Starter too hot to touch!

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by 1970stringbean

We've been having some electrical issues. PO had hacked the ignition circuit beyond recognition. Got that straightened out. Drove the truck (1970 K10) for the 1st time today, since engine rebuild. Got to work shut it off, went back out 30 minutes later and nothing. Crawled under it to make sure a wire hadn't come loose. The starter was so hot it actually burnt my hand! Luckily, I had another starter, swapped it out and made it home tonight. What in the world would have caused this? I am at a loss here, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Most likely it's heat soak on the solenoid caused by headers too close to the starter. Heat causes excessive resistance to current flow in the solenoid windings so it can't actuate the relay contacts to the starter windings.

You can:

1.clean all your cable connections and grounds.
2.buy a new heavy duty starter
3. buy a mini-torque starter
4. Re-wire the solenoid with a Ford solenoid
5. get a heat shield for the starter-probably too late for yours.