Hey guys I have a 1985 RX-7 and I am having issues with it not starting. I have read through the end to no-start threads and have removed the starter checked it, its working fine, i can move the big pully to crank the engine by hand and it turns easily, I still have spark from my spark plugs. My buddy seems to think that its an ignition relay thats bad But honestly I have no clue how to even attempt at checking for it. The haynes manual that i have doesnt help me much at all. Im really getting upset with it because i need this car to go to work. Any help is greatly appreciated

Jason

 

Does the car crank over when you try to start it? If not, it's maybe the battery, or the starter...

If it does, it may be that the compression is too low (bad / worn seals) or that you are not getting fuel to or from the carb.

And BTW, if you need a reliable car to go to work, a 1st-gen RX7 is NOT a good car for you. You need to buy a $200 Escort or something, because RX7's are not the most reliable, and when they break it tends to be expensive.

 

try push starting it

 

is this a 12A carbed or the 13B fi? So are you having starter issues or are you having issues with the motor not firing up. Give us better info to help you out.

 

1-does the starter turn the engine over?

2-with the air cleaner off can you smell gas?

3-when you pump thegas pedal (or operate the accelerator cable) does the carb squirt gas into the throat?

4-when you try starting does the engine fire, backfire or sound like it wants to start?

5-when you unscrew a sparkplug and try starting do you get whoosh-whoosh-whoosh from the open plug hole?

6-ditto, does the plug actually spark?

Answer those questions and return.

 

12A Carb

1-does the starter turn the engine over?
No all I get are two clicks coming from the starter. I took it to autozone to get it tested and it passed 4 times in a row

2-with the air cleaner off can you smell gas?
Yes I smell gas when I take off the air cleaner

3-when you pump thegas pedal (or operate the accelerator cable) does the carb squirt gas into the throat?
Yes gas is squirting however my throttle cable is fraying and will need to be replaced but i dont think thats the main cause

4-when you try starting does the engine fire, backfire or sound like it wants to start?
No it wont crank at all

5-when you unscrew a sparkplug and try starting do you get whoosh-whoosh-whoosh from the open plug hole?
It doesnt even sound like its cranking at all

6-ditto, does the plug actually spark?
Yes I do have spark

I would get a beater however I have very little cash to get a cheap reliable car. I am running out of money even to work on this car to get it running solidly.

 

battery is dead or low on charge connections could be loose. check small thin wire on starter for voltage when key is turned to try to start! Check grounds. SOmetimes starters can bench test fine but be junk!

 

my car does that every once in a while with the clicking sound, i know for a fact my battery is going dead but i have no money to buy another one right now lol, so just a cheap remedy i did for now until my battery totaly goes was made sure my wires were tight around the posts and added some aluminum foil to the posts and then installed the wires...works great right now.....also, make sure that your starter is properly connected, or that the other two wires that go somewhere connected to the tranny area are properly connected (i had these accidentally switched when i worked on mine and it caused the clicking noise and no start also)

 

If your starter is good, and your battery is good and fully charged, and all you get is a clicking sound, then you have a connection issue or corrosion of the battery cables.

 

This is definitely a connection issue. Check "all" connections, not just the ones at the battery. Start by disconnecting the battery. Then, check starter connections, remove the ground (14mm starter bolt below the oil filter) clean and put back on. Try boosting or if that isn't an option do the old fashioned push or pull start. Doing all of this is "free" so you should have no excuse not to be very thorough. Good luck.

 

Spend $4 at the autostore for one of those gadgets that has 2 wire brushes: one for cleaning the OD of the battery posts, and one for cleaning the ID of the cable clamps (they always have them near the battery section). Put it to work. If you can't afford the $4, take some old sandpaper (anything finer than about #100 will do) and use it to clean off the ID and OD of each battery connection.

95% of the time that will do it. 4% of the time you'll have a dead battery, and 1% of the time you'll have a bad ground connection.

 

okay so i have checked all of my connections and everything seems ok. I accidentally knocked the small wire in to the big wire and got a spark and a sound which sounded like it tried to start any ideas?

 

a spark and a sound like starting or a spark and a sound like shorting the circuit?

 

Sorry, I had to comment on this.

It seems that you are very new to the Rotary scene because these statements are so false.

I have had Rx-7's for over 20 years and they are just like any other vehicle. They are reliable when you service them and maintain them properly.

They are also not expensive to repair when you do the work yourself and know where to buy parts.

I recommend that you educate yourself some more before you post up false information.

 

Ditto, if you are mechanically inclined they are cheap to repair, parts can be found (and especially cheap at pick-n-pull's) and rewarding to keep on the road. Fuel efficient, no, but still a nice car to own. And for the most part you will find a lot of support on the forum.

 

ok, make sure you didn't flip flop the other two wires (thin wires that are around the same area, they don't go to the starter but go somewhere near the tranny) i accidentally flipped flopped mine and everything would start except it wouldn't crank, just try switching them and see if that helps, if not just simply put them back the way they were :P.

 

If I were trying to determine if the starter was good, I would take a piece of insulated 14 or 16 gauge wire (long enough to reach from the starter solenoid to the battery), and put a terminal on one end that would fit the spade terminal on the starter solenoid. With that end plugged into the starter solenoid, I would make sure the car was in neutral, and touch the other wire to the positive battery terminal. If it cranks, there would be a problem somewhere between the ignition switch and the solenoid. If it doesn't crank, the starter or solenoid is defective.

 

I'm not saying it's not nice to have an RX7, especially a first gen. But they are definately not a good daily driver, period. I've dumped close to a grand in my car just to get it running (new motor, carb, manifold, other minor BS). Is it worth it? You bet. Would I rely on it to get me to work every day? Hell no. Not until it has a fresh rebuild and all the gauges work.

 

I depend on my RX-7 every day and it doesn't let me down.

If I have to drive, say, 200 miles out of town for a visit I would much rather trust any of my 24+ yr. old RX-7s than my 17 yr. old boinger. In fact, my experience with rotarys for the last 25 yrs. has been MUCH more reliable than the boingers I've owned. Period.

 

"Seems OK"????

What does that mean? Did you just undo the connection and look at it, then put it back? That's just a visual check. Did you clean off the OD of the battery posts and the ID of the cable clamps?

I can't tell you how many times someone has proclaimed to me that his battery has a dead cell and it turned out to be corrosion between the post and the clamp. Simple corrosion at the posts is much more common than any failure of any part on any car. And it's easy to find and to fix.

 

I have daily driven mine 30 miles a day in Tampa heat for the last 3 years and now going on the 2nd month blow through turbo. Never been stranded and it even gives me the incentive to go to work some days when I want to call in sick.

Take care of the 7 an it will take care of you. I apologize for going off topic but the 1st gen is a great daily driver.

Abuse any car like the sig says and any car wont make a good daily driver.

 

This one is true. I once had a battery terminal that "looked OK" but in all actuality it was so corroded I was having the same issue you are talking about.

As for abusing my cars, yes, I thoroughly abuse all my vehicles. And I have never had any of my "boingers" break down (knock on wood). Since I want to start taking it easy(er) on my daily... I thoroughly intend on beating the living snot out of the RX7 to make up for it. I'll keep up with oil changes, do maintenence, and whatnot, but it is getting beat to death. That's why I bought it as a hobby car, was to do just that.

 

Oh.

 

well i checked and tested everything and I went out and bought a new starter. I Tested the battery cleaned the terminals off, which and very little corrosion but i did it anyway and I checked the wires going into the starter and cam to the conclusion that the stater solinoid switch wasnt making a connection. so ill put in the new one and cross my fingers that that was the issue.

 

New starter or rebuilt? Have them check it at the store before you install. Sometimes rebuilds are defective. But if you've got it home and don't want to go back to the store you can test the solenoid on the bench. Probably don't need to test the armature.

Just hook one booster cable to the battery neg post and the flange of the starter, stick a spade lug in the tickler connection on the solenoid and then touch the other booster cable from the battery pos post to the spade lug. Should kick the solenoid enthusiastically. Don't hook anything to the Big Post on the back of the solenoid or it'll spin the starter right off the bench!