A few weeks ago I got in my car in the morning, tried starting it and there was nothing. All interior lights and functions work, but the starter wasn't turning or even trying to.. no click, nothing. I posted about it a few weeks ago and since then have done:

-Checked all fuses
-Replaced starter
-Checked fuel pump (OK, both pump and power)
-Checked for spark
-Checked, jumped, unplugged etc both clutch switches
-All wires on the ignition switch have power with key ON

First off, there wasn't any power going to the starter solinoid. For testing, I ran a wire with a button from the battery and now the car cranks (with the button) but will not fire. It doesn't even try to fire like if it were flooded.

I removed the plugs and they're bone dry.. usually they're doused in fuel if it's flooded. Anyways, put some ATF in the chambers, cleaned the plugs and still nothing.. cranks all day long, but won't fire, or even try to.

My guess at this point is it's either an ignition switch or something funky with the alarm. In addition, when I turn the key to the ON position (trying to start it), the reverse lights come on, which make me think it's something electrical. Any ideas?

 

I have had a similar problem with a non-7 and it was the ignition switch. If the key is truly in the "on" position and your cranking with the starter, something should happen.

 

With the key in the ACC position and cranking the starter with a button (wired to the battery for testing purposes), it cranks but does not fire. The fuel pump works and there's spark, but given how the plugs were all dry, it makes me wonder if the injectors are getting power.. this is frustrating.

 

use the starter fluid to check it for sure. If you squirt a little in the intake the motor will start for a second until the fluid is consumed. If that happens the problem is with your fuel. If it does not fire at all the spark is not there.

 

test the starter relay,
mine was like that, and found that my relay was pumping out 5v instead of 12

get that checked

oh and don't pay a mechanic for replacing that realy...(f*cking pr*ck charged me 60 bucks to replace the relay..... arg...)

 

I dont think the car gets any fuel at all if the ecu isn't getting power from the ignition. I still think it is the switch.

 

might be the injectors like u said, might wanna remove the primary and crank the car to see if they are squirting..........i gotta do the same

 

Im betting its the benex on the starter

 

I second this....


Gil

 

When you say starter relay, do you mean "Starter Cut Relay"? That's the only relay I could find, other than the Main relay.

I tested for voltage on the starter (solinoid wire) and it was around 5V. But in addition to the starter not getting full power, something else is not getting pwer as well, like the ECU. I ran a wire with a switch from the battery to the starter and doing that it cranks all day long, just won't fire.. plugs are bone dry as well, which makes me think the injectors aren't working. The fuel pump is turning on however.

I replaced the ignition switch last last night and had no luck. Good waste of $90. I went to the dealer today and ordered a new Start Cut Relay... if there's another relay for the starter, please let me know!

This whole issue is wearing me out.. if there's anything else, please lemme know. I have three track events next weekend, gotta get this bad boy running! Thanks for all the help.

 

Hey man b4 u do anyting else u need to check and see if ur gettin power to the injectors. check the connectors and then check the injectors and see how resistance they have. If they have more than 12 ohms of resistance then u need new injectors.

 

I just removed the ECU and there are four green wires on the end of one of the plugs.. when I hit them with a test light, it lights up and you can hear the injectors click. What I don't know is if they're actually working when I turn the key to the ON position.

As for checking to see if the injectors are bad or not, I find it hard to believe that would be the problem. Aside from possibly not getting fuel, the starter doesn't get a signal either.. try and start the car and there's absolutely nothing.

I checked the Main relay and it's clicking, in addition I tested the small 2-wire plug and there's power going in and out of it. I took the starter cut relay out, jumped the two big wires together and nothig happens. I'm totally lost here.. Something is preventing the starter, and possibly the ECU (and who knows what else) from getting power..

 

pull the fuel line and see how much pressure your getting, if you try craking it it should start squirting gas, and if it doesnt then i dont think its your injectors

 

If all fails, get about a gallon of gasoline, a match, throw the gas on the car, light it, then let us know if it started.

 

trust me, that step isn't too far away!

 

When you removed the starter cut relay. Did you jumper the black/white wire and the black/green wire? Those are the colors on a series four. Series five I don't know for sure. Jumper them and then try to go to start. Still no result??? Then suspect the clutch interlock switch. PUll its plug off and jumper its two wires and try starting again.

Still no start? Ignition switch or power to the ignition switch is bad. It's a single black wire that feeds it power (on a series four anyway)

Or, return to the starter cut relay. Put the car in neutral. Jumper 12v directly from the battery to the black/white wire in the relays connector. The starter should spin (series four it will.

If you heard the injectors click, then put the plug back on the ECU and consider yourself lucky that you have not harmed the internals of the ECU. Only use a digital meter on these cars. A very cheap one can be had for twenty bucks or less.

 

I checked last night and there's only 2.2V going to the interlock switch. Push the clutch in and naturally there's 2.2V coming out of the interlock switch. In addition, there's only 2.2V getting to the starter solonoid. I have tried jumping the clutch interlock switch with no luck.

On the S5 I believe the wires you're talking about are black/green and black/blue.. the two "big" wires from the starter cut relay. I tried jumping them with no luck. I have a new Main relay and Starer Cut relay arriving today hopefully. If those don't work, I am lost.

Thanks for the heads up on the mulitmeter.. I got one the other day that I'm using from now on.

 

You only get the 2.2v TO the interlock switch, with the key to START????? It should show 12v if the key is held to START, and you know that, so I"d say the problem lies in the ignition switch, OR the wire that feeds battery voltage to the ignition switch.

Yeah. I'm all crippled up without a series five wiring diagram.

 

Yes. I turned the key to the ACC position and there is 2.2V to the switch. I turned the key ON and checked and there was still only 2.2V. I replaced the ignition switch, or the deal bolted to the tumbler in the steering column (with a new one) and it didn't make any difference. I will test all the wires in the ig. switch tonight to see what kind of voltage they are getting.



This is my switch (obviously). With the key in the ACC position there is 12V, or so I think (using a test light) to all the wires except #1 and #2 in the diagram. I figured #1 was a ground since there's no power to it? And I have no idea what those wires for #2 are..

 

g

 

IF it were me, I'd go to the other end of the ingintion switch. Where the three or so plugs of the ignition switch harness connect to the front harness.

One of those wires, on a series four is the feed wire for the ignition switch. It should have 12v on it day and night. On a series four it is a single BLACK wire. Check it out and see if it has battery voltage or just the 2.2 volts you've been seeing.

 

so that wire should have 12V going to it, and does it come from the battery, or perhaps the main (100amp) fuse in the front fusebox?

 

How about compression? A friend of mine with an FC3C had a stuck apex seal and low compression, when his car didn't start with nothing... (like yours).

Check compression. Post the results and I will tell you what to do...

 

I haven't actually checked the compression, but if you put 12V (via a wire) to the starter solonoid, it cranks all day long. The problem isn't that the engine won't turn over, the problem is that there's no power getting to the starter, and who knows what else. Add power to the starter and it cranks.. it just won't fire, which means to me that the ECU and/or something else isn't getting power.

 

It maybe different then mine with the two year difference. I have a base model 1987 that didn't seem to be getting any fuel. I took off both rails and checked the injectors and they were clean. My fuel pump was kicking on and I was gettting fuel to my rails but the injectors weren't opening at all so it would just crank and crank and crank. I got this car for free because it was severely wrecked in the front. Used to run but didn't when I recieved it. After much headache and trips to the junkyard to check out another rx-7 still no luck finding out what the problem was. I went through the phonebook calling mechanics "rx-7 specialists" and the dealership. I had to redo the whole engine harness in this car cause the previous owner friggin mickey moused the whole car. When he swapped engines he didn't disconnect anything from the connectors he just cut the main harness! It was a clusterfucked ball that took me four straight hours of re cutting resoldering and retaping everything. This left me with one connnector that didn't have anything on it to start and nothing to refer to get a new one. I was calling it a fuel injection relay because all my injector wires were going to it.. Nobody knew what the hell I was talking about after weeks of research and phone calls and trips to the dealer to find this part I finally come across a pic of the connnector by luck in the manual. Well to make a long story short. Turns out to be a "solenoid resistor." Payed $100 bucks for the part and waited four days to get it from the dealership and everything is fine now. So if your model does have one the manual tells you what the resistance should be to tell you if the resistor is good or bad. Easy way to tell if it is like my model the solenoid resistor is on your front passengerside strutwell. It has five wires going to it (four injector wires and a ground in the center) and it is kinda oval shaped connector. Check it out and let me know. If you don't have a manual to check the resistence pm me and I will tell you everything it tells you to check.