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patrickstars 1983 242 4.8L/AR5 swap

I will be doing the battery relocation, and you should use some huge wire for sure. I figured it out but have to find the notes on it, think it was 00 gauge, copper wire, not that aluminum with copper coating crap.
 
So I did quite a bit of testing today.

Battery is getting ~14.7v while running. Doesn't seem to have a parasitic draw anywhere. Battery was good, tested it and replaced it with a new one. Car was still doing the same thing.

I'm starting to think its a heat soak issue with the starter. It only does this while hot, when cold the car cranks with no hesitation. I'm running an aftermarket starter, Hooker 8501 clones, no heat shield on the starter. Im thinking I'll order one and give that a shot.
 
If the starters not working when it’s hot, sounds like you may have a bad solenoid that’s getting jammed up when it’s heat soaked. Starters are pretty simple in operation...
 
culberro said:
If the starters not working when it?s hot, sounds like you may have a bad solenoid that?s getting jammed up when it?s heat soaked. Starters are pretty simple in operation...
Click to expand...

The starter might be suspect, it was a cheapo O'Reilly/Autozone/Napa starter.

The positive cable from trunk to starter is undersized anyway, so I am thinking I'll order new cables and a heat shield and see what that does for me. Might beef up some of my grounds as well
 
Cable sizing is very interesting, I just went through this on an EV project at work.
You have to balance voltage drop, heat generated in the wire, constant current, peak current, and size and weight of the cable.

That being said 2awg should be more than fine. It has a continuous amp rating of more than 200 amps. I’ve used 8awg for rear mounted battery setups without issue. Peak currents aren’t that high high with a starter. You can run them through a 150amp fuse/breaker.

The issue comes when you have poor crimps and corrosion, or the starter spins the motor over too slow (usually a combination of corrosion in the wires and all the connections).

What Patrick is dealing with is a starter that won’t actually spin anything when hot. It has nothing to do with the cables, and everything to do with the starter and most likely the solenoid.
 
culberro said:
Cable sizing is very interesting, I just went through this on an EV project at work.
You have to balance voltage drop, heat generated in the wire, constant current, peak current, and size and weight of the cable.

That being said 2awg should be more than fine. It has a continuous amp rating of more than 200 amps. I?ve used 8awg for rear mounted battery setups without issue. Peak currents aren?t that high high with a starter. You can run them through a 150amp fuse/breaker.

The issue comes when you have poor crimps and corrosion, or the starter spins the motor over too slow (usually a combination of corrosion in the wires and all the connections).

What Patrick is dealing with is a starter that won?t actually spin anything when hot. It has nothing to do with the cables, and everything to do with the starter and most likely the solenoid.
Click to expand...

I was hoping to talk to you about this when you grab the door cards today, this has been my thought process too. I only installed the 2awg because a friend suggested it. He's running the same setup in a LSX s13 and has never had issues.

I will mention that the starter does want to spin when its hot, but cranks too slow to do anything. It has the exact characteristics of a dying battery, but the battery is charging and has good voltage.
 
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Tackled cutting my own 5-panel gaskets. Went to Hobby Lobby, picked up a 12x18" 5mm EVA foam sheet, a silver sharpie and a x-acto knife. Came out better than I expected. Next big interior project is going to be building a set of plain black doorcards via Dereks (Vol242vo) method.

I was planning on taking my girlfriend for a drive in it today, but wanted to throw my new taillights in first. I installed them but they need some work. Need to clean all the contacts up and test the brake light switch, I think it may need replacing.
 
This is such a nice build. You love to see it.

patrickstar said:
Next big interior project is going to be building a set of plain black doorcards via Dereks (Vol242vo) method.
Click to expand...

Is there a build thread for the door cards somewhere? I plan on remaking my panels too.
 
Fixed the taillights, installed the starter heatshield, installed the downpipe gaskets, adjusted the panhard bar, and installed the new wheels. I'm getting the car tuned this week, ordering the driver seat and registering it. Then I'll feel more confident in taking it out and about|

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Solved! I have been having hot start issues for the last couple weeks. Today I decided to buck up and buy new battery cables from a battery/auto electric shop in Portland. Went from 4ga to 2/0 and moved the circuit breaker from the cabin to the rear. Car starts perfect every time now, which is a huge relief.

It may have been ****ty crimp or it may have been the undersized wire, but I'm happy to have this problem solved. Next up, getting tuned.
 
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