I've seen several posts over the past few months discussing problems with starting a HOT 617 engine. In all cases the common issue was that the user reported the starter solenoid clicked but the starter motor did not turn over.

Well, on my road trip across the snowy Rocky Mountains I figured out what my issue was, as I've had the same problem. It's me, not the car.

In my case I was being too impatient in trying to immediately start a hot engine and not waiting for the glow cycle to complete. From time to time it's clear that there is insufficient power for the battery to power the glow plugs and turn the engine over at the same time. Wait for the glow cycle to complete and my "intermittent hot start problem" went away!

Hopefully this will help some other members reporting the same problem.