"Live" from our Southwestern Swing

[Larry Hill]

Well another race has come and gone. We just went out for a great dinner at Binions Horseshoe Steakhouse down on Fremont Street. Great place for steak with great friends--Jeff Teuton and Kevin Helms.

We have the Gamblers race on Wednesday and Sema show this week, then the Division 7 points race next weekend. Hopefully we will do better racing !!! There are still lots of racers here waiting for the next race, More tomorrow!

[stage1scott]

As always, thanks for the great reporting and photos-almost like being there!! Are you still leaving Pomona out of this trip?

[jmcarter]

Originally Posted by stage1scott

As always, thanks for the great reporting and photos-almost like being there!! Are you still leaving Pomona out of this trip?

Ditto...look forward to seeing Divisional AND Pomona reporting. Since you're already entered in Pomona I really look forward to yours and Toby's reporting. I'm sure Chris has got the business in good hands.

[khelms]

Jeff Teuton here. Starter issues, the Fast system has a starting problem and kicks back and breaks the starter. Jeff Taylor says they have a fix, but no one has b othered to tell us about it. That's not very good. We have now broken a MSD starter, a RobbMc (which is the original) and an ATI and knocked the side off a pro trans in the process. The schedule for the points race really sucks for stock and super stock. Stock's first time trial is about 8 pm friday night, ss is a little earlier. This is because the index classes with the big motors and throttle stops don't like a cold track, so they run two before we run one. We then get one around 2 pm, the race Sat night. Really sucks, but this is Div 7. I know we ran for two years about 800 or 900 cars in Bowling green on the normal sechedule at the points race before Indy. Unless I really have to be here again for points or something, you won't see this fat cajun this direction. As ususal it's always good to see a lot racers we normally don't see or see in Indy. Coming 1700 miles and can't pull to the line with two cars is disheartning to say the least. I understand California is just waiting for all the long rigs, but NHRA is working on it and should be fixed. I think nearly 50 pro rigs are involved as well as numerous sportsman. More later. Going to SEMA tomorrow.

[Michael Beard]

I had kickback problems intermittently with my old starter, typically just when it had a little heat in it. Replaced it with another off-the-shelf OEM Dodge Dakota style mini starter, and had zero problems for two months, then it started acting up about every 4 starts last week. Looking at getting a Powermaster this winter... but you're saying it may be the FAST system rather than the starter itself? I did some tinkering with the spark map with Ed Wright's suggestion, and it at least lessened any problems I was having.

Thought I just read an article about how the MSD starters have a one-way clutch deal in them so that they *won't* break from a kickback??

Stock's first time trial is about 8 pm friday night, ss is a little earlier. This is because the index classes with the big motors and throttle stops don't like a cold track, so they run two before we run one.

Uh, what do they consider "cold"?

[Greg Gay]

Perhaps I don't fully understand the problem, but as a patch, could you get the starter turning, and then flip on the juice?

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Greg Gay

Perhaps I don't fully understand the problem, but as a patch, could you get the starter turning, and then flip on the juice?

I wouldn't do that. Just set the lower/left cel in the spark table to something like 10 or 12 degrees. It cranks there, then jumps to another cell once it starts. I use FAST, and the same starter for four years now. I don't know about MOPAR starter drives being made differently. I have a TCI gear reduction starter. Looks like a MOPAR, probably Honda parts. LOL

[Jim Wahl]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

I wouldn't do that. Just set the lower/left cel in the spark table to something like 10 or 12 degrees. It cranks there, then jumps to another cell once it starts. I use FAST, and the same starter for four years now. I don't know about MOPAR starter drives being made differently. I have a TCI gear reduction starter. Looks like a MOPAR, probably Honda parts. LOL

Ed, most of the new Chrysler starters are Hitachi. Jim

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