mwpayne

I noticed yesterday the ol' gal was cranking slow (new battery). Today, it cranked too slow to start, sounded almost like a slow grind. I can manually move the belts quite easily, no bind there, Now, when I crank, dash lights dim slightly, no click, no turn.
I have a new negative cable, haven't gotten around to replacing the positive yet, although it looks good.
Whadaya'all think, starter AND solenoid? (No click on cranking either)? Glad it's not the daily!
Thanks

cwsttu

hey if it is the starter id be happy to sell you mine, just email me at cstanala@ttacs.ttu.edu or im me at rx785dragster on AOL

damon

Check your battery and alternator befor you look at the starter. You can pull the neg wire off of the batt while the engine is running to check the alt, and a volt meter to check the batt.

peace

DONNA

i have bought new batteries that were bad, jump it off and then check the voltage across battery terms with an ohm meter, should read 13+ volts, if not, could very well be the alt.....good luck,,,,,also check the ground at the starter for loosness..

mwpayne

tried jumping, no crank, no click, dash lights dim slighlt like always.
Can't get the engine running to check other stuff.

Haven't tried push-start. That hurt anything?

damon

No , it wont hurt as long as you pop the clutch in 2nd gear and not 1st

peace

marshp

nope it shouldnt hurt anything
i have to push start my car sometimes and theres nothing bad about it
manual engine turnover its called
just get going really fast, put car in second, and let out clutch and give it gas and go

SilverRocket

Mazda says absolutely no push starting - I personally have done it once and I wouldn't use it unless in an emergency.

How could it be the alternator? Even if there was no alternator, could you not still start the car from a fully charged battery?

MwPayne,

I've had numerous starting problems with my car over the years. The causes have always been:

1) Defective battery, or battery that is not fully charged. These engines require a fully charged battery to turn over!

In my experience, the battery can have enough juice to power the headlights, the stereo, etc, and still not enough to even turn over the motor. The starter will just make funny clicking noises; you'll will think the starter sounds messed up but it isn't. The battery just needs to be *fully charged*.

Now look, if your headlights are dimming, sounds to me like your battery is not charged properly. This may be due to a bad alternator, but bottom line your battery is not charged enough to spin the motor. Headlights dimming, to me, indicates just that - not a faulty starter or starter wiring.

If your dash lights are dimming, I'd say your battery is really weak. Definitely nothing like enough power to spin the motor.

2) I've had problems with the connections at the starter becoming dirty and thus intermittently working. What happens though, in my experience, is that everything else appears fine. No dimming of the headlights or anything like that. When you turn the key, nothing at all happens. Nothing.

It is always a good idea to clean up the connections at the starter. Certainly you should have a look at them, clean them and make sure everything is OK (takes 5 mins, easy job). But in this case, I would suggest that your problem is the battery. I am aware that you said you tried jumping it - maybe try again, try harder this time?

Maybe some other reason is causing your battery to die - one time my battery was dying all the time, and it turned out one of the terminals was touching the hood when it was closed lol. I've had similar symptoms and it has been a defective battery.

Good luck!

mwpayne

Well, I've got 'er in the garage on jack stands. I'll get under there & clean connections first, work from there,
Thanks for all the help, I'll let ya know what it finally was.

Stacey GSL-SE

The same problems you are describing are happening with my car. Dash lights dimming, power windows are slowing down, the car is *hard starting*. A friend of mine suggested this:

http://www.monmouth.com/7Erothe/battery_cables.html

He told me to replace the 18 year old battery cables before replacing anything else. That is what I intend to do.

Stacey

Stacey GSL-SE

The link didn't work, trying again....

http://www.monmouth.com/%7Erothe/battery_cables.html

mwpayne

I replaced the negative cable a couple of months ago. I need to do it again, the new cable was too short, just barely reached the battery. I'm going to replace it with the right one and the pos cable too.
I did notice it cranked faster when I replace the neg cable, no doubt this is needed whether or not it fixes my dead starter problem.

SilverRocket

Another tip for better voltage is to run a second ground - mine goes from the negative battery terminal to the frame rail near the battery tray, and from there to a stud on the motor. The difference was very noticeable; shakey 12 volts before to rock solid 14 volts after. Mind you I have an electric fan, stereo amplifiers, etc, so I am definitely taxing the system more than normal.

85RX7GS

iTrader: (1)

Most new battery's that are bought fresh off the shelf need to be charged first before putting them in the car.

It sounds like your starter is drawing way too much current. Could need new brushes at the very least or might need to be rewound.

If you're interested, I've got a brand new one with a warranty. PM me if you want it.

mwpayne

85RX7GS, yor got PM.

Those of you that have replaced starters, which brand holds up? Advance has ones from Bosch, Delco, ect. at different prices. Or should I grab my ankles and go OEM?

zookeeper

Gotta throw my 2.5-cents worth in:
It IS possible to get buy a bad battery, I have. But... if you jumped it and still had dimming lites, etc with slow or no turnover, I don't think it's the battery.

Sounds like the ol' starter is drawing way too many amps - and THAT usually means "bad starter". Time for a rebuild or a new starter.

mwpayne

That's what I'm thinking. How about I take it off & get the old one rebuilt?
Good idea/Bad idea?

SilverRocket

You should get the starter tested before you replace it - I've replaced my starter before and it wasn't the problem (battery not fully charged was lol.)

In regards to what I said before, I'm sure it's plenty possible that your starter is bad, but I think you should at least make sure it's not the cheap things first, and get the starter tested before spending the bucks.

zookeeper

Well... I had my alternator rebuilt about 5 years ago and never had a problem with it. Cost? I can't remember, but I do remember it was less than a third of what Mazda wanted for a new one. New starters and alternators aren't really "new" anyway - they're factory rebuilds.

I agree with SilverRocket, you should get it tested first. And if it's bad, see what they want to rebuild it. Compare that to the cost of a "new" one ($68-$118 + core at AutoZone.com). And then let me know 'cause mine is starting to act up and I might need to get it rebuilt.

Then again, I might just put an old Harley kick-starter on it...

85RX7GS

iTrader: (1)

Bad idea. It will cost you at least as much as a new starter to get the old one rewound, with new brushes, greased and put back together.

MyRxBad

I'd say take the starter out and get it rebuilt. It's usually cost you about 1/3 or at most 1/2 the price of a rebuilt one from Pep boys or Carquest. and most shops give you a warrenty with their work anyways.

As always, make sure you test your stuff b4 you rebuild it or buy new stuff.

A word of advice: when you buy a new battery, have them load test it before you take it home.

pratch

Better yet, when you buy a new starter, get one from AutoZone with the lifetime replacement warranty.

Rotor13B

You say you haven't replaced your postive cable? I would check there first. Just because a cable looks good doesn't mean it is. A cable can deteriorate from the inside and you would never no it causing the higher amperage that your starter is requiring to get turning fast enough. Remember, wires are like a river, block of some of the water and you will still have flow but with more resistance.