Overheating Starter Motor?

[andlight]

Hopeing someone out there can help me...

After a few attempts my Westie starts from cold no problem but if I stop and turn off the engine, even after a relatively short drive it won't start again. The battery isn't flat but the starter motor won't fire.

I suspected something in the wireing but surely the issue would exist, even intermittatly from cold. I read on another forum that it might be the exhaust cooking the starter. Has anyone had a similar issue and how didi you solve it?

I've got a 1.8l zetec with an ITG perforamnce exhaust.

Thanks very much

Andy

[AdamR]

My car doesn't have this issue, but it does turn over a bit more slowly when hot. The (very knowledgeable) previous owner heat wrapped the starter and manifold for exactly this reason Seems to do the trick!

[Norman Verona]

Check the voltage at the starter end of small wire that goes to the solenoid (the thing that the two battery wires go to).

I've seen many of these were the wire is cooked brittle. Indeed one Caterham at Le Mans was only getting 7 volts. When I took the wire off it just crumpled away. They feel OK as the plastic outer covering is also baked hard.

I used a heavier wire and routed it behind the starter to protect it from the exhaust. I made a connection to the original wire above the bulkhead.

There were times at Le Mans when I had a queue of cars wanting this done.

Not saying it is this but you have the symptom.

[andlight]

Thanks very much. I've got some heat shielding on the starter so I'll try adding a heavier duty wire.

Out of interest if it definitely is heat issues on the starter motor I should still be able to bump start the car correct?

[fatbaldbloke]

The (very knowledgeable) previous owner heat wrapped the starter and manifold for exactly this reason Seems to do the trick!

You're too kind, but there's more to it than that. The car also has a Brise geared starter and a Red Top gel battery which between them give significantly more torque and allow a higher starter current drain. When I first had it there was also a cheap mock battery isolator switch (with just the two terminals, not the proper one with 4) and that limited the starter current flow significantly as well. The heat shielding was really the icing on the cake. It is a known problem with the Zetec in a RWD type car..

[AdamR]

Once again I am schooled - thanks Ian!

Good suggestion from Norman too, makes a lot of sense...