Monsterbox

iTrader: (6)

Got the car back for front cover gasket replacement

- recently when starting, the lights in the cabin would dim upon turning they key and the car would crank fairly slow

now, the car is intermittently not responding. I will turn the ignition to ACC lights work fine, headlights great, cabin lights and radio work, turn the key to start it and nothing but an audible tick...do it another 4 / 5 times tick..they randomly after trying a 6th time it starts cranking but slowly and fire up

Now, after driving for about 10-15 mins i can shut it off and it starts up perfectly...let it sit for 30+ mins its unpredicable either cranks slow, doesnt crank at all or randomly starts up

ideas?

rx7goomba

Check your grounds. Also....try contacting herblenny.....he's also in Birmingham and may be able to help ya out.

cewrx7r1

iTrader: (2)

This anser is so lame for the real problem, sure it might help but!

Those symptoms are standard for a week battery that can't hold a charge.
When It had problems cranking, did you try jumping it to a good battery?

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

In addition to checking or adding grounds.....
*Check your battery....even a slightly weak cell or low voltage will give those symtoms.
*Clutch safety switch (assuming it's a 5 spd) can wear or go bad. If it's not the battery, you might try bypassing the switch and see what happens.

BillM

iTrader: (4)

+3 Battery

TpCpLaYa

iTrader: (10)

battery

TheRxForSpeed

Idk if i am reading the situation wrong but i recently had a problem similar to this but it was not my battery but the contacts that go around the battery posts. One was cracked so every now and then it would make a good connection with the battery otherwise it would just arc and not be able to crank over the engine. Just my two cents

93FD3S

I've had the same problem for about 3 years now. New starter, new battery with higher CCA. Bypassed the clutch switch, even installed push button start. I still have the same problem click, click, click start. Sometimes it will start on first try. I'm getting a full 12.4 volts on start up and 14.2-14.3 volts during idle. I've just come to live with it.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Where were the voltage readings taken? Is your starter/solenoid seeing the right voltage?

White94RX

Sounds like bad battery, and/or connections from the starter to the battery

SINxSELEKTAH

iTrader: (2)

i've learned in my ASE classes that a lot of times, even though the battery has been changed, the cable connecting terminals are still dirty and require cleaning. sometimes the smallest bits of dirt can affect the resistance.

preludesh2000

iTrader: (1)

im with the battery ....but also check the alternator....ive had one charge sometimes and not charge(it was a short in the alternator)
good luck

rx7goomba

This is why i told him to also check with Phil "herblenny". Is that a good enough "anser" for ya Corky?

Monsterbox

iTrader: (6)

ok..had battery tested...battery is 100% perfect

- starter has been working fine for the past week then this morning (really cold) couldnt get it to start..loud click by the transmission over and over and over

- came home tried it again...8 clicks and bam starts up perfect...perfect turn over...whats going on??? New starter is 168 bucks!...what should I do? Should i test the voltage to the starter from the battery? Is it possible that low voltage would cause it to only click and not turn over?

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

"100% Perfect" is an interpretation, not a measurement. What is the actual battery voltage?

Engine off, the battery voltage should be at least 12.4V, 12.8 is pretty good.
When the engine is on, you should measure 14.1-14.7V, which indicates the alternator is working correctly.
When cranking, the battery voltage will drop a little, but I'd be worried if you see anything below 12.0V


Most auto parts stores will charge batteries for free. The "slow charge" is the best method, it should take a couple of hours.

-s-

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Though it could still be a bad connection... since you indicated it was particularly cold when the problem returned, I would suspect the battery. As scotty suggested, just because it's a "12 volt battery" doesn't mean that's all the voltage you should be seeing. And just a little drop in voltage will cause your symtoms.

Monsterbox

iTrader: (6)

well i took it to napa and they used a diagnostic machine to test the battery....

this morning i jumped the car and it still did not turn over...clear indication its not the battery?

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

^^ Yes and no. A Miata-owner that I know had trouble starting even with a jump start, and in the end a new battery fixed the problem.

However, if you trust the person from Napa, and jump-starting doesn't help, then it's time to start looking elsewhere. Many starter issues have to do with engine grounding: the starter is grounded through the engine. If your engine is not grounded well, you'll probably measure a very low voltage at the battery when trying to start the car.

While cranking, the voltage from the engine metal (pick any bolt) to the negative battery terminal should be very low: less than 1.0V. If it is higher than that, you've got a bad ground somewhere, which prevents the starter from seeing enough power to turn the motor over.


I hope you've got a friend who can crank the car for you, because it sounds like you're going to be spending some time with your multimeter. If you've got a grounding issue, don't worry because that's pretty easy to fix.

-s-

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Clutch safety switch?

airborne

^^what he said.

also, i have a similar problem but after a few clicks my car will start. there's a few people around who had ignition switch problems that acted this way

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...start+ignition