gsracer

I'll start off with some background information within the last month of so. Recently I bought a new battery, say about 6 weeks ago. I've had to charge it several times whenever I didn't drive it daily. This really doesn't make sense for a new battery, I think that something has to be drawing current on it sucking the juice out of it. Within the last couple of weeks my temp guage has been reading about 1/2 way up at iddle and even more when driving. Finally a week ago I noticed the oil pressure guage showed 0 pressure...but I still have oil so that's another electrical problem. Then after putting on my n1 catback I went to fire it up...nothing. The battery still had juice though, the lights would turn on and off, radio would work, interior lights are good as well. When I try to crank the car...I can't even hear the starter engage So obviously no current is making it there. I did however get the car to start by push starting it a few times. However when I got it started my tach was being really notchy and jumping all over the place from 1-3k at idle. My temp guage started climbing and showed that I was just barely in the 'acceptable range' under the H. I don't think that was an accurate reading because I just flushed the system, thermostat is fine, and it's totally full of coolant. Never the less I didn't want to risk it and just pulled over to a Sonic where my friend happens to work. I couldn't get it push started that last time so I gave up and had AAA get me a flat bed and towed it home. Any help is appreciated.

BTW for the 5 min. that I did drive the car the exhuast sounded awesome...and it's NOT LOUD AT ALL like I was expecting. I was thinking no cats with a single n1 would be like all hell is breaking loose, but it's at a good soundlevel.

HAILERS

My fix for all cars that the starter will not work at all and there is no clicking of the main relay either..........there is a fuse box in the engine bay. It has a electrical harness going from it. About six inches below the fuse box there is a single black, large gauge wire with a single spade connector. Is this connector connected up. If it is then look at the eighty amp fuse box and make sure its not blown. The eighty amp fuse is bolted in. It will not pull out unless the bolt is removed from the side of the fuse box. Shucks, the fuse is blown.

If that connector mentioned above is intact, get a meter out and after pulling the connector apart, see if there is 12v on the wire. If there is 12v, reconnect it. Then go to the ignition switch. There is a two wire connector about a foot down the steering column from the ignition switch. Take it apart. With your meter see if there is 12v on the pure black wire(two wires, one pure black, the other black/white).
EDIT: I think your tach problem and water temp problem will go away when the eighty amp fuse is replaced. Also I won't be surprised if you didn't blow a fuse in your fuse box in the interior. Won't bet money on that though since the car ran which means the fuel pump is working. Just a extra thought.
No oil pressure? The wire runs from the back of the gauges to the oil sender unit which is located on the left side of the engine. Its mushroom in shape and slightly gold in color. Is its wire connected on the end of the sender unit? Probably not.

BlackRx7

did you do anything else to your car, first off check to see if your oil pressure sender connector is still on, a 2 prong connector under the oil filter in near the spark plugs, this area is also wear the wires from your ecu run to the coils, if these are disconnected your car will not start, but it sounds like you got the car started, inspect all the wire and make sure none are disconnected!

BlackRx7

damn you got to it first and I'm sure way more throughow, I wouldn't posted if I saw the hehe.

Icemark

I also would be looking at a bad ground for the engine.

That would explain the lights and acc working, but the messed up gauges.

The factory exhaust also serves as a ground... seldom do replacements include the grounding straps.

HAILERS

I think I butchered another reply. I think I've read too many post today. I had thought you said the starter would not make a noise and you could not hear the main relay clicking. You did not say that. I'd check the eighty amp fuse for grins anyway. I stick with the oil pressure problem answer.

By the way, do you hear a relay click when you turn the key to the start position???? And when the engine does run, does your volt gauge show that its charging??

Yeh, I know I butched the first post. Sorry 'bout that.

gsracer

When I try to crank the car, there is no clicking at all. It's just like I have the key in accesory even when I'm cranking it. When I charge the battery it shows that it is charging, I'm going to bust out the mutli meter today to see if I can try and determine something. Oh some other cool stuff: When I would mash on the gas my EGT would start flying down...It was jumping 100 degrees at a time...and when the car is off I'm apparently running .3 bar

SureShot

I think Icemark got it. Check both ends on all the grounds.
Battery to bell housing.
Bell housing to firewall (1 or 2).
Body to exhaust (at least 1, up to 5)

HAILERS

If you turn the key to start, and you hear no click of the main relay, then there is no 12v going to the ignition switch. Period. Especially if the headlights are a lighing full bright and going up and down. Check your 80 amp fuse. Its held in the fuse box with two 10mm wrench size bolts thru flapper doors. If that's intact, then check for the 12v on the two socket connector for the ignition switch. Its located approx six to ten inches down the steering shaft.

Just a note: I'm not in anyway saying the main relay is involved in the starter system. It just gets its 12v from the same source as the starter circuit. So if you don't hear the main relay click......then most likely there is no 12v at the ignition switch.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

You may have more than 1 problem here.
First of all, get under the car and look at the starter. There will be two big wires connected to the starter, and one small one in the middle with a small spade connector - this is the trigger wire, if it is not connected, the starter wont turn. Also, look to see if there is any corrosion at the starter.

Take a jumper cable, and connect one end to the negative battery terminal. Then attatch the other end to the engine block. If the car starts, it is the ground that is bad.

gsracer

already tried jumping the car prior to push starting it. I just checked the 80amp main fuse. None of the wire was broken on the fuse. It was heavily discolored dark brown color compared to all the other golden copper colored fuses though, but I don't think that means its blown...

BlackRx7

yes it very well could mean its blown, did you check wire loom I told you about? also try a new battery.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

I didn't mean for you to jump start the car, but rather for you to use the jumper cable as a ground strap. Clip the cable from your battery (Neg terminal) to the engine block - in essence the jumper cable is now your ground strap.

When a main ground goes bad, the electricity will find a way to ground it's self - other wires, throttle cables etc are the usual path it takes.

gsracer

Heh I meant I tried jump starting it with wires...but I don't think I grounded one to the engine block. I'm going to try and find a 80 amp fuse and I'm charging my battery so it will for sure have juice. I've checked all the grounds I could see and they seem attached but it took me a while to find them, they are so dirty they just blend in with other wires. I might as well see if the battery is just deffective since I just bought it a month ago. Just going down the line of things to check of, thanks for all the help.

HAILERS

The 80 amp fuse is fed from the front leg to the aft leg of the fuse. IF you open the back flapper door on the fuse box, you'' see one of the two nuts that holds it in. Put a meter on that nut. If you read 12v, then the fuse is good.

I doubt its your grounds. Your headlights light up bright. It takes little to nothing to pull in and hear the main relay click, ground or voltage. Argumenative sob. I am what I am.

BlackRx7

if your battery voltage goes down past 10 when you try and start it your battery is toast

gsracer

heh I think we found a winner. I took out the fuse and put it on the desk when I went to the bathroom. I came back and just started holding it in my hand for no reason and I thought I heard something. Put it up next to my ear...and oh yes. Like a broken filament in a light bulb. I'm going to swing by auto parts store after work. I'm confident this is it, thanks for the helpful replies everyone, I really am electrical system retarded

StarionX

You may have found why the car won't start, but you now may have to find out why the fuse blew. Hopefully, it was just a one of overload, but it could be that something is shorting out the system. If I was you, I would get a couple of 80A fuses, just in case.

gsracer

haha good idea, I tryed to go by the store today after work but they were already closed, so I'll go by tomorrow. Hmmm I hate electricity.

BlackRx7

good luck!~

gsracer

well...****. I swapped the fuse with a new one and same thing. All interior lights work, hedlights, I can even hear my fuel pump when I try and turn the car on, but no click or engagement of the starter.

HAILERS

So its like the fellow said in an above post, you had two problems. We know the ignition switch has 12v now because you can hear the fuel pump running.

So its pain in the **** time. Jack the car up. MAKE DARN SURE THE CAR IS OUT OF GEAR, PLEASE. Look at the starter. See the small wire on the solenoid??? See how it pulls off real easy and leaves a blade sticking up?? Get a piece of wire, bare on each end and jumper b/t that small blade and the very large wire on the starter. Starter should engage and the motor turn over. You could use a screwdriver instead of the bare wire if you want. Just make contact b/t the small blade and the large wire.

If the above did happen, reconnect the wire to the blade and get back in the car and try to start it again.

I can't tell if you have a meter or not. If you do, let us know.

HAILERS

To prove its not the grounds, you could turn the lights on and then turn the key to START. If the lights stay bright, then it ain't the ground wire, else the lights would go reaaaaaal dim.

If you had a meter, you could jack the car, put one meter lead on the small wire that attaches to the starter, and the other wire to a ground. Set on DC volts and while turning the key to START, see if the meter goes to 9/12volts.

I don't think there is anyway you can get around jacking the car up and looking at the starter wires. No way. That said, I have been known to reach under the car and smack the starter with my hammer to get it to work. That was with a starter that I knew was bad internally, and it just took a whack or two to *fine tune* it to work. Repaced same when I got around to it. Had one of four brushes broken inside.

HAILERS

I just looked a the schematics and have come to the conclusion that its almost 100 percent a sure thing that the starter is getting the 12v on the small wire. That's because you said that you can hear the fuel pump run when you hold the key to START. Well that same voltage that feeds the Circuit Opening Relay, which causes the pump to work, also feeds the starter. So voltage is prbably there. Just jumper the thing as described above in another post.

gsracer

I do have a meter. I am getting 12volts on both the places you suggested checking, and yep I can hear that walbro nice and fine. An interesting thing happened though when I disconnected my turbo timer harness from the ignition plug so I could check for the 12v down there. Basically well the car turned off when I unplugged the turbo timer harness, complete loss of power. Then when I replugged it in everything came back online and I tried cranking it just for the hell of it. It actually turned over this time, but reeaaaaally reaaaaaly slow. Then I got to thinking....hmmm. Then I noticed that I had tapped into the turbo timer harness for my 12v source for my two guages I have in the pod. Then I realized a big uh oh...on my guages I wasn't even thinking when I put them in, and I just wanted to see what kind of boost I was running a long time ago so I wrapped the ignition and the 12v source together. Eh I'm sure this could not be helping me. Then I found that my ground for my guages had come on done. Yeah I already know I'm a