Won't start when engine is warm

[matthew911]

I've got a 1991 Beretta GT with a 3.1. The car will start fine when the engine is cool. But if I drive somewhere and turn the car off, it won't start. The engine doesn't turn over and I don't even hear a click. I've recently replaced the starter so I know that isn't the problem. If I wait about 5-10 minutes, it starts without a problem. Any idea what the problem might be?

[jsgold]

I don;t have much of an answer as I do not see any relays etc that could cause this so I would go with what I have seen, which is a possible bad battery or alternator or a combination of both. I would rule out all battery cables(check and clean very well), then take it to Advance and have them do a free test on the battery and alternator. Might be a situation where your engine does not take much power to start and you might have a weak alternator. rule these out first even if you have doubts as you have to be sure on these things first.

[matthew911]

Thanks for the reply. The alternator has been recently replaced, so I highly doubt that would be the problem. Would a bad battery cause the car to not start only when it's warm? It always starts fine when it's been sitting for a while. I've heard a couple people say there might be something wrong with the ignition switch, but I don't know if that would be the problem.

[jsgold]

I thought about the ignition switch, but have never heard of it doing anything like that when warm. If there was a relay involved, maybe, but not the switch itself I would think. Get the battery checked first, maybe d/c the alternator, as I will tell you we just had a good NAPA alternator fail in less than a week a while back on our old Corsica. Ditto on the starter, they are ALL rebuilds nowadays. If this was happening before you replaced it then yes, the starter is probably OK. One thing, if the battery IS failing you risk losing your starter as they will burn up with less than 10 volts anymore. A bad battery may have 12 at first for a second or two then drop to 8-9 or lower. Advance can hook up a tester that simulates a drain on the battery and see if it maybe weak.