Everytime i go to start my FD i always get the click click and then finally starts on like the 3rd or 4th attempt, sometimes more. Then when it does crank its barely turning like 150rpm. Brand new battery, starter, good battery voltage. The owner before me had relocated the battery into the rear bin. The thing is theres like 5 or 6 ground wires going all over the car and they are pretty small. For example i have 2 ground wires that are fastened to the top of the firewall which has paint on it, and another ground comes out of that same spot, and hooks to the intake manifold. Then i have 2 more that ground to that same spot on the manifold. And theres another one going to god knows where haha. Thing is what grounding points do I really need, and how should i route everything? Obviously i should go with less wires, but bigger and to good grounding spots but i dont know whats really needed. Any tips appreciated! Thanks

 

Click/click/start problem??? Here you go!

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...-relay-872841/

 

dielectric grease will help too because of the paint. put some of the threads of the bolts for the ground and it'll make it more conductive.

 

Tried that about a month ago didn't work. Read a few threads about the clicking, but mine is paired with extremely slow cranking speed. Like half of what it should be and its a pain to get it started. Sounds like the batteries been sitting for a year everytime i go to start it. And takes forever. Sometimes it will crank faster sometimes slower. I think its the grounds but i wanna know what others think? Do you guys think putting in one big good ground wire in would fix this?

 

so you have a NEW starter motor?

 

Yep still didnt help, just a question though how could one starter be weaker than a different one? Like it seems a motor could only work or it doesnt? Just curious! Thanks

 

Starter motors have "brushes" in them which wear down over time.
They (the brushes) are pushed against, (with springs), and transfer the electricity to "the bit that spins" inside the starter motor. They are made from a soft carbon/graphite material. Most good auto parts store should stock a range of sizes. They are somewhat universal.

When they wear down to a certain point, they dont push hard enough against "the bit that spins" anymore, which means they no longer transfer electricity to it properly, which means it dosen't spin properly or with enough grunt to turn the engine fast enough.

Its not dissimilar to our apex seals..they are pushed out by springs all the time, and they wear down untill they no longer hold enough compression. In the brushes case they wear down untill they no longer transfer enough electricity to the arpeture (the bit that spins) because they are TOO SHORT.

Our headlight motors also have "brushes" in them which wear down and can be swapped out.

edit; this is not an FD starter but its exactly the same principal. They look the same. Those bits that stick out into the middle are the "brushes"

 

Ohhhh okay that makes sense then. I always wondered how a bad starter could turn slow, i thought a bad one would just stop all together. Hmm i bought one from autozone maybe i should just get an oem mazda one, worth the extra $100 or so for the peace of mind

 

And i like buying oem parts just for the fact of supporting mazda's FD parts, especially while they still make them for us and while theyre still around haha. Well i bought some 2/0 gauge wire to run a new ground from the battery. Should i just run it straight to the block?

 

From the battery you should run that ground to the frame. Ground the block to the frame with another couple ground wires. I'm serious about that dielectric grease though, especially with new paint, it'll help tons.

 

Okay so from the negative on the battery to the frame, then one from engine to that same spot. Question, why do you have to have 2 ground wires (why have 2 ground wires, from the block and to the chassis?) does it really make a difference vs just grounding to the frame only? Also i was reading some more threads and is there supposed to be another ground from the battery to the starter? Thanks!

 

i'll check on that ground from the battery to the starter, I know there is the large gauge power cable that goes from the battery to the starter, but I don't think a ground.

Also, you want to ground to the frame. Perhaps not all in the same spot as you could run into issues if that particular ground on the frame isn't grounding for whatever reason, hence multiple grounds.

You want to have at least 2 ground from the engine to the frame. Granted to engine is made of metal, but electricity isn't going to flow very well across engine parts so it's just safer to install multiple grounds.

I had an issue once when I didn't ground my block properly and my SS clutch line was touching my frame. It grounded out, smoked and melted and I bled fluid straight through. I had to replace it. Needless to say, i'll never make the mistake of not properly grounding again.