I've had my '86 RX7 for nearly a year now, and the release bearing recently went. After replacing the clutch, pressure plate, and release bearing, bleeding the clutch, and wiring everything up, I discovered that the starter was no longer powerful enough to turn over the engine. I have a friend who does nothing but rebuild starters all day every day, so I brought it to him and asked him to take a look. He tells me that there is nothing wrong with my starter, at all. I start describing the wires that I have hooked up, and he asks me where the black and yellow wire is coming from that I'm bolting to the relay post on the starter. I look around for a minute and discover that it is a ground.

I believe that there is a wire which is supposed to hook into the relay, and I believe that the ground is supposed to hook onto the transmission somewhere, but I can't find a wiring diagram which shows any of this. A different friend of mine was helping me with the clutch exchange (I ended up holding the tranny in place for about five minutes while he fumbled about with the bolts, trying to get one in place on the re-install.) and he was the one who disconnected, and reconnected all of these wires, and I don't have the first clue where any of them came from. Without his help, I probably couldn't have installed the clutch, but this problem is very annoying. (understatement of the year nomination, anyone?)

Does anyone here have any wiring diagrams or pictures of a tranny casing that might help me?



specs, just in case

no power steering

no turbo

no rag-top

no AT



Right now, when I wire everything up the best way I know how, all I get is clicks from the starter. The radio, headlights, and such all work just fine, but I can't start the car.



Thanks in advance,

Toad.

 

A wire should be going from your ignition switch to the starter. It is like a 10 gauge black wire w/ a yellow stripe as you mentioned.

 

Does it plug into the relay post, or the positive post?

 

I don't know off hand, try here http://www.fc3s.org/how_tos/manuals/88_fsm.html

 

Thank you, sir. I'll report back when I know more.

 

it plugs into the spade terminal on the starter solenoid



mike

 

That's not a 10 gauge black and yellow wire. The spade terminal is the little ~18 gauge wire with the green harness on the end. That one's just fine.

 

hmm, cause there are 2 on the starter. that little one, and the +battery



mike

 

Ok, I have the little one plugged into the spade, and the black and yellow bolted onto the starter casing, and the positive on the positive post for the starter. In other words, everything is pretty much the same today as it was yesterday, but today it started right up. I don't understand, but I'll take it.

If I hadn't dropped the car on my hand in the process of taking it down off the jack stands, I'd be in really good shape now.



My thanks to everyone for the aid I recieved.



Toad.

 

Well cool.