Headers Hurt Starter?

Fireman255 · May 8, 2005

I was told that aftermarket headers will over heat and damage my starter, is this true?

mustangdave · May 8, 2005

Yes, the excess heat will shorten the life of your starter. You can buy a thermal wrap to go over the starter to reflect heat that will help. Many people go with a smaller hi torque starter when there original ones burn out to increase clearance.

rbohm · May 9, 2005

as dave said, header heat can ruin a starter. what happens is the grease in the starter gets cooked, making the starter a bit sluggish. and as oil leaks into the starter from the engine, it covers everything inside and also gets cooked, preventing good contact between the brushes in the motor and the commutator on the armature, again making things hard on the starter. ultimately the insulation on the armature windings breaks down and kills the starter completely. you can wrap the headers with header wrap, install a heat shield, install a mini starter, modify the headers for more clearance(if you have to room to), or any combination of the above. my preference would be to wrap the headers, and install a hi torque mini starter.

84convertablegt · May 9, 2005

rbohm said:
as dave said, header heat can ruin a starter. what happens is the grease in the starter gets cooked, making the starter a bit sluggish. and as oil leaks into the starter from the engine, it covers everything inside and also gets cooked, preventing good contact between the brushes in the motor and the commutator on the armature, again making things hard on the starter. ultimately the insulation on the armature windings breaks down and kills the starter completely. you can wrap the headers with header wrap, install a heat shield, install a mini starter, modify the headers for more clearance(if you have to room to), or any combination of the above. my preference would be to wrap the headers, and install a hi torque mini starter.

how does oil leak from the engine into the starter?

Max Power · May 9, 2005

Rear main via the flywheel or flexplate.

It's not very common, actually.

krash kendall · May 9, 2005

Yes, mine is pretty cooked right now. Turns over nice and fast in the morning, but after driving for awhile it is sluggish and slow. Saturday was the first time it actually didn't start, but I was leaving it parked for about an hour anyway and it started right up again when it cooled down.

My '70 chev pickup was terrible for this problem. I always blamed leaky collector gaskets for the overheated starter and had the collectors welded up. This may not have completely cured the problem, but it did seem to help.

69 302/351c · May 9, 2005

My 351c with long tube headers was slowly cooking my starter. Wouldn't start ( turn over) for about 10 minutes after motor was hot. Replaced all the wiring, tried another stock starter, wrapped the starter and headers...not an easy job with space and clearance issues. Finally went to a hi-torque mini starter and problem solved.

shotsy · May 9, 2005

69 302/351c said:
My 351c with long tube headers was slowly cooking my starter. Wouldn't start ( turn over) for about 10 minutes after motor was hot. Replaced all the wiring, tried another stock starter, wrapped the starter and headers...not an easy job with space and clearance issues. Finally went to a hi-torque mini starter and problem solved.

Ive got a 351C that I just put in a few days ago and my hookers are actually touching the starter I've found a guy on ebay who will have mini hitorques in about a week for $60. If your intersted the guy told me that he'd send me an e-mail when they come In, I can put ya in touch!

69 302/351c · May 9, 2005

The headers that are currently on the car are the "brand ??" that came with it when I bought it 4 years ago. I have brand new Hedmans that wouldn't fit since I have the wrong motor mounts...They hit the floorboards. Hopefully when I get around to getting them on, it will help the clearance at the starter. Thanks but already have the mini...paid more than $60 however.

D.Hearne · May 9, 2005

The heat from the headers makes the resistence in the field coils go up with it, that's what makes it hard to turn over when the starter is hot and easier when it's cold. New high torque field coils help to eliminate this in a stock starter.

rbohm · May 10, 2005

Max Power said:
Rear main via the flywheel or flexplate.

It's not very common, actually.

actually oil comes from leaky valve cover gaskets, and in high mileage engines from around the plug holes where oil wicks up around the threads. and it is more common than you think.

Max Power · May 10, 2005

rbohm said:
actually oil comes from leaky valve cover gaskets, and in high mileage engines from around the plug holes where oil wicks up around the threads. and it is more common than you think.

And how does that get into the starter?

Edbert · May 10, 2005

As others have said, bite the bullet and get a high torque mini starter from the parts store, give them any post 86 5.0 Mustang as the application. You will have tons of room for cooling and they are easier to install, weigh less, have more power, and with the solenoid on the starter you can clean up the engine bay wiring considerably. The only down side is the price.

Other option is to keep buying the el-cheapo ones from Autozone/Napa/etc. with the liftime warranty and plan on replacing them on a regular basis.

Fireman255 · May 10, 2005

Thanks..... now I need to pick headers

D.Hearne · May 10, 2005

Edbert said:
As others have said, bite the bullet and get a high torque mini starter from the parts store, give them any post 86 5.0 Mustang as the application. You will have tons of room for cooling and they are easier to install, weigh less, have more power, and with the solenoid on the starter you can clean up the engine bay wiring considerably. The only down side is the price.

Other option is to keep buying the el-cheapo ones from Autozone/Napa/etc. with the liftime warranty and plan on replacing them on a regular basis.

I tried one of the newer starters with my older 157 tooth block plate, and they don't fit. The newer applications are 1/16" larger in diameter where they fit into the block plate. I thought at first it was an aftermarket starter casting, but it wasn't, it was a genuine Ford casting.

MitchGT · May 13, 2005

I used to have a problem getting my starter to turn over once the car was hot. I was replacing the headers, so I got some ceramic coated ones ( expensive, but really nice to look at), which helped a little to cool under the hood. What really helped is a wrap around starter heat shield ( I got mine from Summit. They're fairly reasonable, and alot better than waiting 20 minutes to be able to start my car). Now I never have a problem even though my headers go to within about an inch of the starter shield. It works!

Edbert · May 13, 2005

Yeah, those sheilds work great, basically they absorb a bunch of heat and prevent some of it from reaching the starter.

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