we were going out in my wifes car so i had to move my '85 GSL-SE. it started up fine as usual, backed it out of the driveway and parked it on the street. we loaded up the wifes car and when i went to pull the RX-7 back into the driveway, nuthin!!! The lights still work, i can hear the CD changer starting up when i turn the key but no cranking what-so-ever! the volt meter was showing below 12. we had to get going so i pushed it into the garage. i haven't got home yet to look at it so ?????

could the battery die that quick? everything has been running fine. maybe the alt is going bad and killing the batt ? what do you think ?

 

If you dont let your motor, espesially the fuel injected ones, warm up completely before you shut it off, it will flood. Try a little auto transmission fluid in the spark plug holes. That will usually give it enough compression to start. Dont do it in the garage. It smokes like mad.

 

it's not flooded, it won't even turn over. i turn the key and NOTHING.

 

Completely dead? Mine did that a couple of times and it turned out to be the fusible link. But I didn't have any power to the stereo or lights or anything. Check the fusible link anyway.

 

bad ground somewhere?

 

thanks i'll check that out when i get home. i've had this car for like 6 years and never had a problem starting. was thinking about selling it, this helps with that decision. i can get to work in the wifes car tomorrow but tuesday i'm screwed if it isn't running.

 

Same thing happened to an SE that I was considering buying a long long time ago. I never bought it.

 

problem solved, for now. got home and tried the key in the garage with the window down. heard the familiar whirring noise............gave the starter a gentle tap and it starts right up.

 

So what ended up being the problem? Bad fuseable links or what?

 

Sounds like it was the starter silonoid to me. If the starter was whirring and not motor turning that is...

~T.J.

 

yeah solenoid going. hopefully tapping the starter will get me through tuesday. any other days i can just get a ride from my wife, then i have time to replace it.

 

My car had the same problem. Turns out it was a badly corroded wire attaching to the starter. Changed that and never had the problem again.

 

on the subject of starters...

Occasionally mine will grind horribly. But it only seems to do it when I've been cranking a while, and I get done with one crank and don't really wait before trying again. I don't think I'm really describing this very well, but maybe one of you has had the same thing happen. I'm really hoping that my starter isn't going out. Anyway, any insight would be great.

Thanks,
BrianHeston

 

its not goin out... its just grinding the teeth off the fly, or the starter..... no bigie.... J/K ACTUALLY NEVER DO IT... wait until the starter whines down BEFORE you start cranking again...... I dont think you want to replace the flywheel/starter..... I have done it a few times... and now my starter WHINES BAD.... sounds like the starters they have for the 12:1 compression engines.... I got a life time warranty... no big deal... just dont want to be stranded... LATERZ :uncool:

 

now i'm not sure if the starter was really going. after all this it was starting fine. now my battery is dead. after i charge it the car starts fine a few times, but the batt looses the charge overnight. could a low batt cause the starter to stick, but still have enough power to start the car after 'tapping' the starter ? since it's too late now and monday is a holiday, i guess i'll have to wait till tuesday to see if a new batt solves the starter problem too. (wishfull thinking).