starter acting wierd. replace ?
 

hey guys

my '86 rx7 has been having problems with the starter. A couple of weeks ago all the sudden the car wont start. You couldnt even hear the solenoid click. So i got underneath and took the starter out, thinking it needs to be replaced. I took it to NAPA and they tested it under no load and it work fine (both the solenoid and the starter). So I put it back and it worked for a week until today when i started noticing it was getting weaker (took longer to start the car). Then later at night it didnt start at all.
I'm sure if i take it out and test it at NAPA, it'll be fine. Do you think the whole thing needs to be replaced? For a while there I thought it must have been some kind of loose wiring, but i dont believe that anymore.
Thanks!

Try this thread https://www.rx7club.com/vforums/show...threadid=30032 The answer by Irv, under Keith's name is a good clue. The others are good too. Why not put a meter on the wire on the solenoid and turn the key to start and see if your getting 12v. That would give you an idea whether its the solenoid or the relay or key switch or......its the small wire I'm talking about on the solenoid that is attached to the starter. No juice when turning the key to start means no start. You could with the car in neutral, jumper 12v from the larger wire on the starter to the small wire on the solenoid to see if the starter turns. It should. Free electrical schematics and free download of the factory manual at http://www.iluvmyrx7.com FREE. Print it out or save it to disk.

That was me that Hailers referred to in the link. My car just went dead though the week before it did the same thing and I changed the starter clutch interlock. Next week, same deal, but I had power at the starter interlock switch, the starter cut relay under the hood I was told about and had power on the black with white stripe cable to the starter. You have to have someone put the key to start to check these. My ignition switch was also ok even though I ripped it out and put in another one.
So, I read the manual, there's a thought, and put the multimeter to the starter. If it reads over 8v in the test then its a bad starter, under 8v, its the wiring if I remember the manual correctly.
I took the starter to the Autozone and they tested it. Worked fine, but the guy said sometimes the solenoids break, yet the starter will work by engaging the gear. We have some sort of magnetic solenoid, according to the manual. Therein lay the problem since I had eliminated everything else.
I bought a new starter and guess what, well, a dead battery, but charging it overnight brought it back and the car starts without any qualms whatsoever.
If you can replace just the solenoid, that might be the ticket...if you can find it. Autozone didn't carry it.
Also, it is recommended you buy a new starter as opposed to a rebuilt one like mine. That seems to be the current thought.
Ralf

thanks guys. I measured the voltage on the starter. it was 10.4 V. So i said to hell with it, went to NAPA and ordered a brand new starter for $200.

Until you realize that the wiring is almost certainly the problem, with only 10.4 V to the starter. Verify that you're getting a full 12 out of the battery.

Look for shorts on the main battery wire, clean your contacts at the battery and at the starter, and check again.

PaulC