starter issue

here's the whole story.......

i had a stock delco starter on my car which got cooked during cam break in (at least that's what i suspect). starts fine cold, struggled big time when hot and would just barely start. i've dealt with this for years, and FINALLY decided to replace the starter. i bought a summit protorque starter. i got it all mounted on the block, checked clearance to make sure it was lined up properly (fit very well, no shims), and hooked up the wiring as follows:

-battery wire (from battery) and power supply for the ignition/accessories (2 wires with fusable links) to the batt. terminal on starter
-purple wire to the "s" terminal"

the only thing that i changed with the wiring was the end of the s terminal wire, as the stock wire with that little platic locating tab would not fit the way i needed it to on the new starter. just cut that off and put on a new eyelet.

all wired up, hit the key....nothing happens. no click, no anything. i had a friend under the car with a multimeter, and he said the s terminal was showing only 8.5-9V. we jumped the 2 terminals together, and the starter engages and operates as it should. afterwards, i try the key a few times, and it works fine every time. the next morning, hit the key again, no problem. button everything up, go to fire the car. i crank it for a few seconds to allow fuel to get to the carb, give the starter a few seconds of a break, hit the key again....nothing. last night i'm all over the net looking for anyone who had similar issues with this particular starter, but couldn't find anything. on my way back in the house, i hit the key just for the heck of it, it works! i hadn't moved anything or touched the car, other than checking power at various points trying to find the issue. i go out this morning, hit the key, nothing.

to me, it seems like it's an ignition related issue, or a neutral safety switch issue. but, the old starter had no problems like this what so ever....so it has me wondering if there's something i'm missing. any ideas?

i am calling them for sure....just thought i'd throw it out there in case their tech department isn't as knowledgable as you guys :lol:

i sanded the block down to make sure i had a clean surface before mounting the starter...so that should be good. i'm thinking the issue lies somewhere between the starter and the ignition cylinder. i tested the purple wire coming from the ignition switch (i tested before and after the neutral safety switch to make sure that wasn't the issue). while holding the key in the crank/start position, there's 10-10.5V. i'm thinking that there's either a broken wire, or a bad connection between the firewall and the starter itself somewhere. i'll have to check it out tonight. i guess if it's not that, i'll check grounds as well. this is the only thing that makes sense to me....if the starter was bad, then connecting the 2 terminals on the starter with a wire to bypass the ignition wouldn't change anything, but in my case, it does (the starter works). thanks for the replies, and letting me sort of vent!

sorry, i worded that wrong doober. i was trying to say that i've tested the wire going from the ign switch as far as the firewall, and have yet to inspect from the firewall to the starter itself.

well, tested all the wiring. seems like i'm losing voltage through the bulkhead that passes through the firewall or something. like i mentioned, i have 10.5V or so before the purple wire goes through the firewall, and testing it anywhere in the engine bay, there's only 9.3V (while the key is in the crank position). i've spoken with a local shop that rebuilds starters, and he's telling me i need 10.2V at the s terminal for the starter to work properly. he seems to think i have a ground problem. he wants me to ground the starter directly to the frame and see what happens. i didn't do this last night, because when the key is in the crank position, and you tap the starter with a rubber hammer, it cranks right away, no problem. but, just turning the key is giving mixed results....sometimes it cranks on its own, most often, it doesn't unless you tap on the starter. so, i thought it was an issue with the brushes sticking. guess i'll try grounding the starter and say a little prayer. this is what i get for waiting 'til the last minute to do things (supposed to be going racing this weekend!).

will do. thanks for your insight doober.