Ok before I go into the problem, i think a bit of information would be helpful. The car has undergone an auto->manual swap within the past 6 months and is now boosting 10psi. Currently using a clutchnet 6 puck clutch if that has anything to do with it.

So here's the deal: for a few months now, I've noticed that if the car is driven for awhile, and then let sit while I go in somewhere, the car seems to struggle to start back up again. It sounds like the starter is struggling to turn over the engine. Usually it works after a few turns. Well today, thanks to the wonderful inconsistent grab point of my clutchnet special, i killed it in traffic. While this was embarrassing enough, it would not restart. Period. It turned the engine very weakly once before giving up. I ended up having to get out and push the damn thing to the side of the road in traffic.

My main concern is that this problem ONLY exists if the car has been driven for awhile (the engine is warm). If I go to start the engine in the morning, it starts right up with no problem. Could heat soak or something be causing my charging system or starter to not function correctly? I haven't really heard of this in our cars before, but I'm not sure at this point. The engine gets pretty hot, but I can't imagine it's not anything that just about any other turbo'd tib sees.

I'm leaving to get the alternator/battery tested now, but any ideas you guys might have are more than welcome.

Thanks

 

check the voltages while charging and with the car off. It's got to be battery or starter. I'm putting my money on the starter.

Does it make any noise while your cranking it?

 

It depends on the conditions that I'm trying to start the car under. If it has been run recently, it turns the engine over VERY slowly and sounds pretty strained. If the cars been sitting long enough to cool off, then it sounds like any other car when you crank the engine.

As far as checking the voltages while charging, I have a little voltage tester thing you can plug into the cigarette lighter (not the fanciest or the most accurate I'm sure) and it reads all clear for the charging system. I'm a little reluctant to trust my $3 cigarette lighter tester though. A real test should tell me whether or not the battery/ alternator is to blame.

I appreciate your input Supercow. fing02.gif

 

I really doubt it's the starter, as motors don't typically lose power when they heat up. They either work, or they don't, not in between. Same thing with the alternator, if it was having issues and wasn't charging the battery properly, then it probably wouldn't start even after your car cooled down (it's not charging the battery once the car is cooled). Signs point to the battery.

 

Battery or alternator. Get both checked just in case.
I would personally take the battery to get checked first

 

^^they're right though, definitely easier to replace the battery. I've just never seen a battery act like that.

 

Well I took the battery into autozone and they told me to charge it and bring it back so I guess I won't know about that until tomorrow. I've never had a battery do this either, although I'm wondering whether or not the fact that it's an optima has anything to do with it...

It's just strange that it has all the symptoms of a dead battery for as long as the car is warm or whatever, and then started right up as soon as it had time to cool off. You would think that if a battery was on the way out, it wouldn't magically regain power after awhile. I don't know a whole lot about conventional car batteries, let alone the "deep cycle" business the optimas run with. Either way, it's still under warranty so hopefully it's just that.

Thanks for all the input guys. I'll update tomorrow as soon as I know something.

 

It is odd behaviour from a battery, however out of the 3 components, it is the one most suceptible to changes in temperature (it has chemicals, cold batteries not starting). I've never heard of it before but then again ive never heard of starters not working when warm either.

 

WTF people where did you learn about motors? A hot DC motor does NOT perform the same as a cold one, if it is on its last legs! Replacing the starter is a PITA because the people who laid out your engine bay were Korean computers instead of auto mechanics. If your car has been driven to the auto parts store, the battery should be fully charged already. If it's not, it may be bad or the alternator may be bad. I'd rather change both of them before changing a starter on an RD platform car. Clean your battery terminals and definitely get the charging system checked first . . .

. . . but you've got a bad starter.

http://www.econofix.com/starters.html