Frozen starter again- what now?

[kevin-design]

So my vette's never liked the winter to begin with, and last year whenever it would get really cold, my starter would freeze. One particular incident involved a push start whereby I managed to run over my own foot with the rear tire- so I'd like to resolve it this year! I actually thought I resolved the issue when I took apart my starter and resurfaced the worn contact plate on a lathe- everything seemed to be working fine after that. Now, same weather type as last year, I turn the key, hear a click and nothing moves. Seems like I can get it to kick on now and then if I put it in gear and rock it a bit and then try again. It's not a low battery or connection issue. It either turns over and starts right up or not at all. I wonder if my disassembly/reassembly last year loosened things up enough to get me through the winter, and now we're back where I was last year. Any ideas?
Thanks!
-kevin

 

[Edmond]

How old is the starter? Could it be that the starter is starting to head south? Your description of the clicking noise was something that I experienced a couple years ago. It would sometimes fire right up and other times, it would just click.

I would suggest taking the starter in to a shop where they can test it for you. Many places like Pep Boys will do it for free.

 

[tnovot]

My guess is that the starter is not actualy "freezing" but that the lower temps is causing a hot lead, ground, or internal part in the solenoid or starter to contract and thus lose or reduce current flow.
You could use a hair dryer or heat lamp to warm various areas and then try starting to try to isolate the problem. If you like to punish yourself, keep trying to find it. This is the type of intermittent problem that can drive a person crazy. If it were me, I'd just get a Delco reman unit.
Terry