High Performance Starter

[BADASYJ]

Well I finally got the new 4.7 up n runnin. The only prob. I'm having is that when its hot it doesn't want to start. Like the starter just doesn't have the balls to turn the motor over all the way. The starter gets really hot leading me to believe its straining pretty good. It is a brand new OEM starter not reman. The comp. is @ 11 to 1. What starter would you recommend for a high comp. motor?

[lafrad]

First things first:

Upgrade the ground from the battery to the block. this is CHEAP. autozone has cables for it.

Then, upgrade the positive battery connection to the starter motor. another CHEAP thing to do from autozone.

That solves most of the "hard start" problems... If that doesn't work, at least the "high torque" starter won't get too little voltage when you get to it.

I would expect you won't need the high torque one.

[BADASYJ]

I've relocated the battery to the back of the jeep. So I do have some long cables. I will redo the wiring first but if that doesn't do it then I'm gonna put it back under the hood to see if that would cure the hard start. I'm willing to try anything to avoid paying $300 for a starter thats gonna be covered in mud and dunked in deep water holes on a regular basis.
Does anyone know the comp. ratio limit for a stock starter?

[lafrad]

Ground the battery in the back to the uni-body. use 0ga cables (OR BIGGER!) and don't just use a self tapping screw. get a bolt from one side, to the other (or use a factory welded in bolt), wirebrush to bare metal, coat it all in dielectric grease, bolt the cable down and cover it all in dielectric.

in the engine bay: same story. HEAVY ground cable from Uni-body to the block. best place would be UNDER one of the starter bolts. same deal with the dielectric.

For the "positive", run the HEAVY wire (0ga) to the starter post directly, and let the cable that is in the engine bay from the starter handle the rest of the truck's needs.

With this setup, it should be as good as if the battery were next to the starter.

I would imagine the stock starter can handle quite a bit of compression. they can push the truck along in gear on a manual trans....

[amcinstaller]

lafrad hit the nail on the head on that one. your starter is totally capable of drawing upwards of 250 amps! just like a ginormous stereo, 0awg is totally the way to go. use big bolts, star washers and some dielectric grease. also, maybe do somethin to protect the outside connections. wouldnt hurt at all. i plan on doing a back battery in my amc spirit, and 0awg is a must, but ill have both, back battery, ginorous stereo, and a stroker

[Exos]

I have a similar problem with my stroker. It starts, but the starter is really working hard, only when it's HOT. My battery is in the stock location. What is the explanantion for this condition, when HOT? (It was worse for the few first hundred miles)

[SIXPAK]

Boys in above posts have it corrrect. Upgrade your wires. My battery is in the very back of the cj5 and has 00 welding cable. Then it goes to the very front of the car with an external battery disconnect (per safety rules), then to the starter. Comp is 14.4 with zero starting issues.

[Exos]

Boys in above posts have it corrrect. Upgrade your wires. My battery is in the very back of the cj5 and has 00 welding cable. Then it goes to the very front of the car with an external battery disconnect (per safety rules), then to the starter. Comp is 14.4 with zero starting issues.

I understand the wire size, resistance and such. What I don't get is why does it do it when hot...

[unlimitedrubicon]

When the starter is hot it is nit as effecient and takes more current to provide the same torque.