intermittent starting?!

Synchros shot? Weird noises while shifting? Not sure what needs to be replaced?
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comingbackdown
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by comingbackdown »

I agree with Tinton. Even on my car, where they held it in retardedly, the clips on the wires were weak as shit, etc.
It wasn't too hard to get it loose. My favorite part of the job of repairing the oil pan and gasket, since it was the easiest.
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kwak88
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by kwak88 »

ok so talked to the mechanic. he cant pinpoint the problem because it actually did start every single time he tried (go figure...).

he gave me an estimate to replace the starter motor and it totals $225 (with labor). fair enough price?

i already told him to go ahead, but just wondering if i got a decent deal
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by theholycow »

kwak88 wrote:ok so talked to the mechanic. he cant pinpoint the problem because it actually did start every single time he tried (go figure...).
That's what I call "The mechanic syndrome". When the mechanic sits in your car, it doesn't make that noise. When he starts it, it fires up every time. When I look at your computer, it doesn't get that error message and it doesn't freeze up. Etc...
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by kwak88 »

it sucks, b/c there is nothing i can do lol...its an "intermittent" starting problem. which means...no one has a dam clue when it will choose to malfunction!

gay..and the mechanic just told me it might be 40-50$ higher to buy a starter motor! god damimt!!!
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by vedran »

just search the internets for a DIY on how to change out the starter in your car. it took me about 5 minutes to change mine out and get my car started again.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by Tinton »

kwak88 wrote:it sucks, b/c there is nothing i can do lol...its an "intermittent" starting problem. which means...no one has a dam clue when it will choose to malfunction!
I do. And I already told you what it is. The f*cking car gets hot and the starter solenoid (the main electrical component that powers the starter motor itself!) loses a connection when it gets hot. I've had this exact problem before.

And $250 is insane. One thing you're going to have to learn is how to work on your own car. If you won't work on your own car, you might as well sell it and get something new with a warranty. No offense meant, but if you're going to own a car like this you're going to be spending like $250-$700 a month on repairs you could be doing for $50-$100 yourself. $700 a month is like getting a new clutch every month. A starter is one of the easiest things you can change on a car, are you going to take it to Jiffy Lube for oil changes too? :roll: :lol:
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by wannabe »

you don't have to be so mean, nate, but OP, he's right...old cars have issues, and if you don't work on them yourself (or have an family member/friend who can help you for little/no cost), you'll be paying out the @$$/monthly for repairs that could be done cheaper.

take my old car for example. brakes were shot. nothing left. took it to my uncle and i pd 13.99 for brake pads only. if i were to go to the shop it'd be hundreds of dollas.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by Tinton »

wannabe wrote:you don't have to be so mean, nate, but OP, he's right...old cars have issues, and if you don't work on them yourself (or have an family member/friend who can help you for little/no cost), you'll be paying out the @$$/monthly for repairs that could be done cheaper.

take my old car for example. brakes were shot. nothing left. took it to my uncle and i pd 13.99 for brake pads only. if i were to go to the shop it'd be hundreds of dollas.
Yea, I didn't mean to be mean, just stern. If you're going to own an older car, you need to know how to work on it, or at least have someone to help you out for very cheap. I can understand how much it is to get pads changed, a couple years back I only got the rear rotors resurfaced, rear pads changed, and brake system bled on my '86 SE for like $400. Changing ALL the pads, taking the rotors in to be resurfaced at a machine shop, and bleeding the system myself only costs like $80 total. In fact my big-brake-kit for my '88 GT should arrive this week, the parts alone cost $440, about the same as it cost to get that rear brake work done on my '86 Fiero with stock parts. So, instead of taking my car to a shop, for about the same price I do all the work myself and end up with 12" Corvette brakes with ceramic racing pads all around :mrgreen:. See? It pays to learn to work on cars. I still don't do things I don't have the equipment for though, like alignments, wheel balancing, tire mounting, engine dropping, etc.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by kwak88 »

no ur right, i do need to learn how to work on a car-

but as newbie, without anyone that i know personally whose got a mechanics knowledge, i have to stick to professionals when it comes to work under the hood

i cant imagine how much costs for damages would be if i f**k up some installation around the engine :shock:
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by watkins »

You cant f*ck up a starter install unless youre blind and have no hands.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by Tinton »

watkins wrote:You cant f*ck up a starter install unless youre blind and have no hands.
Nah its actually pretty easy to f**k a starter install up. If you mis-aligned the shim, or tightened the bolts wrong (2 bolts usually hold it up, if you tighten 1 completely before even getting the other hand-tight it'd be messed up), the teeth on it wouldn't mesh right with the flywheel. That probably wouldn't do any serious damage though, you'd just have to take the starter off and put it back on correctly.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by watkins »

Most dont have shims. Normal people who have ever used tools know how to tighten bolts in stages. Ive known it since I was probably 6 and no adult figures in my life are even remotely mechanically inclined to have learned it from.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by Rope-Pusher »

First step is a shop manual and a small set of tools. Sometimes, the starter comes with installation instructions, so check in the box. Probably somewhere between 13-16mm head on the mechanical fasteners and 10mm on the electrical fasteners. Disconnect the battery first, unless you like sparklers.
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by kwak88 »

So while the price was higher than expected, at least they got some decent quality in installing a Bosch Starter Motor... They seem to have tightened up the battery connections and all the wires so it looks pretty solid...

All in all, an expensive replacement, but a necessary one. I knew in purchasing a 22 year old car that my wallet would be run thin :-x

Still dont regret purchasing the 300ZX :)

thanks for the advice in this thread, hopefully someone can use this advice in the future if they have similar problems
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Re: intermittent starting?!

Post by padauk_dust »

I admit I haven't read the whole thread as I'm in a little bit of a hurry but I had some similar issues with the Miata a few years back.

One day the electronics/wipers weren't functioning correctly, and later in the day it didn't want to start. Did some research and found this:
http://www.miata.net/garage/CleaningIgnitionSwitch.html

It is probably worth having a look and cleaning it up even if that's not the source of the problem. I imagine your ignition switch isn't too much different.

Totally fixed all the problems I was having.
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