Interchangeable relays?

[GseaQ]

Hi all,

It's been a long time. I won't bore you with details now, but we've had a really nasty year due to health issues. Anyway, I'm back with a troubleshooting question.

Our '95 Q45t with a JDM takeout engine (car history - 2 previous owners are NICO mods - now us for 1.5 years) had a frequent issue of the starter cranking being delayed just a split second after turning the key when we got it. At some point I noticed this wasn't happening anymore. About a week ago after a long (1 hour) high speed drive (120-140 km/h) I stopped for fuel - took about 3-4 minutes. I turned the key to start and NOTHING, not even a click. Battery, headlights, dash warning lights all were normal. Battery connections were tight. I did replace the old Stebel Nautilus horn with a new one a few weeks ago. I added a horn relay complete with a 20 amp fuse inline in the power wire from the battery to the relay, but I can't imagine this having any effect on the starting issue. I called the towtruck but thought I'd try it one last time before hanging up with BCAA and it started as if nothing had ever been wrong. It was just fine for 2 more days and then in the morning after sitting all night, I tried to start it to go to work and NOTHING again.

So, can I swap in a relay from the relay box behind the battery (for the starter relay) to see if that is the problem? BTW, I guess the fact that it happened the last time after sitting all night following a "normal" drive eliminates speed as a contributing factor.

Any ideas other than the starter relay? The ignition switch seems tight and normal, but I suppose that just indicates the condition of the key cylinder, not the switch itself.

Thanks,Glenn

[Infinitiguy19]

Its defintly the starter or the realay, but the relay is far cheaper and easier to replace so start with that.

And there is no other relay like it in the engine bay or any where else on the car to my knowldge.

$18.23 IOS price and $24.30 MSRB +/- some money.

[GseaQ]

Thanks Paul. I'll get one and try it.

[elwesso]

before you buy a new one, take the old one out and bang on it a little bit.. Sometimes they get crap in them and it just needs to be loosened. Id get another as a spare but thats what i did with mine and its been fine ever since.

[GseaQ]

Thanks Wes. Keeping fingers crossed that it's the relay. The starter sounds as perfect now as it did when I got the car.

[elwesso]

Yeah i had the same problem, when id go to turn the key it would just do nothing, or sometimes it would take a couple seconds for the car to "start starting"...

Bang on the relay and see if it does anything. if it does, then you know the relay is the issue.

[GseaQ]

Hi Wes and Paul,

Well, I tapped the relay with the handle of a screwdriver to no avail. Then I took it out and tapped it on the bench at increasing levels of intensity, trying it back on the car between the sessions of persuasion - nothing. I tried to access the starter with a stick to beat it, but can't get to it with enough force to wake it up - even with the cover off the relay/fuse box. That was the starter on the passenger side of the engine, wasn't it?

Cheers,Glenn

[Infinitiguy19]

Starter is on the passenger side.

You can try getting a used relay, I wouldn't pay more than $1 if that for it or get a new one and not worry about it for a decade.

you are tapping the blue starter relay near the firewall right?

[GseaQ]

Starter is on the passenger side.

You can try getting a used relay, I wouldn't pay more than $1 if that for it or get a new one and not worry about it for a decade.

you are tapping the blue starter relay near the firewall right?

Yeah, new one comes in tomorrow. It's the only blue one there. It mounts to the back of the passenger side strut tower and has 2 plugs into it with 2 terminals in each plug.

I really hope it's the relay that screwed and not the starter...

Cheers,Glenn

[GseaQ]

Well, it wasn't the relay.

What's worse, I can't get a replacement starter (except from the dealer). I wasn't going to get a rebuilt, but a brand new Bosch. I've used Bosch before (alternator on the old '92 Q) and they are priced higher than rebuilt, but far less than dealer and have a LIFETIME WARRANTY.

My friend, who's done all maintenance and repair I couldn't do in the driveway, is going to have a go at rebuilding the original starter PROVIDED it is found to be bad. I still think it could be the ignition switch.

I'll keep you posted.