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The starter on my 1972 CS 350CI is beginning to show signs of needed replacement.
I'm thinking of a PowerMaster mini starter. Do you all see a problem with this type of starter bolting in ? Any recommendations you can offer would be appreciated.
What signs is your starter starting to show? If your battery has a good charge (127ishV) and your cables are good. Plus you periodically clean your cable ends and battery terminals, most hot/slow start issues go away.
If your still running points, some ministarters do not have a terminal provision for a bypass wire. If your engine relatively stock and your running stock manifolds, I would stick with a stock starter.
There are also other low cost things to try. Vacuum inside the starter to remove (conductive) dust, polish the commutator, pick out any dust from between commutator bars, and put in new brushes.
If you don't solve the problem and go with a mini starter, I used PowerMaster for clearance to headers and am pleased with the performance.
Battery is new, all connections clean. That 4BBL MC doesn't always warm start on the first try and you can feel the starter become sluggish, I get that sinking feeling I'm going to get stuck. I'd rather have the modern starter.
Thank you for the advice about the bypass, I didn't know that.
Measure your battery voltage to be sure, new does not mean good at times. Get a battery cable/terminal cleaning brush. They may look clean, sometimes they are not. In addition the size of the cables matter, too small creates heat. Clean the terminals at the starter also, make sure the wires are not frayed and they are tight.
Okay I'll check and clean all the connections. BTW you were right, the mini starter does not have a terminal provision, you need a separate kit,, so if I change it,, it will have to be a full size starter. Now I know why I come here for advice. Thank you much !!
Hot start problems are common. It is due to heat soaking into the solenoid. When I ran a full size starter, I put a sheet metal heat shield between the exhaust and the solenoid--this helped.
To eliminate the problem, buy and install a remote solenoid. Some hide it low on the driver-side firewall to keep original appearance.
If you have bolt-on battery terminals instead of the molded-on ends, make sure the ends of the copper strands inside the end terminals are clean as well. Battery acid vapors can get in there and cause corrosion that isn't visible externally.
