hard cranking once and a while

[chevy art]

sbc, 14.7 - 1 comp ratio. big roller cam.every so often when i go to crank over the engine, it kind of bangs and kicks back. majority of time it turns over just fine,. is there a spot in the engines rotation where it is possible for this to happen. i use a full size mr goodwrench hi torque starter it is is old(90s). i have a brand new extra one. any ideas or suggestions for my problem thanks art

[stokerboats]

Start retard? Timing on my BBC is locked out. 14 to 1 comp. I pull 20* when starting and throttle position is also a factor.

[chevy art]

i dont have the starting retard system in my mallory hy fire 5(old stuff) you mentioned throllle position. any tips on that thanks art in NY

[NormS]

You may already be doing this, but by having the ignition on its own separate switch, cranking the engine over with the ignition off, and then turning on the ignition only after the engine is turning over with the starter, we have had good results starting with locked timing. If this doesn't solve the problem, I would look at the battery cables,and the condition of the battery. Also, make sure your battery ground cable goes all the way to the engine,
and not the frame.

[dwilliams]

Ground the battery to the STARTER, not just the engine. Make sure every connection is bright shiny metal; coat the connections with dielectric grease or vaseline. Make sure the terminal ends on the wires haven't broken or become corroded - the best way is to lean on the starter for a while, then use your hand to feel if it's warmer at the lugs than the rest of the wire. Screw a ground wire to the distributor housing and run it down to the starter ground, along with one from the spark box.

If you have a "3hp" or "3.5hp" aftermarket gear reduction starter... most of the low-cost ones come from the same factor, and the hp ratings are pretty much imaginary. Open it up and make sure the bushings and gears are greased and sniff for any burnt windings. A starter shop can do a stall test and see if it's at least pulling amps to match its power rating.

Make sure the pinion gear has proper clearance to the flywheel teeth; if it's too tight it can be very hard to turn over. Also, while most flywheels are round, not all flexplates are; you may have a tight spot somewhere on the flexplate.

[SchmidtMotorWorks]

Take a look at the disc in your solenoid, they can get bad spots on them.

[Geoff2]

You don't want to coat the connection surfaces with dielectric grease because DG it is an insulator. You are trying to effect the opposite: make an electrical connection with as little resistance as possible.

[fdicrasto]

Do you use this with a crank trigger setup or just distributor? If distributor, locked out or advance curve? Is the kickback when engine cold or warmed up or both? What's total timing # ?

[chevy art]

hey rasto thanks for reply. it bangs when its hot(cant remember a cold start bang: maybe once?) the total timing is 38 degrees. there is NO crank trigger and distributor has a regular curve in it. im seeing ifone of the companies makes some sort of universal timing retard device for starting my engine. anyone know who makes one thanks art in NY

[chevy art]

PS this only started with this new 383 engine that has 14.7-1 comp. ratio. the last engine(377) only had 13,5-1 comp . art in NY

[dwilliams]

You don't want to coat the connection surfaces with dielectric grease because DG it is an insulator.

The people who make it (Permatex, etc.) recommend its use for preventing corrosion at electrical joints. Presumably the film at the contact point is so thin its resistance isn't noticeable.

[jake197000]

voltage drop testing will tell you a lot if your problem isnt mechanical.people tend to use way to small battery cables.ground everything. also no such thing as too much battery.

[chevy art]

i have 2 850 cc amp batteries plus a 100 amp alternator. i reun # 1 batter cable from batteries in rear to my up front solenoid. and i have a good ground from engine block to frame.. im gonna get one of the msd plug in boxes to retard timing when starting and hopefully this will solve this problem that occurs only a very few times when racing. any thoughts about use of the MSD bos. thanks art in NY

[F-BIRD'88]

Get a ignition power interupt switch to aid hot start starter motor cranking. Run a ground cable from battery to engine block (and also to frame/body)
Get or make a starter motor heat shield (2 ply w air gap) and also wrap the starter motor with a starter heat wrap shield.

[chevy art]

hey f-bird. thanks for reply. does that starter interrupt switch do the same as leaving my ignition turn on toggle being off, then start cranking and then turn on the switch to start or is it some sort or box wired into the ignition system that cuts off power while cranking and then turns on when signal is sent to turn on the power and start. sounds sort of like the timing retard switch for starting a race engine. thanks art in NY