77' 911S warm start issues

[cfarmer]

Guys I need some help, I am just about at my wits end w/ this car. I love it but every time I take it out this is happening at an increasing rate. I have had to be towed home several times and that is just plain embarrassing. The car starts fine when cold but I have it out for a while when I shut it down and I try to start it again I get nothing, the gauges all "bump" but it motor will not turn over at all, nothing. I can hear the fuel pump running but the motor will not crank. I have charged the battery, but the motor does not turn over sluggishly like w/ a weak battery, it does nothing, no click, nothing. I have cleaned all the contact posts on the battery, made sure all cables are tight, I have cleaned the contacts on the solenoid and the starter but still it persists. The car will run great. I will shut it down, immediately turn it over just to make sure it will start again, walk away for 10 minutes, sometimes less, and when I come back I get nothing, it's like the battery is dead but I know it is not. I am at a total loss for what is going on, getting to the point I may have to trade her in on a Beemer and get out of the Porsche game as this is so frustrating, being Porsche-less is the last thing I want but I can't afford to keep paying $100 tow bills when I can't find helpful strangers to help me "bump start" her!!! ARRGGHHHH!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

C

[Walter_Middie]

Many posts on this subject.

I have cleaned the contacts on the solenoid and the starter but still it persists

The problem is usually the contacts inside the solenoid. Buying a new starter is the way to go, unless you have special skills needed for disassembling the solenoid.

[Brother]

I used to get this problem, but not often. An old starter gets relly hot and the resistance gets so high that it performs like a dead battery if it cranks at all. I could always push mine and drop it into gear to start it, but that sucks. Sometimes it wouldn't crank at all, but I would wait 20 minutes and then it would be good.

[cfarmer]

Ok guys, the same problem has happened for 3 straight days now but once I got her back home (after another bump start) I let her sit for almost 3 hours, the kids and I had dinner and watched a movie, but still nothing from the starter. I hooked her up to a battery charger and after 5 minutes she fired right up???? Bad battery??? I have one of those "smart chargers" and it claims the alternator is fine but I am asking for any other advice from the peanut gallery!!!
thanks in advance,
C

[Walter_Middie]

Several auto parts stores offer free checking of your battery.
To troubleshoot your electrical connections here is a quick and easy procedure:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/mult_starter_diag/mult_starter_diag.htm

[T77911S]

also check the ground strap and clean.
if still no go, you can do the solenoid "rebuild" as walter said or get a new starter.
you might see if you can find a new solenoid.
but check and clean all connections, even grounds. i have never checked or heard of the contact from the starter to the engine being a problem, but you never know, if corrsion or grease/dirt got bad enough, i suppose it could be an issue.
anyone hear of ignition switch itself being the cause?

[Walter_Middie]

anyone hear of ignition switch itself being the cause?

The starter contacts in my ignition switch wore out. You could tell it was the switch, because you could play with the key to get it to work for awhile before it gave up altogether. I took the switch apart and was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of extra unused contacts in there - so I just swapped out the worn starter contact for a new one. That was several years ago and I haven't had an issue since.

I have also had a bad starter solenoid. No warning, just one day after a hot run, the starter did nothing. Then the next day it worked like new. But I didn't like the idea of getting stranded, so I put in a new starter. No more problems.