2004 rx8 MT Wont start
 

b4 u all bitch about searching for a post that has the same problem, i searched for 45min and everyone has problems starting there car. but not like this.

its a 2004, MT, engine swaped 33K miles

it starts somedays, other days the battery is dead. and on days like today. (no special reason) it wont even crank. i turn the key and nothing happens, i hear a click just A click (one click, not starter clicking) i think it might be the fuse box? (no idea)

i took it for a drive yesterday and was scared to turn it off because ive had this issue for a while now. when i start it and run it for a while then shut it down it does this. sometimes it will start again. other times it wont start as fast as 20min after shutting it down.

i dont know what causes it an thats what i wanna find out.

and to save some of your time. the COILS, WIRES, AND PLUGS ARE NEW, ther're not the problem cause when it starts (on those random special days) she has no trouble cranking over and driving.

please help all you can. i dont wanna be nervous to shut my car off anymore.

which starter do you have? It could be that, or maybe a loose connection to the starter.
Have you had your battery tested? Alternator?

Could be a dirty/loose connection.

i have a stock starter on it. will i be able to reach the starter wire from under the car? i will check that in a minute. the alternator is fine i had it checked a month ago and onlt drove the car about 4 times since then so i dont think it went bad that fast, but who knows.

and dirty loose connection on the battery? or starter? or what?


~~~~~~just checked starter...connection to it is tight

Me thinks you need a new battery.
But.............It's also possible that dirty connection is not allowing the alternator to charge the battery from time to time and some days you get lucky.
You have any aftermarket stuff on the car(stereo) or anything that could be draining the battery?

everything is stock as far as i know, i have the bose sound system, no big subs or anything more and i read that some1 had an issue with that amp draining the battery, i dont know how i can check that but i will if i knew how. Also the days when it doesnt start, the radio, seats, and windows still work. so it still has enough juice to power all that, and can continuously power all that for some time, would it still not have enough to power the car? ill clean the connections today also and say what the outcome is.

If it's the original battery then just change it.
Btw your signature shows that you're using the oils "inverted" summer\winter lol.

oops..so thinner in winter? thicker in summer?:uhh: thanks for letting me know

and the battery has been changed 3 times since this problems has occured, this one is only about 2months old

Didn't read the battery part, sorry.
Have you got a voltmeter at hand? that would help in your quest :)

unfortunatly i dont =\ is that used to see what the drain is? cause i had autozone check it and it was 1.4 milli-amp drain(not sure if thats the right power label/name of it) but it was 1.4 something lol

or just to check the battery? ill try to find one to check it all out

You can use it for both problems :)

Problem solved
 

thanks everyone for all your help i feel like a complete fucking moron, and i wanna kick my own ass for not seeing it to begin with. i started out looking at the big things that could be the problem when it turns out it was the first thing i shoulda looked at.....i needed a battery terminal connector like most of you said. it was a build-up of shit on it and now its fine....i spent $200+ having ppl look at it and buying part to fix it myself, and it was a $3.99 peice that fixed it. but at least i have new parts on it, right? lmao

once again thanks for all yur help!

it was all to no avail..... the problem still persists

Hey, at least you got it fixed. Mine's building up on my other car and planning to have it change soon.

fucker...problem was not solved
 

car ran fine for 3 days....started everytime i needed it to. now today..wouldnt start but battery wasnt dead.....the fuck is going on!?! sorry guys i thought it was done being a bitch..guess not

Have you gone to autozone, pep-boys, or anywhere that will check both the battery and alternator for free?
I see that this is your third battery correct? That's just too many unless you are putting cheap ass ones in there?
I'm a little concerned about what you said for the off current draw. It's supposed to be around 50mA, and you qouted someone as saying 1.4something. If it's 1.4A, then that could be draining your battery. Have you looked through your passthrough in the backseat to insure your trunk light isn't on? :scratchhe

yes i have taken it to auto zone and the battery was fine, alternator had one light or code that didnt pop up on there machine but they said that wouldnt be a problem, or cause of drain, they said it was still charging the battery. i have been buying good batteries not the best but not crappy ones from toys'r us lol and yes my drain was 1.4 milliamps or mA as u stated. i also just checked my truck light through the passthrough and it was off.

but as ive said my battery isnt dead at this moment. i can listen to the radio and move my seats open the windows, all the electrical has power i also checked the battery with a screw driver that lights up to see if it was grounded and all that. i have complete power. just it wont start =[ i had to pop start it yesterday.

would a video help more on trying to figure out whats wrong? i dont know what else to do.

Is the cable connection on your starter tight ,and the solenoid wire is connected .

starter connection is tight and where would i find the soleniod wire connection?

NEVER MIND IT ALL ITS FIXED just needed a starter sorry im a noob =[

I have the same problem man, And everyone keeps saying the battery but it is never short on power, blower lights everything works fine but it wont crank. Mine is always good when the motor is cold but when it warms up and is shut down I have to wait 5-20 minutes for it to start!. I don't understand... This happened to me once, then I had to change the starter for other reasons, now it seems to be happening much more! Though I only had the car 1 month before putting a more powerful starter on it so the problem could have been there. It was also winter so the car cooled down quickly, now that its summer it doesn't want to crank when warm.

You are posting the same question in multiple places, and not looking for responses to what you previously posted.

My appologies! I am just trying to get results, Ive read every forum on the subject of not starting, this one seems to be the closest to my issues. The other ones were up in the air and seemed like there motors were cranking but not starting which would be a whole different problem.

I have same issue with 2004 MT. Turn key no sound. If hold for few seconds starter will suddenly kicks in and engine fires up in seconds. Starter turn fast and strong. Wonder if it is starter problem. Any one here get this problem fixed, seems a lot people having same issue lately. Battery checked, clutch switch checked. all fuses, shake and make sure wire tight.
Btw, looks like there is a fuse at the battery terminal, what is it for?

he fuse on the positive side battery terminal is for your EPS (electronic power steering) sounds like you need to spend some time cleaning up your grounds(found some on both fender wells on the block under the upper intake Mani which is more difficult to get to for the novice, under the airbox, and near the starter) as well as possibly disassemble & clean or replacing starter. I recently took mine apart(the stronger updated version&u wouldn't believe the nasties I found) and it definitely increased cranking speed. Wouldn't be surprised if it would bad enough would cause it not to work at all. Of start off, disconnect battery, clean as many grounds as possible including connections at starter. Reconnect and try. If no luck (up to you if u wanted to try) with a rubber mallet LIGHTLY tapping on the starter housing to move the junk around inside of the starter and see if it creates a quick fix. I stress the lightly because u don't want to damage the magnets or brushes inside the starter. If you do, u will definately need a new starter...

I'm new to the site and can't get my pictures to work properly otherwise I'd show you how thick and nasty it gets inside, not to mention my phone is acting up! I have a feeling u can find a thread here with pictures if not youtube... But for your problem, from what I'm understanding that's what I would try first. Grounds and then starter (remember to disconnect your battery first when working with electrical, especially your starter!!!)

Mine ended up being the Clutch Switch... Haven't had a problem since I installed a new one.