Best starter motor for gen 1 rx7
 

what are users' recommendations for best starter motors? I have a 1984 rx7 13B. It seems like I've replaced the starter more frequently than I should. No other electrical issues. Just looking for good brand to use

welcome to the board. :)

first off, how many starters are we talking about and in what frame of time? also, were the replacements new or used?

Hello Diabolical,

It feels like 3-5 years between starter changes, but I haven't double-checked my records. I always work through my Mazda mechanic, who is fussy about getting Mazda parts, whenever he can. That said, I'm not sure but can only imagine that they were rebuilt starter motors. Never used.

I'm just wondering if there are better makes than others. Or, is this frequency to be expected?

changing starters every 3 to 5 years is not normal by any stretch. i'm tempted to say i've replaced one starter in an Rx-7, but honestly, i'm not sure. either way it would have been decades ago.

i can't say if any aftermarket brand is better than others, but given that i learned many years ago that it is a fairly common practice for companies to buy/commission the same part from a manufacturer and simply box and label it, i remain a little skeptical. (looking back at what i just wrote, i guess that's a winded way of saying i don't know. :))

if i were you, i would probably just take a look and see what's out there for the car and maybe post your findings and see if anyone here can share if they have experiences with them. that said, i have become quite the fan of Duralast parts. if there is an Autozone near you, maybe you can check it out and see if they make a starter for the car.

How many miles to a starter? Or how many times has the car been started per starter, if you could hazard a guess? Does the car run well, are you grinding away on the starter to get it running due to some other issue? I have an 85 SE, starter is original,137,000 miles , owned the car since 1993 and no issues except a bendix drive which would kick out occsionally and i replaced. Starter cranks the engine over just fine. Not sure where i would source a replacement if necessary, i prefer oe quality. Never know what you're getting in replacement starters these days,like has been mentioned previously,some are better than others. Maybe you could shed some light on why they needed to be replaced, i am curious.