I reported here that I thought I'd found the cause of my problems with my car requiring several key turns to start and then just dying last year.

Well . . . yes and no.

To repair the fault, I decided to bypass the offending wire. I knew this would mean some cutting and splicing but one doesn't have juevos rancheros without breaking the juevos!

I cut the wire loose from the male side of the common connector. I measured enough wire for the job and attached an inline splice. I was getting ready to start routing the wire when I realized that it'd be a bitch to try and do the other end UNDER THE CAR.

I knew that I was going to have to salvage the connector from the wire to the solenoid at the starter. I quickly hit the creeper and slid under.

After careful inspection and (sober) deliberation, I snipped the plug from the offending wire. Imagine my confusion when I get back on my feet under a bright light. I am expecting black/red and I get grey/red!

I thought **** . . . I've cut the wrong one. But that proved to be incorrect! I had indeed cut the wire that was powering the solenoid!

This expains why I did not get the continuity check from the common connector near the battery to the plug at the other end. What I did discover is that the correct connector was wrapped in tape and hanging near the starter.

I looked at the plug after unwrapping it and it looks practically new! If this wasn't a mistake at the factory it must have happened when the owner before me got his warranty engine swap at 62K.

I searched the wiring diagram and there is none there either. The wire shown from the common connector to the solenoid is depicted black/red on the schematic.

I connected the black/red and tested the connection and the starter runs fine. I repaired my other sin with a butt splice and some tape . . . looks almost stock.

Now all I have to do is put all of the other stuff back.

And it sure is hot here in Atlanta . . .

Barry

PS: I'd love to know about it if anyone else has found the same thing.

 

What was the grey\red wire suppose to connect to?

 

Greg Brady? Is that you?

 

okay...i think i am having your same problem. when i turn the key my car will click once, but not start. this single click will happen every time i turn the key. then it will start after a couple tries of this. so what is my problem? because right now my car wont start. i get a whole lot of clicks now, but it never starts. it will click, click, click, click, click, click slower, click slower, click slower, then no more clicks all in a single turn of the key....by then my battery is way down. so what is my problem? and what is the simple way to fix this? please help!!!!!!!!

thanks,
mike

 

Sounds like you flooded the engine. Don't feel bad, I did the same thing because my car is doing the " only starts when it wants to". I was clicking it a few times when it suddenly wanted to try to start but I accidently turned it off while it was turning over. I poured transmission fluid down into the engine and let it sit for about twenty minutes. The transmission fluid thins out the gas so the spark plugs can fire. Be careful though because when it does start, it is going to smoke like hell out of the tailpipe until it burns up the tansmission fluid. Once you let it run for a while you will have to change the oil to get the rest of the transmission fluid out . Try to do it at night so the fire department doesn't come.

 

ah, i fixed it. my batter just wasn't giving enough stuff. i went to the mazda miata batter...all it has done is give me trouble. but still...when i turn the key the first couple of times they are followed by this single click! is this the starter...or is this the solinoid acting up?

thanks,
mike

 

I'm getting a rebuilt starter today from AutoZone for $170. They don't usually sell the solenoid by itself, when I check a new solenoid runs $161, so there you go. You might want to bring your whole starter assembly to AutoZone and have'em tested. It's free. Then you know what exactly is the problem if its not the battery. BTW, you could've have somebody try to jump start your car to check if the battery is at fault.

 

help me read my post on no spark

 

Engine flooding is usually accompanied by the engine turning over, but just not starting. If his is just clicking I'd think not flooded, but something electrical.

 

Ive had this problem too and I have a new starter on the way, if it doesnt work I will rewire the entire thing