Rotary Alkymist

Hey everyone. I felt that this might be worth mentioning in case you find yourself in a circumstance similar to the one I was in.

I ended up picking up a starter but it ended up being an N3A1. During an attempt to install it was obvious that the bolt pattern was different but it did seem to sit properly. After staring at it for a sec I noticed that it was really only one bolt that was misaligned. I measured it out and decided that I'd throw it in and crank'er because it should work. And it did work -works as expected.

I know that I'm comfortable running a starter with one bolt. It might rub you the wrong way but if you're options are limited and you can't find an N327, then an N3A1 will fit and work fine.
I over torqued slightly.

Now, if my case breaks I'll be sure to update this thread haha.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

you should specify it may fit the turbo model FC, not the n/a. but as a side note, you could just swap the motor and solenoid to your existing turbo starter if you have a shell of one to work with. only 2 long 8mm head bolts hold it to the snout.

Rotary Alkymist

I did mean to mention that -it was even in the title at some point but I thought the na was n326? Pretty sure. I could be wrong.

I would've but I swapped a 13bt into my na chassis so all I had was an na starter.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

the reverse is also true for the FD as i had a friend who when we did his setup he had a pull type exedy clutch and i had to frankenstein him a 3rd gen transmission with FC tail housing, we were short a starter for that setup so used his old one(FC T2) with one bolt until he could find an FD starter.

i don't suggest it as a long term solution though, eventually it may break the starter or work itself loose and start grinding.

Rotary Alkymist

You answered the question that I was asking myself. I knew there'd be a good chance.

I agree, I feel as though it's inevitable that it will get loose and it is a temporary fix. I'll admit, I was a bit apprehensive when it came to turning that key for the first time haha. I knew that in any case that I would get an answer pretty fast -yin-yin-yin or CRUNCH!

Thanks for the input man.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i'm running an FD starter, i want to built a 2kw FC starter, the N327, but i don't have the FC nose.

worse case i may just drill the second hole in the FD starter ear

clokker

iTrader: (2)

So, are there any upgrade options for us lowly NA folk?

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

the 2kw motor should fit either the n/a or turbo nose.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

RX8 6 SPEEDS and the starter that comes with it

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the Rx8 just upgraded to a faster starter, actually in two versions. there is an 04-08 2kw starter, and then the 9-12 bigger one.

i looked up part numbers and the old Rx8 starter is just an FC NA starter with a different nose. all the parts are N326, just like the FC.

so the upgrade is to get a 2kw Rx8 starter, and put the FC nose on it. for some reason you can still buy the slow 1.2KW Rx8 starter in the aftermarket, Mazda discontinued it in 2005.

the AUTOMATIC FC already has such a beast but it interchanges with the turbo starter, and i am not sure if the NA starter will interchange with the turbo.

going from 1.2kw to 2kw raises cranking speed from 225rpm to 280ish. it does start faster, although i'm not sure how important that really is.

i looked through the Mazda EPC and i don't see any other starters that look like they would be good 2kw donors. since its a Mitsubishi starter there MUST be some other car with the 2kw motor on it, but so far i haven't found it.

Rotary Alkymist

I feel that the starter upgrade really isn't worth anyone's time. If you're having a hard time starting you probably have bigger problems like compression or fuel/timing. If you're taking longer than 5 seconds to start then I would inspect compression, fuel system inspection and CAS placement.
Drilling cast is usually not a good idea. I say the path of least resistance is usually the best approach. I'd say instead of drilling just sell it haha and reinvest.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Because you've done it or the results just don't sound that impressive?
Or your starter is worn out.
I probably won't rush out and buy a starter but when the time comes, it's nice to know an upgrade path exists. An upgrade that doesn't cost more...even better.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

Yawn... from 2014. you can really feel the power starting it in gear with the clutch switch bypassed.

Rotary Alkymist

I haven't done it myself. The fact that my car might start a second sooner doesn't really impress me enough to ever spend time on the "upgrade". Id rather spend the 100 bucks(can) on, well, gas! Haha

Nice job Lastphase.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i switched to Rx8's a few years ago, and those NEED the starter upgrade. on the older cars it is nice (or would be nice), but they seem to do ok with a normal starter.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm.
The use of quotes shows you're a member of our new post-facts world as there is no doubt that the more powerful motor (at the same price point) is a better option than the stock part.

I also find it strange that you apparently feel that the time spent fitting a starter that won't bolt up properly was not only worth it, but worth it to the point that you'd start a thread to tell us about it and yet fitting a more powerful motor that bolts up is a step too far.
When you discovered the problem, why didn't you return the part for one that actually fits?

Rotary Alkymist

I started this thread because there seemed to be some confusion about whether or not an fd starter would fit on an fc(turbo). I wanted to share that I did try it and it worked fine.
I didn't spend any time fitting it, it fits. It actually took less time because there's only one bolt haha. It was mentioned earlier that it's not a permanent fix. I 'm stuck with this starter until my guy in Montreal gets a container that has the one I need.
Maybe I should've said that a starter upgrade seems like a waste of time "for me". If luck would have it that I ended up with the parts for cheap, sure why not? Or if I had literally nothing else to buy for my car, sure. But really, I mean, how good do I want my car to start? If your car is running good and your starter is in good shape then a stock starter is fine. If you have the money to blow on it that's great. We could laugh about how your car starts better than my car haha.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Well, except for that missing bolt part, yeah, OK.
In the interest of time saving do you only use two lug nuts?
You need a right hand drive starter motor or something?
Has CA banned the sale of starter motors?
Given that my starter is 27 years old (and probably original), it's not a question of "if" but "when" I'll need to replace it.
Getting a 2kw motor and grafting it to the FC nose- for exactly the same price as buying the original 1.2kw unit- hardly seems like an extravagance and I don't think the extra power would only be useful in a bragging contest.
By Wednesday it's supposed to be below zero here and I imagine a bit more cranking power could be very beneficial.

Sorry (#notsorry} if I seem a dick.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

sorry.
cermit the frog inner me : not sorry.

Rotary Alkymist

OK. I'm beginning to understand how these threads get out of hand so quickly. I came here to state a fact. We've somehow ventured on to the topic of 2kW vs 1.2 and rx8s and 27 year old starters etc. This thread could've been closed 4 or 5 messages in.
Hey thread clogger, I'm sorry I came in and pissed all over your plants bud. I'm not arguing the fact that it IS a stronger motor... but if your starter is working fine then YES it IS a waste of money. We could argue all day about it.
So here is me taking my dick off the table haha.
Oh, no sorries necessary. We need dicks in this world to put things into perspective.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the starter actually gets lined up by the fit of the nose into the bellhousing, the bolts just hold the starter up to the transmission. its not like an old chevy or something where the bolts not only hold the starter but align it too. and actually a step further the FD starter isn't supposed to work because the FD has a deeper bell housing due to the pull type clutch

and B, i believe in the 60's the Penske trans am team only ran 4/5 lug nuts because it was 20% faster. i wouldn't try it now though, we actually have tires that stick.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

a faster motor helps when/if you ever need to deflood your engine, which is another benefit. almost everyone has flooded their car at some point.


the 8's really needed it though, since the side port exhaust wouldn't allow the liquid fuel inside the engine to be pushed out so it would keep accumulating and making the issue worse, slow cranking speeds just exacerbate the issue.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

I hope your next post is not a PIC..

Now KIDS,if we can continue this discussion without any Pics or hints of *****,I am sure more info can be posted.

peejay

Want to know how I know you live where it never gets very cold?

Rotaries need all the help they can get as far as cranking RPM is concerned, just like they need all the ignition you can throw at them.

Rotary Alkymist

Hi everyone -just wanted to update this thread with some results. I put roughly 15-20k on the car with an FD starter installed with the one long bolt and I haven't had one issue with it. Thanks for reading.