Slow starter
QI have a problem occurring intermittently when I try and start my 1987 Porsche 924S 2.5 from cold. The starter motor appears to struggle initially to turn, but usually picks up after a number of tries. I have had a new starter motor fitted but the problem persists. The battery is fairly new.
The handbook says that when starting the car in colder conditions one should at the same time fully depress the clutch pedal, but this does not help. However, if I depress the clutch pedal very slightly this seems to reduce the load on the starter motor. The clutch hydraulics have recently been renewed including slave and master cylinders and pipes.
The problem can happen at any time but more often in colder temperatures.
The new starter motor seemed to solve the problem initially, but the experience was in the summer months.
The car is fitted with an aftermarket immobiliser/alarm some years ago prior to my ownership. I say this because it has been mentioned as a possible cause, but after a professional check over no problem could be found?
Richard Chappell
AThe use of the clutch when operating the starter is to disconnect the gearbox from the drive which should in theory lessen the load which the starter needs in order to spin the engine.
Pressing the clutch only slightly would normally not have any effect on this unless the clutch was overthrowing under normal conditions, and if this were occurring then I would expect it to be noticed when driving.
As the starter has been changed and the battery is fairly new suggesting that this also isn’t a problem, the only area of concern may be the feed or earth circuit to the starter. I would check this using an ohm meter to ensure that there is no resistance in the circuit. This may be more noticeable in the cold weather due to the extra load needed to spin up the engine.
Another possibility is that the oil in the engine is causing the drag when cold and you should ensure the correct viscosity oil is used, the recommendation I have listed is a 10W-40 semi-synthetic oil.