How To: Fix a Slow Cranking Starter (Chevy 350)

[@darkwar12345]

Theres a saying in the mechanic world. It goes something like. If you're Having any electrical problem first check your grounds then your ground and lastly your grounds

[@ZanesGarage]

Advice to live by 👍 don't forget to check your grounds

[@bennygreene1421]

What makes a starter struggle only after the engine is warm ?

[@codyjohnson5674]

​@@bennygreene1421heat, amp draw. Put a sock on it. 2 problems solved for life.

[@bennygreene1421]

@@codyjohnson5674 👍👍

[@RussellBooth1977]

I found the problem in my 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 powered Holden Commodore (Australian car) the nut which clamps the starter motor cable terminal onto the solenoid terminal stud was loose so I tightened it while I was changing the oil today, problem fixed !

[@FaultyDaveZA]

Thank you, you have inspired me to go out and get a ground cable instead of using the car's body as a ground! Hopefully I get the same results

[@ZanesGarage]

Good luck with it!

[@oilymelon]

how would i add a ground cable cause this is very similar to my issue and ive been told this but i have no idea how to do it. I have a 5.7 350 vortec in my 97 c1500.

[@fisheye42]

2:56 “…the CURRENT grounding situation”. Ha! Pun-tastic!

[@RussellBooth1977]

I found out it was caused by a "necked" clamping bolt on the negative battery terminal which means that the thread was a bit stripped & bent out of shape meaning that the clamp couldn't grip onto the Post tight enough in my 2002 Holden VY SS Commodore which is fitted with the 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 engine.
I cleaned up the terminals then I replaced the bolt which fixed the problem, note that most of the cables have been upgraded from 25mm^2 to 35mm^2 except the starter motor which uses the original cable which is shortened then connected to a remote positive stud which is supplied with power by the 35mm^2 battery cable which means that there's Lower resistance due to the upgraded cables.
The engine starts more easily with the larger cables than the factory fitted cables !

[@cfmechanic]

Well usually battery and cables are the first place to check they need to be tight. Also if battery is in trunk you should oversize your cables some. I would suggest a minimum of 2ga if on a budget welder wire can be had cheaper. I have a big stereo so I use 0ga. Next would be to check timing if static is too high it will cause a hard crank which u mentioned. Not sure but looks like what you call chassis ground is actually a fender well. I would put it to the frame rail instead. A big three upgrade would help some as well the big 3 consists of Ground block to frame/ground frame to battery and upgrade alternator charge wire. For a battery in front 4ga is good. But the longer the run the thicker the wire needs to be. If you do 0ga now you will be prepared for most all electrical upgrades in the future. The other cause for slow cranking is simply a worn out starter. I have had great luck with the amazon red hi torque mini starters. Since Camaros are unibody a power and ground front to back would be ideal. You could also run ground strap from rear frame to front frame. Good luck

[@geoffobrien1300]

That seemed to work good for you . I was gonna say I'd pay attention to the battery itself too, on top of thick gauge cable it helps even more so if you're pushing higher cold cranking amps.. my last battery had 950cca coming from the boot(trunk) and wow did it crank rapidly :)

[@ZanesGarage]

So far it seems good. And I have an Optima red top it's just a long way to get up to the front lol

[@EvgeniyaJZ]

My 2007 acura tsx is starting the same way, I replaced a battery but after 1 day it's starting slowly again. My alternator is good, and started is good - that's what autozone guys told me after checking with their meter. What else could it be??

[@Krafty]

I have a slow crank, no start on my dads van. I was going to attempt to change the positive cable from the starter to the battery but you have to take the entire front end off. Is this a quick fix I can try? Am I right in thinking I can just attach a cable to the engine block directly to the negative on the battery? I’m not as clued up on electrical connections as I’d like to be so I’m trying to find a safe answer before I attempt it lol thanks

[@devonpitts9344]

Okay I just built this 377 small block Chevy and I got a starter stand slowly spark plugs in it but with the spark plugs out of it it spins fast

[@mark.r8900]

Hi, would a bad starter cause a sudden stall at a red light? And cranks but no start afterwards? Thanks

[@markallison8854]

My problem is only when my truck is hot . Turns over great when cool. Mine is because of heat . Chevy s10 4.3

[@tristonmurdock4586]

Check for exhaust leaks near the starter and maybe invest in a heat soaked starter

[@Anthony0899]

Mines is when it’s cold hahaha I done changed the battery alternator and starter and still can’t figure out why mines turn over slow asf

[@landonharris7822]

I got a 350 chevy. 1985 model. Replaced the battery, nothing. So I'm going for the starter. The motor is in a cabin cruiser

[@stefanuslie8453]

good explanation,troubleshooting and testing,, i like it..

[@ZanesGarage]

Glad I could help out!

[@checkthisout91]

To far advanced

[@timharbin1846]

I try that. 5.3liter.
In 99gmc4x4.
That don't help putting my
83 Camaro 350 short block with regular 4barrel. 😊

[@IROCZman15]

I jut begun to have starter problems on my 87iroc. I don't think my issue is electrical since I have 1 gauge wire throughout the car (batter in trunk) and multiple 1 gauge battery, block, chassis grounds. I have a mini-starter on my Dart 406 engine with the holley sniper and my starter is acting wacky and only cranking for a second or two. my cranking timing is 13 deg on the sniper unit and 10.5:1 compression. seems like something inside the starter is broken. I JUST posted a 30 second video of the starter in action on my youtube page. you ever seen a starter/gear/ do what it is doing in my video? ( I cant post the link here, but if you click my name, its my most recent video)

[@IROCZman15]

Turns out my 10
Year old summit hitachi mini starter had worn out the internal roller clutches on the bendix causing it to have some lateral movement/play. I got a powermaster master-torque 9600 mini starter and installed it yesterday. Works perfect. Everything is good now.

[@ZanesGarage]

That's good to hear! I just watched your video and getting 10 years out of a starter isn't horrible

[@wendellgreenidge3362]

Did the ground fix the issue?

[@ZanesGarage]

It helped the issue for sure but I still ended up replacing the starter with a mini starter from summit. No more issues since then.

[@wendellgreenidge3362]

@@ZanesGarage so it was a bad starter for the most part?

[@SSNELSON]

@@ZanesGarage mini starter? Is this the same has a high compression starter??

[@Ronjovi77]

Show us after it warms up. That's where the problem is. It's not cold starting.