the car is a 1971 cutlass olds 350. its starts when cold it cranks a little slow buh not has bad as when it gets alittle hot then i turn it off wait 2-3 mins and then it barely wants to crank and dosen't even start whats wrong this car did sit about a year or so but it has a new battery anyways

 

Either the timing is off or the starter is about wore out. Check all your battery cables for corrosion too.

 

today i notice that the postive cable to the starter gets alittle hot is that normal??

 

Electrical resistance does get worse with more heat, I am pretty sure starters also have that problem if they get to hot. One thing you can start with is checking the main battery cable going to the starter for resistance, and check the amperage draw while cranking.

I also have a question. Can some one explain how timing will cause the engine to crank slow? Is this valve timing or ignition timing?

 

Does it get hot just from cranking it? If it does, that usually means the starter is drawing lots of amperage which usually indicates some type of mechanical resistance in the engine holding up the starter.

 

mechanical resistance??? like what?? and yes it gets hot from just cranking it

 

Their could be something internally wrong inside the engine that is binding it up. Try turning the engine over by turning the crank with a socket/ratchet and see if it feels abnormally hard to turn.

This also might have something to do with the timing like what was mentioned. I am not positive on how it will cause the engine to crank slowly, I am sure someone will explain.

 

yup i think its the timing cause i took the distributor out of the block then turned the block over and forgot to note where the rotor was pointing so i gave it a lucky guess and put it in. how do i check the timing?

 

More than likely a loose nut at the solenoid, clean the terminal before you retighten. I don't your starter is drawing to many amps. but that is easy to check.

 

today i put the battery from my truck into the olds and it started right up but 5mins later when i put the battery back into the truck , the trucks battery was gone so the olds 350 had drained the battery (600 cranking amps). i dont think its the alt because the case looks kinda of new. what can it be

 

I don't know about your truck battery...and you're starting to get into 2 different problems.
If you're worried about the charging system, bring your alt & battery down to Napa and have them checked. 5 minutes.

Back to the slow start. Single exhaust?
1. See how your exhaust cross over between the 2 manifolds wraps around your started and gives it a cute little bear hug?

Not good. It chews up starters. Get it tested. Buy a shield or just wrap it with aluminized tape from Home depot.

2. Check your timing. It was mentioned in the first reply by rocketraider.

3. Check your timing.

good luck.

 

I agree, get it timed.

 

Dont just assume the alt is good because it looks new, if you think like that it can end up costing you lots of wasted money. Get it tested.