[DeTomaso] Starter Problems

[Larry Weston]

I too enjoyed the slow cranking hot start problem my first driving season. Kind of takes some of the fun out of going out for a ride not being sure if the darn car will start again after you stop for gas or a coke or something. I used to fuel at home out of containers, leave it running for brief stops at the store or the bank or whatever. I'd even park on a grade so I could bump start if I was staying somewhere too long to leave her running, but not staying long enough to cool off enough to start easily.
 
I took my stocker starter to A-1 starter and battery in Quincy, MA and got an education.
 
The clever looking arrangement that throws out the bendix/starter drive actually reduces the effective area of the field coils by about 25%. There's just less field to react with the armature. That's why a stock starter can only muster about a half horsepower.
 
I got set up with a late model stock ford starter, planetary reduction gears with permanent magnets and a conventional solenoid for the bendix drive on top. Cost of $109.
 
Tom at A-1 gave me a wiring scheme that kept my stock cables. I only had to add one wire.
 
I pulled the heavy cable for the starter off the firewall (stock) solenoid and attached it to the big stud on the battery side of that solenoid. I made up a 12 guage wire with a spade terminal on one end for the terminal on the starter motor solenoid and a large ring terminal on the other end which got attached to the other big stud on the firewall mounted solenoid.
 
This arrangement avoids starter current passing through two relays, sends serious current to the starter solenoid for more positive engagement (and keeps the load off my ignition switch) and still leaves the stock firewall solenoid in place to send a signal to the start spark retard wire on my Duraspark module.
 
It works great! Starts like any late model car. Hot or cold. I go anywhere now and I KNOW it will start.
 
Made the difference between 900 nervous miles in season one and 2900 confident miles in season two. And season two didn't start until July in '07.
 
Larry (frozen in NH)
 
 
 
 
 
 
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