Hello Buick peeps, i bought a skylark before winter, i have been lurking a bit but never posted before, so here i am, im 41 years old and this is my first classic car, so im learning as I go. I have a 72 skylark with a 350-4 , the car is new to me and i don't have it's history, but it starts great and seems to run great as well, no weird sounds coming from under the hood or anyything. When the car is cold, even after sitting a few weeks, the starter turns over quickly and the car starts easy, the battery has no problem cranking a few times if needed. When i let it cool down, like going to a restaurant for example, even if it's just a quick burger, like for 30 minutes, it starts first crank and the starter turns easy. When the car is hot, like if i drive if for 10 minutes to the gas station and shut it off and fill the car (3-4 minutes) the car won't start and it feels like the starter is having trouble turning the engine over. I have to wait a few more minutes for it to cool down. I don't think it's a voltage issue, yesterday i drove 10 minutes, put gas in, car had trouble starting, once it did, i drove another 5 minutes to the restaurant. When i came out 40 minutes later, it started right up like the battery was full charge. Any ideas?
Welcome from Washington State! Sounds like your starter is getting heat soaked? I'd have the battery tested as well. How do the cables look? It looks like you are enjoying your new Skylark!!
Have your battery load tested. Have an amp test done on your starter. Test your alternator output tested. Your description follows a bad starter.
do u have a heat shield around the the starter? Without a heat shield, the heat from the exhaust is absorbed by the starter which heats the fields and can cause to starter to turn very slowly. Been there, done that on a 1981 olds cutlass - same symptons. Installing a heat shield and problem solved.
I had a 71 the did the exact same thing....turned out to be a bad connection at the negative battery post. It looked fine though.
Replace the starter and the POS and NEG cable while youre in there and youll be a happy owner. A heat shield is a plus too! ws
Don't forget to check the timing. If it is too far out of wack, it will make the starter struggle when the engine gets hot. Can't remember if it is too advanced or too retarded, but I had the same problem with mine until I got a timing light that actually worked (got all the stuff to insulate the starter because I thought it was getting too hot, but never put any of it on after I adjusted the timing and my problem went away). Cheap Chinese timing lights don't work, but that is a whole different story that took me a while to figure out. And hey, welcome aboard.
Thanks to all of you for the leads, i will explore these in the coming weeks and see which one (or ones) pan out.
It could be the timing. IF the engine still has the original distributor (part # 1112109), and the total timing was set to 32-34*, the initial timing could be as much as 22*. This is because the 1112109 distributor only has 12-16* of mechanical advance. Just a simple check of the timing at idle will tell you if this is the case. More likely a bad connection at the battery or starter, or stock cables that have reached the end of their useful life. Terminal ends can look OK, but they may not be. Could be a tired starter. Engine could be running very hot as well.
I bought a modern chevy lightweight starter for $120 for my 455. After many years of same problem, never happened again. That's with 14 degrees of crank timming and 200+ engine temperature. Spins the same always.
IMO a high torque mini starter is a worthwhile investment, nothing worse than worrying if you car will start after stopping for a few minutes in hot weather.
