Heat-soaked starters...

[JustaxPHX@aol.com]

>This summer I descovered the same problem on my 83 UrQ . Hot restarts are a 
problem.
>Starter will not turn over. Solenoid does click. All the lights in dash go 
on as
>usually during starting, but very dim. It only happened seversl times. Heat 
soak
>sounds logical. My starter is original large one.

Interestingly, I've never had any starting problems with my Ur-Q and I live 
in Arizona.  However, I've had starting problems with each and every 4k that 
I've ever owned and since they share the same basic chassis/electrical 
system, I'll make an observation: Whenever this situation occurred -- and it 
occurred frequently, especially during the summer! -- I cured it by 
triggering the starter with a shot of 12v directly from the battery.  On the 
4k, there is a large plastic connector located on the firewall and I simply 
unplugged it and ran a clip lead from the battery to it ... voila!  (this is 
also how I was almost run over by my own car once -- I'd accidently left it 
in gear -- but that's another story).

Just as the headlight wiring deteriorated over time and couldn't carry as 
much current as when it was fresh and new, the wiring from the ignition 
switch to the starter solenoid suffered the same fate.  Since it was too much 
work to replace the wiring on a car that was doing time as my 
daily-driver/beater, I simply added a relay and the problem disappeared, 
never to return, on all three of the 4ks I owned.

Of course, when the starter gets hot, it also demands more current to turn 
over so in a roundabout way, I guess you can call this a "heat soak" problem. 
 But in my experience, the real problem is the wiring's inability to deliver 
the current and adding a relay shouldn't cost more than $7-10 complete.  
Chalk it up as another Ur-Q electrical shortcoming...

JG