Starter failing - any options?

My cars starter is giving me the "long kiss goodnight". Initial start up after the car has been sitting over night is somewhat normal with a fairly quick start up. Once the car is hot however, this things sounds sick....and not in a good way. Start ups are longer and it just sounds really weak. The car is CPO'd but I doubt the dealer will replace it unless it completely fails and leaves me stranded somewhere. I wish the damn starter would just die already or at least before the CPO expires at the end of Feb 2011. Any thoughts on options?

I'm not an expert, but I've had a lot of starters go bad in different vehicles. The starter isn't doing anything once the car is running, so it shouldn't behave any differently when the car is warm. It should actually be better when the car is warm because there is less strain on the starter itself as there is less friction within the engine. The problem may not be the starter.

Keep turing it over until your starter fails...just kidding of course. That may cause some other issues?

If the battery is anywhere near the end of its life cycle like 6 month to a year I'd just change it out. I just changed mine due to the same problem and I haven't seen the problem again. You could check the fluid level. Getting the newer ignition switch installed the tech got the same no start at first and read the amps during the start. The battery read sick in the crank amps. I believe a combination of the battery being hot, starter being hot, engines compression up due to sealed better with oil just makes a weakened battery have an even harder time starting the car. Change the battery if near it life cycle end and it will save a lot of trouble be it techs saying its a starter you don't need and by the way your battery was past its life cycle so we changed it too New battery fixed it for me. I still detect more drag if the engine is warmed up like at gas stations, but it cranks right through it starting up fine.

^^^ +1, check battery.

+ another for check the battery but they can checkhow many amps the starter is drawing and if its over the limit they will replace it.... since you have CPO, take it in (DUH)

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I've had many a starter not work as well when hot due to heat soak. The bearing usually expand making it drag. Rick 99 996C4 87 944S

the bearing expands? I call BS on that (unless we are talking OVERHEAT) the starter should work the same hot or cold and an old worn bearing expanding aint going to be the cause of so much drag that the thing doesnt work.

My dealer replaced my starter prior to it failing under CPO - have you asked them yet? I told the service advisor what was happening (cold start fine, difficulty hot starting) and they fixed it.

Correction bushings. I just replaced a starter in my F150 that when cold turned over the engine fine, but when hot would not budge the engine. Rick 99 996C4 87 944S

and all you changed was the bushings ? (bearings for all intensive purpose of the discussion)

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That's what I was hoping to hear! Not sure my dealer would do the same but I have not taken the car in and I have not contacted the dealer. Battery is 7 months old and plenty strong. Thanks for the comments.

When its over heated or heat soaked starters its a case of the wire winding of the starter motor not passing electricity to crank due to copper wires don't pass enough electricity to cranks when hot. Cool the wire surface will pass electrons. Hot not so good. Electrons travel on the surface and a little below the surface but not on the internal. Thicker wires just add more surface for electrons to pass on and resist heat more so than thinner wires. Old V8s running headers some times would have the same problem and heat shield would help. If repeated attempts to start gives rise to the engine cranking over I suspect a weaker battery is more suspect than the starter being heat soaked. Unless of course the starter in its weak state is just like a weak battery and starts the engine easier after the cylinders are all primed with fuel with things more ready to catch for the engine to start. 6 of one half a dozen of another If the dealer does swap out the starter you are doing good.