Hot Start Cure and Remote Starter Switch

A lot of thirdgens suffer from the dreaded "hot start" problem. I lived with mine for a while because it wasn’t that bad. I installed a set of headers and the extra heat soaking into the starter solenoid became unreal. The problem got so bad that if I drove for 10 minutes and turned the car off, and waited a few minutes, I couldn’t start the it again from anywhere between 5-40 minutes.

The answer is nice and simple. A Remote Starter Solenoid. This also gives you a great point to hook up a push button starter switch.

Items needed:
Starter Solenoid $4.99 (Wells part # F496)
4′ Battery Cable $9.95 (2 or 0 Gage)
Some 16/14 gage wire to extend accessory cables

The first thing to do is disconnect the + and – to the battery so you don’t short anything out. Then find a place to mount the new solenoid. I put mine in a little space between the battery and overflow tank Where ever you put it you must make sure it is grounded properly. Once that is done, attach the new battery cable and push it down to the starter.

Next you need to get under the car so you can get to the starter motor. Disconnect all the cables connected to the starter solenoid making a note of which points they went to. You need something to short out the ‘B’ and ‘I’ points on the solenoid. I used a piece of metal with 3/8 and 3/16 holes drilled at each end. Push this on and the new battery cable. That’s it for under the car.

Pull the ignition coil cable and the accessory cables up and extend them with the 16/14 gage wire if needed. Connect the ignition coil cable to the ‘I’ point on the new solenoid, then the ignition switch, accessory cables and + battery cable. Attach the last ignition switch cable. At this point it’s a good idea to recheck and make sure all the cables are connected to the right places. The last thing to do is to hook up the battery again and you’re all done. Start the car and say goodbye to your hot start problems.

If you want to hook up a remote start button simply wire it in instead of the ignition switch. This does not affect the VATS in any way. You still need to turn the key to the ON position and then press the button to start the car.