Starting Issues, Subaru Conversion Options

[malaga_red75]

My car is a '74 with a 2.5L JDM Subaru motor and stock 914 tranny.

Background on the issue: (sorry for length.. want to give the full picture)

I used the original 914 starter motor when I finished the conversion which failed within a few months. (This was expected as the compression in the subie is much much higher)

I then switched to the 911 starter motor which worked for ~2 years no problem. I took a trip down the coast to LA and ended up driving through a pretty serious rain storm (this could be coincidence or a possible cause of the problem) - this is when my problems started.

The starter motor felt like it no longer had enough 'juice' to turn over the subie motor (I would get maybe 1 or 2 cranks at a time). Thinking it was just a failed started motor, I switched to the 'Hi-Torque' starter motor. This worked for a few weeks then failed and had the same symptoms I experienced with the 911 starter motor. I decided to switch back to a new 911 starter motor and same thing... worked for a few weeks then failed.

The weird part is, is that if the car has sat for a bit (more than a few days), it generally starts right up - or if i use jumper cables (i.e. 2 batteries) with another car. But, if i drive it, then park, then try to start it again, it most likely wont start.

I've tried different batteries, different starter motors, replaced possible faulty cables and nothing seems to have changed.

At this point, I'm really lost on solving this issue. Hoping you guys can help.

Thanks in advance,
peter