Turning Ignition on after turning motor over.

I've been tuning on the new motor today and I've noticed my Powermaster Gear reduction starter does not want to spin this motor over as easy as the old one. I have a little more compression but I'm not sure if that is the problem. The only way I can get it to start is to spin the starter first with the pushbutton and then flip the ignition and fuel on. It fires fine then. Ignition is a MSD 6AL with a start retard box added. Is there anything wrong with starting it this way. I thought I read somewhere that MSD did not recommend doing it like that but it seems to work. Timing is locked at 32 degrees.

your doing it right.... another option is a start-retarder

wont hurt a thing.i've always did it that way.

Do you have another starter to try on it?

My pulling motor was almost 16:1 compression with a locked out dist and a 7AL ignition, My start procedure was to prime the oil pump, run the fuel pump for a couple seconds to fill the bowls, hit the starter button, get the motor rolling, pump the throttle a couple times then flip the ignition switch. She'd fire up every time.
I did this procedure for 4 years before selling the truck. it never hurt the motor at all!

16 volt battery

Just about everyone with a mechanical fuel injection and pump starts their motors that way.

Larry Williams wrote:16 volt battery

I agree 16 volt battery helps a lot and i always buy the same brand of starter and flywheel. Lot safer turning engine over then hit ignition. Giving it gas with power on then turning it over will result in your intake and carb blowing off motor!!!

Unleashed wrote:

Larry Williams wrote:16 volt battery

I agree 16 volt battery helps a lot and i always buy the same brand of starter and flywheel. Lot safer turning engine over then hit ignition. Giving it gas with power on then turning it over will result in your intake and carb blowing off motor!!!

cool40 wrote:wont hurt a thing.i've always did it that way.

X2 i have a msd 6al no starter retrad never hurt mine i have the cheap ebay starter i have always spun the engine then hit the ing even with my new 552 with 14,7-1 cr it fires up great

I have a 7al and a MSD start retard. I've tried both ways, with the retard box and without.
I think turning the ign on first, then cranking the engine with the retard box hooked up works best for me.
The box doesn't retard the timing until it gets a 12v signal from the ign, so if I cranked it first, then flicked the ignition on, the box isn't retarding the timing until I was actually trying to fire the engine. If the battery got down a little, it would kick back.
So with the ign on, then crank. The box does its thing.
That's my experience.
Cheers Colin.

I think I found the problem. I run two batteries in parallel and one of them had gone bad. I'm assuming that's why they wouldn't spin the motor over like they used too. They were 7 year old Diehards so I guess I got my money's worth. I'm going to try some Optimas.

Be sure to keep the Optimas topped off with a battery tender when not in use...They'll last a long time that way.