This week I moved my optimum Red Top to the passenger side rear fender well.
I used 1/0 (aka 0 guage) from the battery to the starter post, from the same starter post I ran 4 guage from the starter to the back of the alternator, from the back of the alternator I ran 6 guage to the positive Junction box (pink box) I grounded the car in 2 SPOTS the rear and from the block to the bodies from rail (up front of course)

Here is what is confusing?
When I try to start the car the first time it starts FINE, then I kill it and try to start it again maybe a few seconds or after about 30 seconds later and I hear the fast clicking sound (starter.)
This car is my daily driver and I need it by this weekend, does anyone have any suggestions??

 

Any Ideas?

 

I hate electrical problems like this so heres a bump for ya.

 

sounds like you need a better ground to me...... did u take the spots where you grounded it too down to bare metal??

 

I took the ground in the back to the meta. On the ground up front I just used some sand paper, I will get actual pics tomarrow.

 

I agree, but it could be a bad positive connection as well, normally I would have said to small of a wire, but it seems like you got the big stuff.

check the wires down on the starter, I know mine was loose, made me think it was the starter

 

I will recheck everything in the morning and get some pics up, It's just so funny to me it starts fine on the first hit and not on the second, lol. I will show pics of my Grounds. You guys don't think it could be a bad starter, I bought a AutoZone special lol about 3 months ago.

 

hard over the net like this to diagnose. I relocated my own and turned out I had some hot wires crossed on the little post up front, Jay @Gforce ironed all that out for me, just one wire but still it could have screwed up stuff had we proceeded to fire up. On your other post Tony mentioned your ground, I agree, but the hots have to be right obviously as well. My battery relo bascially ran from the back to the hot post and an alternate hot wire to my alternator relocated on the drivers side, the small exciter wire was basically just extended. I'm still running my old stock starter (working fine for now). I'd pull the starter and bring it up get it checked, replaced, after checking your wiring bud.

 

Just out of curiosity, approximately how far away from your headers/exhaust is the solenoid on the top of that starter? Reason I ask this is because you indicated that you're running an aftermarket starter. SOME aftermarket starters are adjustable in the sense that the solenoid can be "clocked" into different positions.

This is just pure speculation, but if your starter has the solenoid clocked just a little too close to your passenger's side header, it could be getting heat soaked and needing a certain amount of time to cool down before it can pass sufficient current to crank again. This is what's making me think it's why it'll work with no problems at cold startup but not at a restart: the variable that's different in either of those scenarios is temperature .

If you can rule out the starter, I'd look at the 1/0 gauge power cable next. How do you have it routed? Underneath the car? Does it come close to any heat sources along it's length of travel?

 

soundandfury has a point, how long does it take for it not to start, it could be the heat causing the resistance to go up enough to make it not want to start.

but judging how you said it starts right up and then soon after if you kill it the car will not start again, making it seem like its not getting hot enough for heat soak. My advice, pull off the starter, its really easy to do, get it checked at AZ, then if its good go through the wiring with a fine tooth comb

 

I had this same exact problem 2 years ago. The car would start perfect 50% of the time and the strarter would just click the other 50%. I ran the cables exactly the same as you exept I used 4 guage from the alternator to the distrubution block on the fender. I doubt that is your problem, but might be worth a try. The problem I had was with one of me Positive wires on the back of the alternator. The wire had slightly pulled loose from the copper ring terminal I had clamped on the end of it. Somehow it had just good enough of a connection to run everything but the starter.

 

Ok guys here are some pics (excuse the dirty engine me and her has some miles between us) and I am not worried about being legal at the track with a Cutoff switch, this is just my fun street car. If I ever get kicked out I get kicked out a lot of our tracks are pretty cool though.

Here is the pic of the battery located in the rear where you can see where I grinded the rear panel to take it down to metal, my finger is pointing to where I ground the negative cable in the back.

Here is an actual pic of the Ground I connect it to


Here are a Few pics of where I Route it under the car




Here is where I connect the 1/0 guage from the battery to the starter and then I connect the 4 guage from the starter to the Alternator


Here is the 4 guage wire going up to the back of the alternator from stater


Here is the Second ground. Its from the Block to the frame

Here is where it connects to the Body

 

I don't really have an answer, but all that routing makes me very nervous...I would use insulated clamps all along the underside where it goes towards the front...The last thing you want is that wire to chafe and ground out...You should route the wire better from the rear well where it looks like its touching the rear and could get caught up in the suspension... You should not see any bare wire anywhere at the connections between the insulation and the wire terminal as it will be the starting point for corrosion and a chance of grounding against something...and the block to frame ground looks very oily...Just some things that jump out at me...

--Alan

 

Today I took some black electrical tape to the ends (showing the wire) and taped them up, I didn't know how to route the wire but everything it touches is a Smooth service, When I lower the car and the suspension is loaded everything still look good?? Does anyone have pics of how they mounted There's I know mine is a little bit on the different side but I thought it would work well and is not noticable.

The motor is close to 140,000 miles and leaks some, lol. I have spent all my money on the 383, D1SC Procharger, AFR heads, 4L80E setup. Should be a mid 9 second street car.

Just trying to get all the little things done so when the swap is done everything is ready to roll.

BTW I put a new starter on the this morning and rechecked my lines and retighted and know the car just Clicks???
IT has to be a Ground somewhere??

Is anyone else using more grounds??

 

It may just be me, but I don't see an in-line large amp wafer fuse anywhere on your setup ? You will definitely want to have a way for the line to pop the fuse, instead of shorting against your chassis when the wire rubs enough somewhere in your routed path to the front of the car. No fuse = car on fire I might suggest you not use a optima for your rear mount battery, those batteries seem to have enough problems when there mounted up front ( I do know from experience ). I would look into a larger CCA battery that fits in the box and maybe a deep cycle? It looks like your 4 guage ground on the front of the frame rail still has some painted color ( maybe it's just the pic ). I would definitely clean all the contact ground points very good (again).

 

Noticed the New starter has Copper style Threaded connection end at it is Striped . Plan to take it back tomarrow andget another one or possibly get my money back and buy something different . The bolt would turn when I had everything on it but would not Tighten, When I went to start the car my brother wiggled it and it acted like it wanted to start???

I changed my ground in the back to the larger bolt on the quarter panel, the one right behind the seatbelt holders when you do the delete for the rear seat.

Does it sould like I have enough Grounds???

I didn't think I needed any type of Fuse with this setup?

 

I went to get some 1/0 guage (about 14 feet) and ran it from the starter along side the positive wire and went right to the Block. Startered the car and it cranked right up, Then I killed it and I then started it right back up, I killed it again and it didn't start the 3rd time then I decided to try again and it started right back up. All of this was within about a 25 second span.
My old man told me he thought it was fine and that I should not try restarting it so much one after another so I suppose if it starts first click everytime don't worry right?

I do have one question ON the same post where I mount the 1/0 guage from the battery to the block I have a 6 guage wire from that same post to the body. I have some left over 1/0 guage that I am thinking about putting there in its place what do you guys think???

Again thanks for helping guys.

 

Here is the new setup,
0 guage from battery to starter
0 guage from battery to block (Ground)
4 guage from starter to alternator
6 guage from alternator to junction box
4 guage from block to frame (Ground)
4 guage from starter bolt to frame (Ground)

Car starters about 4 times out of 6. Any thoughts guys???

 

I put the factory Positive wires back on the car (go to the Junction box, alternator, and the starter)

Car seems to start Fine each time (tryed twice) but each time it starts I hear a Lound Screetch from the starter????? kind of like when your car is startered and you try to start it again.

Any Ideas???

 

The screech sounds like you may need to shim the starter a bit to get the gear mesh right...

--Alan