milano starter problem

[ethan schartman <eschartman@xxxxxxxxx>]

hey folks,

annoyingly enough, now that my suspension is tight and
driveshaft vibration free, my starter is acting up.
googling the archives didn't return anything relevant,
though it seems like this is a common problem.

anyway: i took the milano out for some mildly spirited
driving yesterday. i shut it down for about 15 minutes
(grocery run), and when i went to restart, the starter
wouldn't crank. i got what sounded like the click to
the solenoid, but no turning. after the engine cooled
down it started fine. the starter is a rebuilt unit
(actually the *second* rebuilt unit - the first went
out in similar fashion after a mere 300 miles) with
<10k miles on it. the heat shield is in place, and in
good condition. the engine tends to run a bit hot in
stop and go - closer to the first tick where the fan
kicks in (bad thermostat?) but not above. 

so, how long till my intermittent no-start becomes a
permanent one? what exactly is going wrong in the
starter (bushing binding?)? can i stave off the
inevitable (rewire the fan switch to run after
shut-down)?  any other tips and tricks?

thanks,
-ethan schartman
-'87 milano gold
-princeton, NJ

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