This one has me stumped.

The first start of the day if fine, instantly cranks and fires up. Every start after that gets more sluggish. With some times there being a hum noise and 10 second delay then it cranks and starts.

The next morning,instantly cranks and fires up.

PO has added a super heavy duty positive cable coming off of the battery to(I think) the starter. It looks to be 50% thicker than the standard cable. Could this be an issue?

Thank you in advance.

 

thicker cable to the starter wouldn't cause it to be harder to start, just means easier flow of the amperage to the starter.


As for the starting issue, is it only when the vehicle is warm?

And could you define harder to start, does it crank the same as at first, or is the cranking sluggish

 

I didnt think the cable would be an issue, but thought I would note it.'

Starting issue is when vehicle is warm.

Harder to start- No Crank at first(few seconds), then sluggish crank to delayed start.

Thanks for your help!

 

it's curious, heat actually works against the starting process (hotter engine = more expansion of the air/fuel mixture) which could cause it to be harder to start..


Few things that come to mind from past experience...

#1 Battery (if the battery voltage/amperage is low it wont be able to drive the starter as well)

#2 Check for smell of fuel in the oil, if there is a leaky injector it could be filling one of the cylinder's you would smell fuel in the oil as it leaks down past the rings.

#3 similar to above, head gasket could cause similar problems if there's leakage, you have any smoke/fog when you run it?

if its 2 or 3 you may notice the oil level is higher than it should be, coolant would show milky, gas would mix in maybe thin out the oil some.


im sure there are tons of other reasons, see if anyone else chimes in but these are the ones that came to mind.

 

Slight coolant leak in the head gasket(on the outside, visible under car), but nothing in the oil and did the block test on the coolant overflow tank(5 times) and the liquid didn't change color.

It really seems like a starter/alt/battery problem. Once the starter starts cranking the engine starts. I'm leaning towards starter because the battery is new and in the am it cranks over and starts like it should, so it would seem that the battery is getting charged. I live in so cal so it's not to cold here, maybe 65 in the am.

I guess the intelligent thing would be to put a multi meter on the system and see what values I get, although I'm electrically challenged.

Thanks for the input and I will review #2 and #3 option again tomorrow.

To make matters worse, the car got to 230 on the UG today while on the freeway and I pulled over and my radiator plug busted at the top.(can't be good for the already compromised head gasket)

Crazy glue and a 30 min cool down got me 40 miles with temps at highest 215.

 

yep, forgot the starter that is another option... but seems like head work is in your future regardless