spoolage

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys,

My car for the past month or so, has been having difficulties starting latley. I push the cluth in, and turn the ignition, somtimes it will catch other times It will not. What I mean by catch is when i turn the key, it fires up and the engine starts turning. Well last night, I had to push my car four times to get it going, the all four times I had to push start it to get the engine running. The engine would turn over (by trying to get it running by the key) but it never would finally get going, I know its not flooded because it runs fine once its going. The last two times, I turned the ignition and nothing happened, it was totally unresponsive, not even a clicking that is usually experienced from a dead or low battery.

Well, I replaced the battery today since its afew years old and I figured I'd just get that out of the way, and I was hoping that was the culprit.... it wasnt.

Still, the car makes no noise, no click nothing when i turn the ignition. All my accessories work fine, radio, lights are bright as usual, everything, it just dosent engage. I checked the starter and all the wires seem fine, what else could it be. Are my ignition coils bad???

I hope its a simple fix... thanks

Mr rx-7 tt

iTrader: (5)

.You have a pm

wonder1and

hmm... all nuts are tight on the starter? I know my starter is getting old b/c it will click sometimes instead of turning over... its not your coils b/c thats independent of the starting system... get a test light out and get under the car to see if the starter is getting any power...go from there...

P'cola FD

Make sure that the battery terminals are tight and free of corrosion. That happened to me once, and it turned out to be a bad terminal. The quick fix is to go to a parts store, and get new terminals to replace the old ones, although it doesn't look as good as stock, it works.

Make sure to check the battery terminals. One way to find out if they are the culprit is to take some HEAVY gauge wire, run one wire to ground and the other to the terminal on the alternator, connect those wires to the battery and then try to start the car.

DaveW

It could be an ignition switch or starter solenoid problem. Clue: no click, i.e., the solenoid is not moving.

lopedl

iTrader: (1)

did you check all the fuses?

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

fuses are fine,

Im guessing more than likely its the starter and it finally decided to die on me.

Just as wonder1and said, my starter used to click occasionally and not start and I guess it just decided to stop working compleatly.

If anyone knows where I can buy a used starter for cheap please let me know, if you have one laying around... please let me know.

Thanks much,
Greg

Anywho... I'm going to go ahed and check the electrical connection and make sure all my grounds are good, I'll make sure to clean the terminal as well.


Thanks for everyones input

P'cola FD

Try going to your local junkyard/U-pullit. I'm not sure, but a miata starter may work. When me and a friend swapped his car from auto to 5-speed, the starter he got was definitely not an FD starter, but we used it anyway. We could only bolt one bolt to it, and we just said "let's see if it works, and if it doesn't then we'll get another." It's been almost a year since then and the starter is holding up fine, one bolt and all. haha. I still would really like to know what kind of car the starter came off of.

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

any other ideas just incase replacing the starter dosent work???

oktay400

it's probably your starter, they do that all the time when they are ready to take a ****. Jack the car up and have someone crank over they car while u beat the starter with a hammer. If that works u need a new starter.

Recipe7

check your EGI and circuit relay. also check engine fuses next to the clutch

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

How do I check to see if the EGI is good???

Anyways, I checked all the fuses by my clutch. I cant find any loose grounds. I just wana make sure one more time that the starter is more than likley the culprit for my troubles.

Again, the car runs fine, its just when i turn the key, nothing happens, everything powers up, but the engine dosent engage... what is more likely to go bad, the starter solenoid or the starter it self???

I tried whacking on the starter with a hammer and that didnt do jack...

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

is there a fuse for the ignition???

Any way I can check to see if my ignition is functioning??? I assume it is working alright beceuase when its on accesorie mode it will turn on lights/radio etc, but when i try to turn the motor on, no response.. Thats why im leaning with the starter conclusion

DaveW

Maybe I missed something here, but... There is a switch that closes the start circuit when the clutch is depressed. There will be no response at all by the starter if that switch does not complete its circuit when the clutch is depressed.

Swolbynos

these cars dont have clutch switch

skunks

its probally the ignition switch, you can take apart the starter and rebuild it though (its fairly easy to do).

you can buy a new ignition swithc and get it keyed to your current one but it will cost you. you might wanna look up how to put a push button starter on to bypass it. plus its hella cool looking

good luck

spurvo

These cars do too have a clutch switch. Wiring diagram calls it a starter interlock switch, and in parentheses say (clutch depress:on).

Spoolage, I might mention something I found in the course of my re-wiring for my battery location: The connection for the starter is the big wire that comes out of the ENGINE side of the little fuse box that's mounted to the battery. If you pull the little fuse box's cover, you will see two little bolts attaching a metal plate that is crimped onto a fairly prodigeous wire. Look at that connection. Is it green? Do the wires look like anything BUT clean copper? If so, this may be the source of the problem. As the corrosion gets worse, the ability for the current to be applied to the starter will be reduced. This will happen progressively over time, with slower stater actuation, and intermittant failure to turn the engine over. The solenoid will click, all the electricals in the car will work, but no turn over. Is this roughly what you are experiencing?

You can also look at the connection to the starter. It is the big right angled connector (I know you know that, but still...) bolted to the top of the starter. Pull on the rubber cover to examine the crimped connection. Is it clean? Or are the wires the color of an old penny, with oil all over the thing? This can lead to similar problems as listed above.

Let me know if this helps!

mad_7tist

yes thay have clutch switches that stop the car from starting without the clutch depressed

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for eveyones input.

I havent checked the coloring of the cables but I will.

I figure, Fritz already mailed the damn starter, I'll just wait till it gets here, put it in... if my car is still exibiting problems, then I'll really start freaking out. Luckly I know my engine and everything else is fine, probably just a bad starter or bad wiring.

Again, thanks for everyones input, glad to know people on this forum are still able to give comprehensive replys!


Thanks!
Greg

TEDDER1

iTrader: (1)

the little black plug onto the starter solenoid likes to come loose and it will arc a little then stop trying to turn over althogether. mine does it every once in a while.

plus give the gas a quick stab while you start it. then after you let off it may sart.

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

Can somone tell me where the starter solenoid is located????

I tried to trace the power wire to its origin and It got eatn up in one big cluster of wires.


The black and red lined wire looks like its running to the left side of the car though.


I dont know what the hell is going on, my connections all seem to be good....

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

Is the starter solenoid the large bronze looking thing near the bottom of the oil filler neck???

spurvo

No, starter solenoid is actually mounted on the starter. The Black with red strip does indeed actuate the starter solenoid, and runs from the starter into the wire loom up to the battery area. The BIG wire that runs with is is of course the main power wire. Does it look ok, as I mentioned above?

The big bronze thing is the oil pressure sender. It's connection and wire joins up with the wiring from the starter, which is why it loks like it's involved. It is not.

Did you pull the cover to the small fuse block attached to the battery? What did the big wire that is crimped onto the connector look like?

spoolage

iTrader: (2)

it looked like there was a small amount of oxidation on the big wire, but I dont understand how this could cause it not to start at all.....

Is there a fuse that may have blown, I just dont understand why all of a sudden it would not work any more. When it finally died on me it sounded like it was running out of juice and then it just died entirley...

I just cant beleive that the starter isnt working due to oxidation....

clayne

A very simple one:

How many miles on the car?