Well the car fully warms up now, must've been the weather being so cold, dunno.

New issue...

If the engine is warm, either after running or just plain sitting in the sun all day, it won't start. It's not the flooding injectors, it doesn't even try to turn over. I push the clutch, turn the key, hear a click under the dash, and nothing.

When it's cold outside (morning or night), it cranks and starts just fine as if nothing were wrong.

This has left me stranded several times in the past two days.

Is this the starter, starter solenoid or the anti-theft I've read about?

 

I sat there pumping the clutch at one point. That damn thing must've clicked a couple/few dozen times. Only after letting it sit for a while, it caught and fired right up. Drove home, parked it, shut it off, tried to turn it back on ... only got a click.

 

The Interlock Switch on top of the clutch pedal might be problematic. The switch allows voltage to occur w/key to start and clutch depressed on the Black/Green wire that is found at either the Starter Cut Relay or a Blue plug near the trailing coil. No voltage on this wire and the process to turn the starter over cannot occur.

 

Oki doki. Thanks Satch! I will investigate that switch in the morning.

 

Switch has no continuity with pedal up, full continuity with pedal down.

Also...

During my no-start issue, there will be click from under the dash (it sounds like). If I unplug said switch and try again, there is no click at all.

I couldn't find the blue connector. I was looking for anything that looked like the picture from this post, but found nothing. Not black or blue connectors at all, and none of the white connectors are of that shape.

 

Any other ideas besides replacing the starter?

Trying to save for my wedding, so if there's cheaper troubleshooting steps before dropping $106 at O'Reilly, I'd like to try them.

I found a starter solenoid for $15 new. Which is more likely, the motor or the solenoid?

 

+1 that switch was added for the US market, because we sue when we drive thru the garage door.

since that switch isn't designed to be in the circuit, any resistance can cause that click click.

 

The switch works fine, according to the multi-meter.

When the engine doesn't turn over, there is still a click, like a relay click. During the no-start issue, if I unplug the Interlock Switch, then I get no click at all and still no-crank.

 

New brushes for the starter motor fixed a similar issue for me.
For less than $20 it might be worth a try.

 

Hmm...ok. Thanks!

 

It's either near the trailing coil or you have a factory alarm and it is plugged into that.

 

Could be the starter solenoid. I had one bad and sometimes I'd have to turn the key like 20 times to get the gear to align with the starter and make it start.

If it has problems only starting when Its hot or shutting off when it gets hot, from what I've herd, it could be the motor needs to be rebuilt because it can't handle the heat.

 

I think I'm just gonna drop the dime for a new starter. It'll eliminate the motor, brushes and solenoid all in one fail swoop.

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll update this thread after the starter arrives and gets installed.

Satch, I have a factory "Anti-Theft", I dunno what it does...no button for it or anything. It says on the windows and has a light on the console that comes on when I turn the key in the drivers door. No beeps or anything though.

 

Then that is where the Blue plug would be, but since you have the 'relay,' only the Black part of the plug (one w/most wires) would be present. So at this relay which features four wires in all, jmper the thicker of the two Black/Green wires to the Black/White wire and this bypasses the relay. The B/W wire eventually runs down to the starter solenoid.

 

not trying to thread jack, but how and where do you disconnect the factory alarm? my car is doing something really similiar and from everything ive looked at it might be the same thing

 

Yes. Where is the factory alarm?

It's easier if someone knows off-hand "It's behind such-n-such cover" instead of us sorting through a hundred pages of digital FSM.

 

It's up in the dash. "Theft-Deterrent System" under the Body electrical system chapter, if you need more info. Luckily the FSM has an index in each chapter telling you exactly where everything is.

 

Here you go!

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...-896013/page5/


Specific HAILERS post.
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati.../#post10714622

 

Leaving work today the starter went "rrrRRRRrrrrrRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrRRrrrrrr.......rrrrRRr rr......VROOM!"

Got home, switched the battery (Optima Red Top) with a brand new one (VatoZone store-brand) out of my other car. Mashed the clutch and turned the key, "click". Click click click click click...jack **** nothing. Put the Optima back in, same thing.

I ordered a starter earlier today, it's already on a FedEx truck. Should see it in the next couple days. I'm betting it's the starter motor or brushes (as clokker suggested). I just felt it was better money to spend $70 at RockAuto.com and get the entire assembly than $20 here and $20 there.

 

hey well your under there go over the starter wiring and make sure up by the battery is all tight and in good shape, i had this problem, good luck

 

I was recently getting the click,click, click no start.
I cleaned my battery terminals and it worked fine for few months until one morning it clicked and wouldn't start. I tried to get it to start for near an hour.
I assumed it was the starter and replaced it.
Go for the first crank and it clicked probably 4-5 times then started.
And it didnt click or about 2 more weeks, sometimes now I get the click, click, click, start but has not left me stranded.

I need to bypass the clutch interlock switch, I've been too lazy. Hopefully it helps.

 

i have a brand new starter( 3 weeks) and a brand new optima battery and my clutch is bypassed lol. still does click click

 

You might check your main battery ground. We had a similar problem and by using a grounding strap from the negative terminal to a good, freshly sanded chassis ground and it ta-da!

click-click is typical of a bad battery; it's not able to supply enough juice. So if you have a new battery and a new starter, the big fat wires from the battery to the starter are very likely to be the problem.

 

I cleaned all grounds as well as added new one-ought grounds from the battery to chassis and engine to chassis. I should not be having a grounding issue.

Car refused to start this morning.

Starter arrives on Friday.

Sharing a car till then.

 

Did you try to rewire the power to the solenoid as outlined in the thread I linked to? This solved my 'click,click,click,click' starter issue as well as others.

Dave007 actually made complete jumper wire. I just tied into the jumper on Blue plug in the engine bay on the drivers side near the firewall.

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati.../#post10970520

I'm not saying it can't be the starter, but my starter would spin fine once it started turning, after rewiring it, starts every time.