HELP with 1980 RX7 starting problem
 

Need help with my RX7. I have a problem starting the car when its parked in the sun or after the car has been driven. When it is cool or in the garage the car will start. I think its the igniter box? Has anybody had or have this problem and what fix the car. Mike

Could be ignition timing. Worth taking a look at this first....

The car has always started every time. I have had the car for eight year with no problem. I put the igniter box back in, and it cranked twice then stopped. I guess that I will start with the solenoid and trace the power from there.

I was just checking if anybody had any problem with the igniter box?

The price for the igniter from the dealer is $400.00 plus and NAPA is $363.00 but I had found some place for $60.00. I was just checking before I pay the money for a new igniter. Two for $120.00.

Do you have spark at the plugs? Where in Michigan are you located?

Ignitors are alive or dead, there is no zombie mode. If it will still start when cool or in the garage, it's not the ignitors. If you feel you must have an ignitor, they go for 25-40 on, average, in the for sale section.

From your description I'd say it's more likely vapor lock, but that rarely happens on a rotary. Need more decription of the problem when it doesn't start.

Why was the igniter box out? Did you have a previous problem?


When you say "stopped," do you mean "topped even cranking" (stopped spinning the motor)?

If the starter won't even spin, it's almost certainly got nothing to do with the ignitor box. You can disconnect the ignitor box from the car entirely and the starter circuit will still spin the engine on an '80.

Unless you have a loose ground that didn't get bound down properly when you 'put the igniter box back in,' or you have a loose/fractured fuse link that got jarred when you were working in that same area, this doesn't sound like an ignitor box-related problem.

I have before, but not with these symptoms.

It is possible for the older J-105 ignitors to thermal out if it wasn't properly coated with heat-sink grease before installing it to the fender-mounted control box (1980 build), but that tends to show up from operational heat when the engine's running... not just from a sun soak.

And again, bad ignitors will not prevent the starter from spinning the engine.

Don't go buying ignitors unless you know they are bad. And unless something got miswired or you had a serious voltage regulation problem, it would be almost unheard of for both of them to go bad at the same time. If you suspect a bad primary (leading) ignitor, the fastest test is just to disconnect and swap the two ignitors. A bad secondary (trailing) ignitor won't prevent a start.

Give us a clearer discription of your symptoms, and we can probably get you going in the right direction.

I have a couple of J-105 ignitors on the shelf, but it doesn't really sound like that's your issue.

Check this; after driving the car, shut it off and pull off the air cleaner. See if you have fuel running down into the carb while the motor is off. Post back results, and let me know where you are located...

I am in Eaton Rapids, south of Lansing. I will be working on the car tonight. Thanks for the information on the ignitor's. I had talk to someone at work, a good mechanic, he stated that the solenoid would be the best start. Thank again, I will let you know what I find out.

I pull the ignitor box out to get a price at the part store to match up on a replacement, per the Hayne Manual.

I have read the post on the ignitors in the archive posts. I made a copy to make a tester if I need it. Mike

I found the problem, it was the solenoid. The starter did turn but the solenoid did not push the gear out. thanks again for the information. Mike

Congrats on your success.