It Wont Start
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 5,542
From: Vanderhoof,BC(Canada)
Originally Posted by dr0x' date='Sep 6 2003, 01:28 PM
Once the alt starts spinning you have power. You dont even need to have a battery in the car.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 569
From: Bakersfield, California
Originally Posted by dr0x' date='Sep 6 2003, 01:28 PM
Once the alt starts spinning you have power. You dont even need to have a battery in the car.
a spin and you get electricity.
You can spin an alternator as fast as you want, but without
electricity to make the electromagnetic fields, it produces nothing.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 285
My VDO and dash gauge both read about 13V with the key in the on position and when I turn it the volts drop and I get nothing. The starting ether wont work becuase theres no spark. I didnt get a chance to roll start it again on fri. im thinking starter but its brand new or a bad ground again. I had this happen before with this car when it sat for a while
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 248
From: Pottstown, PA
That sounds like a dead battery. Happened with my '85 S. Voltage gauge read ~12V, but when I turned the key, nothing happened, all the dash lights went dim and the voltage dropped to nothing. Swapped in a good battery, and the starter cranked just fine. Just didn't start the engine, 'cause I'm not getting any spark. 
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 285
Im just going to take the battery to Autozone and let them do a good charge on it see if it helps the battery isnt that old maybe 4months. I think I have an Alt. problem also from last time I had it running. wouldnt recharge the battery. im going to swap in a S4 alt if thats the one that will?
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 15
From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
If you turn the key and everything goes dead, that sounds like a bad connection at the battery. My '79 did the same thing, so I changed the terminals and cleaned the posts. Voila, it started just fine.
As for the pull start, I'm at a loss. Both of my RX-7s started with very little velocity, even in sub zero temperatures. If my battery went dead, all I had to do was give her a push, jump in and hit the clutch. I would think that you're not getting spark if it doesn't start by pulling.
As for the pull start, I'm at a loss. Both of my RX-7s started with very little velocity, even in sub zero temperatures. If my battery went dead, all I had to do was give her a push, jump in and hit the clutch. I would think that you're not getting spark if it doesn't start by pulling.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 285
Ok just got back from Autozone with the charged battery 14.6v. put it in the first few times it just clicked but that click is the starter doing what it does. then the I tried again and it turned over but didnt start and now im back to just clicking. The other funny thing I noticed is when the key is in the on position the warning lights come but when I turn it all the lights go off and the brake light comes on? Im thinking the clutch switch is bad?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,550
You probably have a bad ground. or did you by chance hook up the plarity wrong, Ie. pos on the neg and neg on the pos terminals.. This would bad.. remove the bolts holding your groun wire to the chassi and the block and wire brush them contact point and the terminals on the wire and reconnect them. They just Oxidized and arn't making good contact any more so the battery can provide the Amps needed to run the starter etc.
