Anyone have heat soak issues?

gnx547 · Aug 23, 2010

Does anyone here have heat soak issues? My 94 mustang gt always cranks really slow after I drive it. Sometimes it cranks so slow and seems like it won't start. I have short tube headers. Is there an aftermarket mini starter I can use that can tolerate the heat and put out more torque?

Adam95GT · Aug 23, 2010

How old is the starter?

CoD_50callongshotz · Aug 23, 2010

I have long tubes that basically wrap my starter and i dont have any trouble. i agree with adam. how old is the starter you have?? could be time to replace it. Increased heat means increased resistance on the electrical circuit. and if the starter is older it might be just to much resistance to over come. Wear and tear + Heat = slow cranking.

gnx547 · Aug 23, 2010

I think the starter is original and the car has 66,000 miles. What starter do you recommend?

CC'S95GT · Aug 23, 2010

I have been have a similiar issue as well , well today it actually wouldn't restart after refueling.
So I gotta jump, drove home and then tested the alt output. 13.8vdc. no prob with that.
next I'll ck out the batt. and if that's good all that's left would be the starter.

I only have shorties though. So maybe my junk is just old.

Adam95GT · Aug 23, 2010

Pull out and test the started for piece of mind... also check out the battery... probe around and test voltages.

Lee12609 · Aug 23, 2010

what is your base timing set at??

gnx547 · Aug 24, 2010

I don't know what the base timing is set at. When I bought the car, it was dyno tuned and the timing was set at the shop.

daves94vert · Aug 24, 2010

My guess would be your grounds. I went through this with my f-250 hauler. I replaced the battery ground and added a chassis to engine ground and solved the problem. Bring your starter to get tested. If it tests ok, replace grounds. When your engine heats, up your ground wires tend to lose resistance. It's really cheap and easy to replace the ground wires and/or add an extra one.

gnx547 · Aug 25, 2010

I looked at my ground wires and they are clean and tight. I will buy some ground strap wires. Where are some good places to add the ground straps in the engine bay? I know on the fox body there is a ground strap behind the head. On my mustang I have edlebrock heads and there are no bolt holes in the back of the head. Also how many ground straps should I add?

ryclef331 · Aug 25, 2010

I had MAC Longtubes on my car for years. I burnt up my first starter b/c the trigger wire grounded out on the primaries and later experienced severe heatsoak issues with the replacement I put in it. I put a new one in there and wrapped the starter with a heatshield blanket and never had another issue with it after that.

daves94vert · Aug 25, 2010

Does it crank fine in the morning? After you let it sit a few hours? If it does crank fine after these it's probably not your starter. Your grounds may seem fine, but corrosion will be inside your insulation. When you add a ground, make sure the contact points are grease/oil and paint free. You must have bare metal to metal contact. Scuff it well with some sandpaper. I used an existing bolt in the frame and a random bolt on the block with some spare stereo wire I had laying around.

gnx547 · Aug 26, 2010

Yes it does crank up fine in the morning..It just cranks really slow after driving the car when it is hot. I checked all the grounds and they are clean. I will buy a starter heat blanket and add some grounds. Who has the best price for a starter heat blanket and about what size do I need? I checked a few auto part stores and they don't have it, they only have header wrap.

daves94vert · Aug 27, 2010

Your grounds may look nice and clean, but the corrosion also occurs under the insulation .

CC'S95GT · Aug 27, 2010

gnx547 said:
Yes it does crank up fine in the morning..It just cranks really slow after driving the car when it is hot. I checked all the grounds and they are clean. I will buy a starter heat blanket and add some grounds. Who has the best price for a starter heat blanket and about what size do I need? I checked a few auto part stores and they don't have it, they only have header wrap.

I was having the exact same issue with mine. Turns over fine when cold (first start of the day or after sitting for a few hours). But after driving and the car gets up to temp the engine would turn over really slow. It kept getting worse as the weeks passed. (see post #4)
Turned out to be the battery.
Have yours load tested.