DIY: Starter Change Swap (for dummies)
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From: Australia
Starter INFO UPDATE...REMAN Starters..
It appears US Mazda Dealers are Selling REMAN Starters, not that there is anything wrong with a re-man...
N3H1 and N3Z1-18-400 Manual Trans Now goes to N3H1-18-400R0A
N3H2 and N3Z2-18-400 AUTO goes to N3H2-18-400R0B
With a "core" exchange policy of $75.00.
THESE PART NUMBERS AND INFORMATION ONLY APPLIES TO SERIES 1 RX-8'S
Just a Tip...
IF you are CHANGING your Starter for WHATEVER Reason, Please make sure your Cars Battery is in
A1 Condition, Always go for a battery with the Highest CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) you can find for your RX-8 in your Location.
A "Cheap" battery will give you poor starting results also in the long term or use.
N3H1 and N3Z1-18-400 Manual Trans Now goes to N3H1-18-400R0A
N3H2 and N3Z2-18-400 AUTO goes to N3H2-18-400R0B
With a "core" exchange policy of $75.00.
THESE PART NUMBERS AND INFORMATION ONLY APPLIES TO SERIES 1 RX-8'S
Just a Tip...
IF you are CHANGING your Starter for WHATEVER Reason, Please make sure your Cars Battery is in
A1 Condition, Always go for a battery with the Highest CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) you can find for your RX-8 in your Location.
A "Cheap" battery will give you poor starting results also in the long term or use.
Last edited by ASH8; Jul 7, 2010 at 04:48 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: West Jordan, UT
Hey guys,
So I have an 04 RX-8 with auto transmission. I bought the new upgraded started online and was going to install it myself today.
Reading this post, it looked so easy and that you had so much room to remove and install the new starter for a manual transmission, so I thought it'd be the same for the auto....
Turns out when I got under the car, there's this long h-bar with 3 bolts on both ends (It's also shown in the DIY pics). Two of the bolts are 19mm and I could not take them off!
I didn't think you had to remove this bar, but I saw no other way to remove the auto starter unless I did that. Does anyone who had experience upgrading the starter for an auto RX-8 have any tips on how they did it? Did you have to remove that bar?
Last resort, I'll take it to the dealer to have them do it. Anyone have an idea how much labor alone costs for this???
Thanks
So I have an 04 RX-8 with auto transmission. I bought the new upgraded started online and was going to install it myself today.
Reading this post, it looked so easy and that you had so much room to remove and install the new starter for a manual transmission, so I thought it'd be the same for the auto....
Turns out when I got under the car, there's this long h-bar with 3 bolts on both ends (It's also shown in the DIY pics). Two of the bolts are 19mm and I could not take them off!
I didn't think you had to remove this bar, but I saw no other way to remove the auto starter unless I did that. Does anyone who had experience upgrading the starter for an auto RX-8 have any tips on how they did it? Did you have to remove that bar?
Last resort, I'll take it to the dealer to have them do it. Anyone have an idea how much labor alone costs for this???
Thanks
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"13B vs. Renesis" Discuss
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Did you pull the part number off your auto trans starter?
I am not sure at all, but I thought the auto trans used a better starter from the factory and only the manual trans from 04 and 05 got the weaker starter.
I am not sure at all, but I thought the auto trans used a better starter from the factory and only the manual trans from 04 and 05 got the weaker starter.
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From: West Jordan, UT
But, according to the TSB https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...8&d=1272304028
First model auto RX-8's had a starter with part "N3H2 A". I bought one with part number N3Z2.
The reason I wanted to change it is because it takes about 3-4 seconds for my car to start up when the engine is hot. I changed the coils and plugs already and want to do the starter and plug wires.
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From: Pittsburgh, PA
I have an auto and faced the same issue. It looked like it will be hard to take the starter off without taking the bar off. Granted, i did not spend too much time down there because I got a little nervous.
The dealer charged me $80.00 (one hour labor) to swap the starter.
I also had slow start problem while hot. It took almost 7-8 seconds to start. Sometimes, it would not start unless cooled a little bit. After changing the starter, it seems to be working just fine. So, even if original starter might have been strong, it must have gone bad.
The dealer charged me $80.00 (one hour labor) to swap the starter.
I also had slow start problem while hot. It took almost 7-8 seconds to start. Sometimes, it would not start unless cooled a little bit. After changing the starter, it seems to be working just fine. So, even if original starter might have been strong, it must have gone bad.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: South Carolina
I bought a reman from onlinemazdaparts.com and finally got around to swapping the starter out today. Wow! What a difference. Hot start problems seem to be solved.
While I was at it, I took a few pictures to illustrate a few questions I had earlier in the thread regarding the length differences of the starters. Vyndictive, feel free to use them as you see fit.
Also, a couple of detail corrections on the instructions - the nut on the battery wire was a 12mm on mine. The upper mounting bolt did not have to be removed. I removed the nut that was holding the starter on and left the bolt there, then slid the starter off of the bolt. No (or at least less) risk of it falling on me that way . . .
That's assuming the bolt was slid in from the engine side on cars other than mine. The mounting hardware was all 14mm. I had to put an open end wrench on the head of the long bolt to keep it from spinning while I loosened the nut.
While I was at it, I took a few pictures to illustrate a few questions I had earlier in the thread regarding the length differences of the starters. Vyndictive, feel free to use them as you see fit.
Also, a couple of detail corrections on the instructions - the nut on the battery wire was a 12mm on mine. The upper mounting bolt did not have to be removed. I removed the nut that was holding the starter on and left the bolt there, then slid the starter off of the bolt. No (or at least less) risk of it falling on me that way . . .
That's assuming the bolt was slid in from the engine side on cars other than mine. The mounting hardware was all 14mm. I had to put an open end wrench on the head of the long bolt to keep it from spinning while I loosened the nut.
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From: Pittsburgh, PA
BTW, for what it is worth, I sent an email to mazda listing all of the issues I have had with this car and asked them to at least cover a starter or fuel pump :D
So, here are the issues I have had (most of them in last year):
Issues during warranty period:
1. Car stopped in the middle of the highway in the middle of the night and would not start. The dealer replaced the spark plugs saying it was a known issue. This happened within 1st 10K miles.
2. Squeaking brakes replaced under 10K miles.
3. Car vibrated during idle. Engine mounts were replaced.
4. Engine cranked, but did not start around 49K miles. Dealer performed a decarb of engine. They suggested stronger battery and a new starter, but mentioned that warranty would not cover it. I purchased the battery myself. The starter still needs to be replaced. (Pending)
Issues after warranty expired:
5. Condensation in tail lights. (Pending)
6. Sun visors broken, fixed it myself. Might need replacing at some point. (Pending)
7. Temperature control **** does not work properly. I fixed it myself.
8. CEL code P2070 came up several times and then went away on its own. Never cleaned the SSV. (Pending)
9. Sway bar end links broken on both sides. I replaced those from my pocket.
10. Fuel pump assembly seems to be not working now because I cannot start the car when I park on downgrade slope with less than ¼ tank of gas. (Pending)
11. Door rattles. It always has, specially during summer months. (Pending)
I will add more if I remember more.....
So, here are the issues I have had (most of them in last year):
Issues during warranty period:
1. Car stopped in the middle of the highway in the middle of the night and would not start. The dealer replaced the spark plugs saying it was a known issue. This happened within 1st 10K miles.
2. Squeaking brakes replaced under 10K miles.
3. Car vibrated during idle. Engine mounts were replaced.
4. Engine cranked, but did not start around 49K miles. Dealer performed a decarb of engine. They suggested stronger battery and a new starter, but mentioned that warranty would not cover it. I purchased the battery myself. The starter still needs to be replaced. (Pending)
Issues after warranty expired:
5. Condensation in tail lights. (Pending)
6. Sun visors broken, fixed it myself. Might need replacing at some point. (Pending)
7. Temperature control **** does not work properly. I fixed it myself.
8. CEL code P2070 came up several times and then went away on its own. Never cleaned the SSV. (Pending)
9. Sway bar end links broken on both sides. I replaced those from my pocket.
10. Fuel pump assembly seems to be not working now because I cannot start the car when I park on downgrade slope with less than ¼ tank of gas. (Pending)
11. Door rattles. It always has, specially during summer months. (Pending)
I will add more if I remember more.....
Mazda must have felt sorry for me. They promised to send me $300.00 coupon (to be used at dealership at single use). They sent me the $150.00 coupon and the second $150 coupon never arrived, even though they said that they mailed it to me twice.....well, $150 was not bad either...didn't hurt to ask in the first place
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Joined: Jun 2010
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From: Ottawa, Canada
Thank you for the DIY. I just finished changing my starter. To complete the first post, here are the bolt sizes:
Two battery bolts to disconnect the positive terminal: 12mm
Three bolts around the starter: 14mm
I don't think I used the 10mm anywhere. Also, could you specify if it's just the positive terminal one should disconnect or both? In the pic, you only had the positive one, and everything went well with my starter change disconnecting that, but just in case I did it wrong but only ended up getting lucky....
Also, a few other suggestions for dummies such as myself:
- A note to put the jack and jack stand far enough from the front wheel along the side of the car so that you can comfortably fit in between them and the wheel to get at the starter
- Remove the starter from your trunk before disconnecting the battery, otherwise you can't pop the trunk anymore to get it out
All that said - wow, what a difference!
I changed my starter as "preventative maintenance" for the winter although my old one still worked. Maybe a little tired, but still worked. Is my old one worth anything? N3H1-18-400....
Two battery bolts to disconnect the positive terminal: 12mm
Three bolts around the starter: 14mm
I don't think I used the 10mm anywhere. Also, could you specify if it's just the positive terminal one should disconnect or both? In the pic, you only had the positive one, and everything went well with my starter change disconnecting that, but just in case I did it wrong but only ended up getting lucky....
Also, a few other suggestions for dummies such as myself:
- A note to put the jack and jack stand far enough from the front wheel along the side of the car so that you can comfortably fit in between them and the wheel to get at the starter
- Remove the starter from your trunk before disconnecting the battery, otherwise you can't pop the trunk anymore to get it out
All that said - wow, what a difference!
I changed my starter as "preventative maintenance" for the winter although my old one still worked. Maybe a little tired, but still worked. Is my old one worth anything? N3H1-18-400....
If you keep the negative connected and remove the positive, and the positive touches ground (car body/chassis), it'll give you a nice spark.
But since the negative is already connected to the chassis, it doesn't matter if it touches metal.
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From: Bryan,Texas
so i have a n3z2 starter and im having horrible starting problems i crank it and crank it eventually the battery dies. it has been doing worse the longer the car sits in cold weather...should i get a new starter?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_meNdSExJk
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From: Bury St. Edmunds, UK
Just used this thread to replace my starter yesterday. It helped alot thanks. I replaced the plugs and starter no problem it was pretty easy. However, car still wont start I flooded it three weeks ago at least for the second time and burned out the starter trying to get it started again. My battery was completely toast so i hooked one of those little battery power chargers you keep in the trunk up to it to give it a jump. When i try to start it, it sounds like the starter is trying to start it but it wont crank. Thinking battery is just to weak from sitting and probably gonna replace it today.
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From: Bury St. Edmunds, UK
Just put a new battery in it. It cranks but doesnt sound like it wants to start at all. I'm about to try to push start it. If that doesnt work well then i'll be back on this site searching for more answers. I need to solve this quick its getting really cold in england and I dont know how much longer I can take it on the zx6
I need to solve this quick its getting really cold in england and I dont know how much longer I can take it on the zx6
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From: Bury St. Edmunds, UK
Yeah I got the exact T plugs but the leading plugs arent the exact ones as they dont sell them in the UK or at least i couldnt find them. The L plugs I put in are for a British spec RX-8 I dont think they can be that different cause we all have the same engine.
I pulled it behind a friends car yesterday and got it to start. The car wasnt very happy and spit a crap load of white smoke. But after a driving it around it runs fine. Still kinda hard takes just a sec to start cold and hot but not bad overall. Going to start looking for new coils and plug wires.
Car has never had a compression test and it has 60k on it. I dont think the starter or plugs has ever been changed until now.
I pulled it behind a friends car yesterday and got it to start. The car wasnt very happy and spit a crap load of white smoke. But after a driving it around it runs fine. Still kinda hard takes just a sec to start cold and hot but not bad overall. Going to start looking for new coils and plug wires.
Car has never had a compression test and it has 60k on it. I dont think the starter or plugs has ever been changed until now.
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"13B vs. Renesis" Discuss
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From: Canton, OH
Thats good to hear... white smoke is normal after flooding, but it can also be coolant, which is bad. But since your car is running well now, I'd assume your safe.
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From: Australia
Yeah I got the exact T plugs but the leading plugs arent the exact ones as they dont sell them in the UK or at least i couldnt find them. The L plugs I put in are for a British spec RX-8 I dont think they can be that different cause we all have the same engine.
I pulled it behind a friends car yesterday and got it to start. The car wasnt very happy and spit a crap load of white smoke. But after a driving it around it runs fine. Still kinda hard takes just a sec to start cold and hot but not bad overall. Going to start looking for new coils and plug wires.
Car has never had a compression test and it has 60k on it. I dont think the starter or plugs has ever been changed until now.
I pulled it behind a friends car yesterday and got it to start. The car wasnt very happy and spit a crap load of white smoke. But after a driving it around it runs fine. Still kinda hard takes just a sec to start cold and hot but not bad overall. Going to start looking for new coils and plug wires.
Car has never had a compression test and it has 60k on it. I dont think the starter or plugs has ever been changed until now.
If you have issues after that, the Compression Test would be a definite next.
Just watch your Coolant Tank levels.