2005 F200 - occasional hot start problem?

[TimS]

I have a 2005 F200 which has been just great - nothing but routine maintenance needed. Since new, it has had a very occasional hot start problem - maybe happens 2 or 3 times per year, and always after you're been running, and stopped the engine for only a minute or two; it does not seem to happen if it's been off for longer.

We have a conventional dual battery setup, and alternate the batteries on odd / even days. When the hot start problem occurs, it acts like there is not enough battery current - the starter motor kicks for about 1/2 second, then stops. If you turn the key off and try again, the same thing happens. If you then switch to two batteries, it starts instantly. It only happens when hot - either battery will reliably start the engine when cold.

Anyone else run into this? It does not seem to be a big deal, but it can be a little disconcerting.

Tim

[boats.net]

The battery should be a minium of 512 cold cranking amps with 182 reserve capacity. Have you had the battery tested to see if ok? Starter could be going bad, drawing too much amps.

[TimS]

Thanks. Doubt it's a battery issue, because both batteries behave the same, and the motor has acted like this since day 1. I could see it being a weak starter - if so, it came that way from the factory. You'd think that it would take more starter power to turn over a cold motor. Really just wondering if anyone else has noticed the same symptoms - though I read something about it a while back, but can't find the post.

Tim