Starter grinds on hot start

[howlingwind13]

So cold the car fires right up, but after driving it for awhile and stopping at either shows or a visit, upon trying to start the car to leave the starter grinds, every time i take it out.
The starter should be new, i had a ton of work done at delorean performance industries about 5 years ago and the car only has about 200 miles on it in the 5 years since the rebuild.
Any suggestions?

I should note that after like 4 tries it starts... but that embarrassing grinding sound...sounds like its wrecking stuff
mike

[DMC5180]

So, 200 miles in five years isn’t even a tank of gas. That’s incredibly hard on these cars. Are you still running all the factory fuel injection stuff. If, so was the accumulator replaced? What about fuel pump? Is OE style or the newer fuel tank and sender module?

[howlingwind13]

Everything is newer upgrades...
Reason for the infrequent drives...it a time machine replicas so can't leave it unattended...and I started my own business...that took up ALL my free time.

[DMC5180]

Then I take that to mean no EFI conversion? It sounds like you have the classic hot start issue. Could be accumulator, PPR o-rings, or fuel pump check valve or added inline check valve. But hey, since it’s a Time machine replica, now you have movie accurate hard starts.

[CFI]

Then I take that to mean no EFI conversion? It sounds like you have the classic hot start issue. Could be accumulator, PPR o-rings, or fuel pump check valve or added inline check valve. But hey, since it’s a Time machine replica, now you have movie accurate hard starts.

The classic hot start issue doesn’t include a grinding sound. Just long periods of cranking with no start.

The OPs problem sounds like a bendix drive that is not fully extending, and therefore not meshing correctly with the flywheel.

[DMC5180]

I believe grinding, in this case, means the sound the new lightweight starter makes naturally while cranking and not starting.

But yes, it could mean the starter solenoid is not engaging the flywheel too.

[David T]

The starter does make a "grinding" sound when it operates but I am not sure the OP has stated the problem correctly. If he means the motor doesn't start right away when hot and he is still running the starter and it is still making noise but the motor isn't running, that is the symptom of the classic hard hot restart. If, on the other hand the starter is making unusual noises when the motor gets hot, that is not the hard restart problem. I don't know what would cause a starter to make bad noises when starting a hot motor as opposed to starting a cold motor. My suggestion would be, the next time he has trouble restarting the car, do the plug swap. If that gets the motor going then he has the hard restart problem, not a starter problem. On a time machine that isn't easy, getting the engine cover open! If the starter is making bad noises, it is either or both the starter and the flywheel ring gear. The first step would be to pull and examine the starter and ring gear. Not a lot of history with bad starters, I would do the plug swap first and see if that helps.

[Ron]

Bad starter drives often slip more when they are warm (roller clutch). Sometimes they will slip-grab over and over and sound like it is eating the flywheel...

[howlingwind13]

Guess I should be more accurate, it is a flywheel/starter grinding....after hot

[David T]

Guess I should be more accurate, it is a flywheel/starter grinding....after hot

That is unusual. I assume it starts normally when hot, just more noisy during starting. First step would be to pull the starter and examine it for any signs of wear or damage, especially to the Bendix drive.