I have heard and experienced (mostly on GMs) that stop-and-go erranding can
increase the heat in large-block cylinders and expand the piston rings. A
symptom I watch for as an indicator of an aging starter or battery is when
the car fails to start when you've made a bunch of stop-and-go starts, but
behaves normally once the engine cools a few moments (and the rings
contract).
With respect to forceful pursuasion methods on starters, one we use
frequently here in the flatlands (and one that I employed just this week
when my '69 Buick starter Bendix became reluctant) is to open the car
door, drop the transmission into neutral and push with your foot to make
the car move a little. While it's moving, even a tiny bit, you drop the
transmission back into park and the force of the transmission locking can
jar the starter back into action. Often you can actually hear it release.
I've had cars that each want a different method of releasing a captured
starter. I've jumped up and down on the rear bumper of fords and the
front bumper of my Cadillac. I had three late 70s/early 80s Mercedes
diesels that would only respond to a sharp rapping on the starter when
they got stuck, a very inconvenient problem when you're in a suit. And
you haven't lived until you're out with your boss for lunch and had to
jump on the bumper to release your starter. My '76 Cadillac provided that
memory for me, that being the day before I went out and bought a new
starter. Plainly, I'm cheap and waited too long.
My '70 300 with its gear-reduction starter never gave me that type of
trouble. It had plenty of other problems and never ceased to drive me
insane, but the starter always performed well. I sometimes called that
car "tough love" or worse, depending on what on-board system was failing
me at the moment, yet of all the cars I've owned and sold, I miss the 300
the most.
Patrick
'58 Southampton project
'69 Electra ragtop w/ "Wildcat" rims
'86 Merecedes 300 SDL (my daily, 237K miles and counting!)
'04 Honda "mini-man" (her daily)
.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Scott" <shelbyguy@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 4:37 PM
Subject: IML: 60 Imperial-starter problem
I was out tooling around in my 60 Crown today running a few errands. It
was cool today, temp right around 70F. The car ran perfectly throughout
the day until the last stop. I ran into the local WalMart to pick up some
film I had developed and when I came out, she was dead. The temp gauge
never moved more than 1/3 of the way to hot the whole day. I had stopped,
parked and restarted the car 4 times within a span of about 20 minutes and
had driven maybe 6 miles or so. When I turned the key to start, nothing
happened at all. I ran through the pushbuttons figuring maybe the neutral
switch was hung up or maybe the pushbuttons themselves. Everything
electrical worked at normal speed...windows, wipers, etc. Dejectedly, I
hoofed it on home...fortunately I was only a mile or so from home. About
an hour later I went back to the car, turned the key and she started right
up. The starter spun at normal revolutions.
Anybody got a clue as to what might have happened? I'm thinking either
the starter or solenoid overheated but starting the car 4 times in a half
hour or so shouldn't overheat them.
There is no corrosion on either the battery or the starter.
Thanx
Tom
60 4 dr Crown Southampton
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