix would spin free and smack the teeth of the flywheel Live and learn.... BTW: On a stock 351C 14* initial isn't bad. Mine is 18* initial and 34* all in by 2600rpm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemon Owner 11 Report post Posted June 16, 2012 I have a cleveland that does the same thing, so like everyone said I changed it out for a high torque starter. Still won't f$%ken start properly! Check the cables first, alot cheaper. Oh yea, I fixed my mach1 hot starting issue, I tightened the negative battery terminal properly. :001_tongue: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wfridolfson 10 Report post Posted June 18, 2012 i checked all gounds, cleaned and tightened back up, even put another on engine to frame, helped a little bit but overall still have problem, i'm going heat shield first and if problem is still there will try mini starter, thanks all for you help Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemon Owner 11 Report post Posted June 19, 2012 Shame it wasn't an easy fix. Good luck, hopefully the heat shield will do the trick. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SM69Mach 68 Report post Posted June 19, 2012 I just had the same issue with hard start. Upgraded all of the main wires to a 2 gauge from 4 gauge, and made sure all of the grounds had good connection and even added a couple of extra to the frame and firewall for good measure. Using a stock OEM replacement style starter with headers, on a 445 stroker, no issues with hot start. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cupid 10 Report post Posted June 20, 2012 It's the cables man! Had the same problem for years (though not as extreme), but I just addressed it a few weeks ago: http://www.1969stang.com/mustang/forum/showthread.php?t=11702 I did back the timing all the way down as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
