280zx: Hearing a chunk noise while starting, replaced starter-no change in behavior

[San Maru]

That is another possibility, and a creative band aid fix like that may just be the ticket. Could be a bad ignition switch too, wiring as you mentioned or even a bad battery. My 260z ignition switch is so worn out I can turn the key past the contact and the spark stops. Ive got a couple basket cases racking my nads pretty often in the electrical department. I wish I had this guys problem instead. Just remember, it could be worse! Take all the suggestions and look into them. You can do this. Keep the hammer down.

[I'm BLUE]

That is another possibility, and a creative band aid fix like that may just be the ticket. Could be a bad ignition switch too, wiring as you mentioned or even a bad battery. My 260z ignition switch is so worn out I can turn the key past the contact and the spark stops. Ive got a couple basket cases racking my nads pretty often in the electrical department. I wish I had this guys problem instead. Just remember, it could be worse! Take all the suggestions and look into them. You can do this. Keep the hammer down.

 

yup yup ! zcar ignition switches ... I've replaced all of them at least 1 time in all my s30's/s130's since I have purchased/ran them lol ... no more issues that way ! ahhhhhh crisp ignition :D

[Jomz Shakes]

I think MM is referring to the start signal from the ignition switch. The starter will (probably) have a good 12 v from the battery as the cable is large and only a few feet long. The start signal on the other hand has to follow the fender back from the battery along the length of the dash inside the car, to the ignition switch, back out the same way it came in and down to the engine harness and to the starter.A distance I roughly worked out once to about 12 feet and half of that about a 12 gauge and half about 16 gauge and includes about half a dozen connections on almost 40 year old wires.

 

I had intermittent starter operation with clicks and clunks on my 710. I traced this down to a 6 volt start signal on the wire to the starter solenoid. To fix I used the weak signal to work a relay that supplies a powerful 12volt from the battery. Has never once done this again.

 

 

thanks for the support guys.

 

i went down and pulled off the plastic around the ignition lock cylinder and i went to the blue harness that hooks into the back of the ignition lock cylinder where the key turns.

there was a yellow wire, when i put the red multimeter lead it ran 0.0 then at start position would go to 6v 7v 8v 9v range intermittently but nothing higher.

there was a white and black wire that read 12v and then when turned to start position it would go down to 8v 7v or 6v.

there was a green wire that acted the same way the white and black wire did.

 

so what do you guys think it is?? it doesnt look like its getting enough voltage all the time thru the connections, is the switch for the ignition just the 2 screws behind the lock cylinder that the harness plugs into??

[Jomz Shakes]

I should build a relay for this, how do i do it?

[Jomz Shakes]

ok i installed a relay to the starter, it gets a full 12volts now.

ive replaced positive and negative battery cables, dremeled down all grounds in relation to starter.

my problem is still happening ,

 

i believe its timing related.

 

 

 

my timing is too advanced, possible predetonation causing my cylinder to almost fire backwards???

 

symptoms, car will rev up to 5k rpms and then skip and stop firing before redline,

 

what should i set my timing at exactly?

remember its 82' n/a

[Jomz Shakes]

i made my air filter larger and the problem got a little better. what do i set my timing at or what can this be?

[ggzilla]

I think you should change the starter. A bad one can cause all those symptoms (sometimes not turning, sometimes turning but engine doesn't turn). Battery cables won't cause both of those.

 

The bad teeth on a flywheel would cause a grinding sound.

[ggzilla]

Timing too far advanced causes the engine to be hard to crank, and when fires could spin the engine backwards. It doesn't cause pre-detonation (pinging) while starting.

[Jomz Shakes]

OKAY PROBLEM FIXED!!!!!!

 

the starter i had in the car went bad on me,

the starter i had laying around from an old parts car was bad also.

once i threw a new starter on it it starts up like a dream.