I am new to RX7s and still learn car maintenance in general. My starter went out, ordered a new starter. New starter would grind for 1-2 seconds then crank. Sounds like the gear would spin but not get enough power to push it into the flywheel right away so it would grind against it until it fit in. Had the battery tested, battery wasn't holding the correct voltage and decided to replace the battery cables while at it (seeing as the positive is aluminum). I didn't realize the negative has a terminal lug that grounds it to the frame as well as the starter, I only had it ground to the starter. I went to crank, nothing happened. No lights, no gauges, nothing when turning key. Had new battery tested, it is good.

The only thing I can think of is the main fusible link, I think it burning out would cause everything to stop working and not having that ground when hooking up the battery could blow it I would imagine. Is there anything else that it could be? I will be testing it at work tomorrow to ensure that it has proper continuity.

Thanks a ton guys, your help has been awesome.

 

Which generation is it?

Did the new battery cables have a smaller + wire that was connected to the fusible link block?

You may also have to run a ground wire from the engine block to the strut tower area.

Fusible links, etc. should have blown unless you shorted the connections or reversed your connections (can damage the alt, etc.).

 

My bad I was very tired when writing and forgot to even mention that. It is an '81. The new cables were just a terminal for the battery on one end and a terminal on the other. It also has a fusible link attached to each terminal. I checked the three fusible links just a more.t ago and all if them have continuity. When I bought the car there was an amp and an alarm system installed. The alarm had a terminal lug that attaches to the battery but there is a second copper wire which I assume to ne the amp that simply clamped into the stock terminal before. is this the positive wire you were talking about? If pictures would be helpful then I can take some at lunch.

 

Pics would be good. Stock, it is like this:

The negative:

(-) post ===== strut tower ===== bolt near starter

On the positive:

(+) post ============solenoid (large term)
(+) post ---------fusible links

Where ==== (heavy wire), ------- (smaller wire)

The stock (+) cable has a large wire that goes directly to the starter solenoid and a smaller wire that goes from the battery post to the fusible links. If you didn't run a wire from battery (+) to the fusible links, that would expain why there is no power (the fusible links power everything, including the fuses under the dash)

 

Are you sure the new battery is charged? Try to give juice from another car with cabels.

 

I had the everything hooked up correctly except that wire to the fusible link, pretty newbie mistake there haha. I'm picking up a terminal lug from my shop, cramping it on then going to try to crank. I had someone simply hold the wire to the terminal and it gave enough power to get my gauges to work and my headlights to come up, slowly. But not quite enough to crank.

 

Do you have a large ground wire that goes between the engine and chassis (since you said that these cables didn't have this connection point)? You may need that for everthing to work correctly.

 

It didn't have a cable from the engine to the drivers side strut. I will check to see if there is one elsewhere. I got a terminal and attached it and my car works and cranks now. it has a strange almost grinding noise and it can be slow to crank. I was file this is just due to it being a rebuilt starter. Is this correct? If a recording of it would be helpful let me know.

 

Something just occurred to me. The battery cables looked like two gauge to me but I just realized I might be wrong. is it indeed 2 gauge? right now I hear a clicking when I turn the gauges on and it Grinds when starting.