I have a 1983 RX 7 that I race. It is not street legal so it is not wired like a factory RX7. The other day I was working on the exhaust system and when I got it installed the started didn't work. The solenoid clicks when I press the starter button but the starter motor doesn't turn. The starter worked find before I worked on the exhaust. I thought that the starter was bad so I bought a new one but it still doesn't work. I pulled the new starter and bench tested and it works fine. I By passed the starter button and hooked a wire from the battery and touched the solenoid wire direct to the battery and still didn't work. Any ideals?

 

Something is drawing a lot of the volts. I have a red light at comes on when the power is turned on and when I press the starter button the light almost go's out. I am only getting 3 volts to the solenoid. I ran a wire from the battery so I would get all the volts to the solenoid but it still just rattails the solenoid and the starter motor is not getting any volts to turn it over. The starter work out side the car but not in the car.

 

Check all your battery cables for good contacts and earth cable at engine block

 

Thanks all the cables a good the engine is solid mount to the frame (It's a race car). I have tried to short the solenoid with a screwdriver from the positive post on the starter and the solenoid just rattles. I just took the dash cover out and on the week end now that all the wires can be seen. If I had been working on something that was electrical then I could understand having this problem but I did do anything to any electrical. I would pull my hair out but I shave my head so I can't even do that.

 

I turned out to be a bad ground wire from the battery.