Yesterday me and a few members of BC Rotary took out 2 engines and put one in. Good engine from totalled shell into good shell with blown engine. I filled up all the fluids, hooked everythin up i think but now when I try to start the car all I hear is a click. What are some commonly missed things to put back after a swap that would cause this problem?

 

double check your grounds, and battery connection, sounds like a loose ground, or a dead battery, from things i've encountered in the past this is usually that, good luck!

 

I checked and rechecked my grounds. Tab on top of the starter, ground to one of the nuts right below it, and main ground to the starter mount. The battery was just taken out of a running car. Still....just a click when the key is put into the on position. All the dash lights, headlights and everything work. When I accidently grounded the starter nut to the chassis with my ratchet , sparks blew everywhere. I figure the power is there...I'm not sure if lack of ground is the problem but I don't see what else it could be.

 

So when you turn the key to START, all you get is a click? Bad starter solenoid or motor...

 

I just hooked up the starter to 12V and it turned. I'm guessing that would mean the starter is good? The motor was good before it was pulled from the other car...

 

Could it be that the motor is just a bit seized and needs some extra power to start by any chance? I'm pretty sure both the starter and the motor are good but hey...what do I know...

 

If the starter works then you are going to have to provide more troubleshooting information. Do you measure 12V at the starter solenoid when the key is turned to start? Can you rotate the engine by hand? Where does the click sound come from?

 

I'll try to give as much information as I can. I do have limited tools though and am surprised that I was able to swap two engines in one day. The engine can be rotated by hand from the front of the engine. I don't have a voltmeter to measure the volts at the solenoid. The clicking sound comes from somewhere between the battery and starter but I am working by myself so I can't find exactly where it is....

 

You need a voltmeter. The clicking you hear is probably the EFI relay.

 

My voltmeter is at my house an hour away from my parents house where the car is along with me. I'm stumped...

 

If the car is sitting on jackstands....is there any way to roll start it by just turning the wheels and then trying to start it while the wheels are rolling fast?

 

Yep - you can tow-start it - but you'd better be sure your sparkplug wires are on correctly, your CAS is timed correctly, etc - because you'll start it whether it wants to start or not. My starter on mine clicked, and I would end up having to hit the starter 2 or 3 times real quick - like Click - Click - Vrrrmm! If your starter turns and your engine turns, then you're either not getting voltage to the starter in the car or the starter's not engaging.

 

Had my dad hit the starter while I tried to start the car still nothing. I wish I had a voltmeter to check the volts at the starter. Could it be the ignition switch?

 

Alright so I tried having the car in the On position with the car in Neutral and a wire directly from the battery to the starter and it turned over! It wouldn't start however, and I believe that this is the consistency of the wiring problem. If the starter's not getting enough power, then neither is everything else. I think my theory is correct in assuming this. However, I am done for the day....19 hours at the car gets to you.....but I'll propably go back cuz it feels so close....

 

Oh, is it an Automatic? You may just have a bad Park safety switch if it'll start in Neutral but not in Park. Also, it's not unusual for motors to be reluctant to start after a swap, especially if they've been sitting a couple of weeks. The first used motor I swapped into my car, I had to pull it up and down the street behind a truck and dump the clutch to get it to start - after a couple of tries of that and keeping it running with the throttle it would start on its own again.

If you figure out it's a bad park switch - like it'll try to start everytime in Neutral - then check to see if your fuel lines are backwards, because that's easy to do, and it will not work backwards.

 

can also be a faulty ignition switch, they do go bad from time to time.. i have to try mine several times before the bish actually engages the starter. if the solenoid on the starter motor is clicking then try checking voltage at the ignition switch while cranking.

 

Mine did that - having to hit the button several times before it would start - but my starter doesn't run through the ignition switch - it's got a pushbutton. :P You had me worried for a minute, I thought I would have to get rid of my "trick ignition switch" where you turn the car on, then take the keys out and put them back in your pocket, or in the console, so they don't fly out while you're driving.

 

i guess it's a high mileage thing, i've only really seen the ignition switches start to crap out on cars with over 180k on them. mine started doing it shortly after it hit 180k and it is at about 193k miles on it now.

 

Funny, that's right where mine is sitting - 196k I think on what little bit of it is still stock, but that includes all the little Mazda electronic stuff, I just presumed it was the starter solenoid getting weak. But I know my starter wires don't go through the keyswitch anymore - that's the ignition switch you're talking about, right? Or is there some little box somewhere that's messing with me?

 

Coongrats on 1000 posts richter! Where is the little ignition switch so I can check voltage at it? I'm dont for working on it today but in the next week when I'm at the car I'll bring my voltmeter and pinpoint the glitch.

 

Thank ya! If it's the one I'm thinking of, you drop the bottom off the steering column to get access to it - directly behind the key cylinder where you start the car - there's two philips screws to get it off - or else mine's old and the rest just broke.

 

yea, the switch is just behind the ignition key cylinder in the column.

 

Ok so I took off the column and I see a bunch of wires coming from the key shaft. The black one with a red strip to a harness is cut and taped off. I tried bridging it with no effect. Where do I check for voltage?

 

just looking at the diagrams...the black one with red strip seems to be the one that goes to the inter lock switch and then to the starter looks needed....i'll play around

 

So when I first bridged the two ends of the black wire with a red stripe, the battery wasn't hooked up. Bridged that wire, car cranked but wouldn't start. Found out the car didn't even have a solenoid resistor box so swapped it off the junk and car started like a dream!! Felt so good to get it started. The engine started overheating after about 5 min so now I have another problem on my hands. Possibly needd to replace the thermostat or switch the rads over. What else could cause this?? Temp gauge gets to 3/4 within 5 min so I was scared to keep it running any longer.