Getting Started With MSD’s DynaForce Starter

IMG_4017We’ve all ran into the situation where we climb behind the wheel of our car, turn the ignition, and hear the starter either straining to turn the engine over, or simply give up and just click. Sean Goude, our head wrench at the Chevy Hardcore Technical Center had the hard starting situation in his 1991 Camaro (Project Respect), so we had a problem to fix.

IMG_4024

The smaller MSD Dyna Force keeps it away from the headers, helping resolve some heat soak.

In his words, “Ever since I installed the engine in the car, the original starter has been on it. It has always had a hard-start issue.I replaced the battery thinking it was that, and that helped a little bit, but not much. Soon after that, if I drove the car for any length of time and then parked it for 30 to 45 minutes, I had to plan on sitting there for a while until I could start my car because of the heat soak in the old starter. Finally, it just stopped working all together.” Basically, he had a 500hp car that couldn’t be driven.

We felt that this would be a great time to test MSD’s DynaForce starter, as this engine features a compression ratio higher than many, and the headers wrap around the starter. The header situation alone will be an unforgiving factor when testing the starter. Changing a starter on a small-block Chevy is not something that requires an SAE-certified mechanic.

I’m all of you guys reading this have done it once or twice, so we are not going to get into what it takes to bolt it in place. What we do want you to realize is why this is an upgrade that you really need to consider. For starters—honestly, no pun intended, the OE starter is big, and takes up a lot of room.

If you are running headers, that available area gets even smaller, and the heat from the headers will drastically shorten the life of an OE engine turner over.IMG_4013

Since the starter needed to be replaced on Sean’s Gen III Camaro, we thought we might as well do it with a unit that could deal with what we were throwing at it—compression and header heat.

According to the guys at MSD, “Our new DynaForce starter is designed to crank over the highest compression engines on a hot day in Death Valley.” That’s a bold statement that we plan to put to the test. MSD’s DynaForce starter actually delivers 3hp. If that doesn’t turn your engine over, you have a more serious problem. This gear-reduction starter uses a 4.4:1 gear set, and the smaller than OE housing clears most headers and oil pans. They also designed the mounting block so that the starter can be clocked in different positions, which helps reposition the solenoid for clearance.

IMG_4038

The MSD starter is much smaller than the OE unit, so the added clearance will definitely help keep it from heat soaking.

Like we said, the installation process is really straightforward, and can be accomplished in about 30 minutes. But that will be the best 30-minute investment you can make to help your car start so much easier than it has been. In our case, when we twisted the key and tried to start the engine, it was running before the ignition switch was released.

About the author

Randy Bolig

Randy Bolig has been working on cars and has been involved in the hobby ever since he bought his first car when he was only 14 years old. His passion for performance got him noticed by many locals, and he began helping them modify their vehicles.
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