so i have a 1985 rx7 gsl se. i recently could not get my car to stay started, i changed my plug wires and distributer, the distrbuter cap. ended up find that my fuel filter was clogged. my battery died while i was working on it over the last few days from me trying to crank it over and get it to start. so after bypassing my fule filter so i could make for certain that it was my filter i tryed to start it and it wouldnt because it was dead. i charged it over night and then tryed to start it, it sparked ( i had my hood up) on the driver side up front by the battery. and now my car wont turn over at all. it makes a huming noise when i try to start it. not like the starter spinning, more like just a light humming noise. full charged battery. does anyone have a clue what the hell happend? any help im happy to get.

 

Is it a sealed battery or one that you can add water to? If water can be added, did you remove the caps while charging and check the water level? Do the cables get hot? Are you sure something isn't shorted out?

 

Did you charge the battery backwards(its possible if the battery was fully dead),try another battery see if its the same, if nothing has changed try removing the starter and test it off the car,you might have burnt the brushes, that can be cured by removing the starter removing the armature, and cleaning the copper connections which the brushes run on( I do mine with a drill press and sand paper wrapped over a flat file don't get too aggressive just clean (dress)them flat , also check the brushes for wear may be you need a new(rebuilt) starter ,let me know what happens.............................Fred

 

Probably just a bad connection. Remove both cables, at each end (battery and starter/engine) and clean them up.

If that doesn't fix it, investigate the battery next.

Good luck.




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+1. Loose/corroded cable would explain both sparking and low voltage. Also make extra sure you're not hooked up backward, as that falls into "really bad" territory.

Be cautious with sparking too much near a non-sealed battery; they create hydrogen gas as they discharge, and you can get more bang then you're hoping for.