Myki-Rx7

Heyo, first off thanks for takin' a looksee.

Dug through the 1st gen archives and couldn't find anything terribly useful and Ive found that every time I follow my Haynes manual I step on my own toes in confusion!

Over the past 7-9 months mainly through winter it has become harder and harder to get my ol' lucky fired up, with what sounds like clicking and 'giving way', not grinding per-say... it just doesn't seem like all the juice is cranking like it wants to.

New battery & cables, alternator is used but still tests fine. The noise comes from along the fire wall on driver side. I know I still need to rebuild my carb and throw a new choke in but this has to be addressed first.

Prices seem reasonable on the parts I believe I need, the goal is to get this complete over the next two weekends.

Mikey C

Starfox07

Year/engine?

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

If you believe the problem is your starter, it is an easy problem to address. First, after looking at the manual, disconnect the negative battery cable, properly jack up your car, locate the starter, unplug the two electrical connections, remove the two bolts holding the starter in place (one facing forward and one facing back), remove the starter and take it to a United Battery (if there is one in Seattle) and have it tested. Make sure they check if the spindle is spinning with the gear one direction but locks with the gear in the other direction. If it fails any of their tests, simply exchange it for one of their "new" starters for around $95. I recently did this and their starter matches up EXACTLY to the original stock starter and will therefore last another 25 years. Let me know if you need contact info. for the United Battery here in PDX. The reason I strongly recommend United Battery is because I have read on this forum where guys have had trouble w/ aftermarket starters. This new starter I have is not aftermarket, but is direct either from Mazda or their original supplier. Coincidentally, I recently bought my '84 in Seattle. Took the train up and drove her home.

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

looks like the closest United Battery is in Longview.

Myki-Rx7

Wonderful! (by the way it's an 83 GSL)
I'll cruise over to my father-in laws house early morning and grab me a few supplies. Since Longview is a bit of a drive (about 2h+) any other suggestions? Ive got a Mazda fellow over in Puyallup I've spoken to, however, it's been some time

Starfox07

Changing a start on these car is an hour job, tops, even if you have never done it before. Its really simple.

Myki-Rx7

Well the main thing now is where I should go to have my current parts examined, if at all... I'm starting to lean towards replacing both starter/solenoid without even having them checked, Ive got a stockpile of old parts as it is. Any way to rule out the solenoid or would it be blatantly obvious? Ack I've so much to learn, to think my father and uncle are so mechanically inclined.

Thanks again to all three of you!

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

Starfox is right. Real simple job. Very straight forward. Just make sure you jack the car under the front crossmember and not under the door panels. Then use jack stands to support the car. Remove the starter and take it to an auto battery/electrical supply shop and have them test it. Call around first and find a source that at least has one for your particluar car. (Don't under any circumstances take it to a place like Autozone or Schucks or whatever. They generally are not the most knowledgeable about these types of parts and they can only sell you their part even if they know better.) Anyway, after they test it and if they determine it needs replacing, have them bring out what they are offering so you can compare it side by side with yours. Then make your decision. Take it from me; when it comes to electrical parts, don't mess around. Get the best part you can and stick to the part that best matches what came originally with the car. Good luck. Don't be intimidated by this replacement. It is simple. Just take your time and do it right.

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

Starter solenoid is in starter. It's better to go ahead and replace rather than rebuild. (Also, when you pull your starter, make sure you use metric ratchets on the bolts. I think 14mm(?) Just in case you didn't know.)

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

As far as where to go, I would say call United Battery in Longview and see what they say either about getting a starter to you or recommending an alternative in Seattle.

evil_motors

iTrader: (3)

an hour job? more like 5 minutes.. and if its trying to crank it sounds more to me like a bad ground especially since you said you replaced the cables.

Starfox07

Well if I said 5 minutes and he ran into some complication he would be like wtf.

I've done it in well under 5 minutes before.

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

Aren't you guys cool. Let's all see how fast we can f*%@ up a 5 minute job. Do you bother to clean and inspect the terminal connections? How about taking the time to not strip the f*$@ing bolts? After removing the old, finding a new, replacing the new in the car, I would say he's up to about 2 hrs.,IF he can find a suitable replacement. New battery cables would make me think it's less likely a bad ground and more likely the starter unless he connected the cables sloppy-like. Trust me, it's the starter. Besides, that's why he's going to get it properly tested.

evil_motors

iTrader: (3)

you cant strip bolts by removing them and my 5 minutes was including cleaning terminals. i have done this more than 20 times. its not hard. and if you are replacing your starter you should probably have a replacement on hand so you dont have to find one. and usually when starters go bad they dont click. thats usually a sign of a weak battery or bad connections. i have saved many a customer the price of a new starter because it was just either corrosion or a weak battery.

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

(1)ever seen stripped bolt heads? (2)To obtain the proper part, it is always best to compare what you have to what someone is trying to sell you. You may have a reputable source as a mechanic, but our man Myki-rx7 is not a mechanic and needs to find the proper part. Therefore, after jacking up the car, removing the existing starter, taking it to a reputable parts source,........ you get the idea. It's not a 5 minute job. Installing the new starter is a 5 minute job. The whole process is at least a 2 hr. project. (3)Yes, clicking does mean a bad connection or batt problem, but the way he described it was not just clicking. (4)Apparently you are a mechanic. That's great. Our man Myki-rx7 is apparently not and sounds like he needs a little direction, which was what I was trying to give him with my straight-forward instructions. Talking down to him, or others, by telling him he better finish in 5 minutes or he is brain dead helps no one. Let's try and help each other. The "5 minute job" post was unnecessary. Instead, how about suggesting that he post in the "new member technical" section. If you don't want to deal with a thread, kindly suggest an alternative or just pass it by.

Myki-Rx7

So my brother and I got the car up and removed the starter, testing at napa said it all checked out, however, I love new parts :P. We charged the battery, checked/cleaned the terminals and checked the ground connection. We are having a bite to eat at round table now, we'll see what happens when we put this bad boy in.

evil_motors

iTrader: (3)

well martin my 5 minute thread was alot nicer than the cuss fest you posted, and as the poor guy posted it was not the starter which is what i said. i didnt say it would take him 5 minutes i was just stating that its not a 2 hour job which would make most people not want to try something. maybe you should heed your own advice and post something useful.

Myki-Rx7

Mission Accomplished!
While Napa did say the starter tested fine, when we put the new one in she fired up
like a champ! Tomorrows mission: Choke Assembly!

Thanks to all who gave positive input. Martin, Starfox and Evil. Amusing and informative all the way!

evil_motors

iTrader: (3)

glad it worked out for you. i probably would have replaced everything anyway since i also like to have new everything especially on a car as old as ours. thanks for keeping us updated.

Starfox07

I don't think the machines at the part stores are capable of determining if the solenoid is good, because when mine went out, they said it was fine too. Anyways, good job.

martinhickey

iTrader: (3)

alright evil, i'll admit one of my posts was a little strong if you'll admit after reading back through the posts that yours was anything but helpful; whereas my posts about what to do actually pertained to his questions. i'd like this to end here and i'm just glad he has a car that starts.