starter problem with my z

[shekshay_beast]

my 79 280zx n/a has a starter problem. sometimes it starts up fine and other times i have to bang on it a lil...and tonite i started it up and i saw sparks come up from the starter do u think i might need a new one

[Desert Rat]

check the wiring connections.

when you say 'bang on it a little', what do you mean?

Is it spinning or not? Does it just click?

clicking is typically due to not enough voltage getting to the starter, either due to a drained battery, bad connections, corrosion, etc.

cool thing is, they're pretty easy to get to and replace.

[evildky]

yup, if the cable connections are all good and the battery is charged, you most likely need a starter

[shekshay_beast]

yea it just clicks, so i hit it with a wrench or whatever i can find and it starts up...i think its becos the cold weather but not for sure

[evildky]

if hitting it with a wrench works that means it's the starter, when you strike it it ionizes the electrons turning the magnet on so to speak

[shekshay_beast]

ok thanks...ill be shure to get a new starter...man u shure do kno alot obout these z

[shekshay_beast]

ok so i got my new starter in and hookd everything up and then the engine will jus crank but wont start up...it sounds like it wants to but i dont know whats wrong? maybe its the cold weather bcuz its snowing where i live...but im still not sure any ideas? help!!!

[evildky]

well, is it lacking spark or fuel? spray a little starting fluid inside the inlet piping, past the MAS and see if ti fires up, if it fires sputters and sies then you know you have a fuel issue, if it does notings then you have a spark issue

[shekshay_beast]

yea with the starting fluid it does nothing so there probaby is a spark issue. but how do i check to see whats wrong

[SATAN]

Pull a plug out, put it in the cable, rest it on the intake manifold or something grounded and see if it has spark when you turn the engine over.

[evildky]

could be a distributor, ignitor, or even the ecu, unfortuantely these are low voltage square waves difficult to diagnose without special tools, if you can locate a known good distributor and or ignitor you might try swapping asn see if one or the other fixes it, unless you have access to a logic probe, in which case check for the 2 different signals fromt he distributor and the pulse signal at the ignitor

[shekshay_beast]

well i pulled the plugs out and unfortunately only 5 sparked, im goin to change the one that didnt today...i dont get how it really matters that it still wont turn over with only 5...and are the plugs suppose to flash or stay on indefinitely

[shekshay_beast]

where would i get my hands on a logic probe? and how do i use it...i just dont understand how it wont turn over when it started up fine about 2 weeks back and then i left it there and changed the starter

[evildky]

if 5 plugs sparked then you don't ahve a spark issue and it should run, heck mine would idle on 3 cylinders, a logic probe can be had from any tool truck, about $130 IIRC, where and how much starting fluid did you spray in? with 5 cylinders sparkign ti should have fired right up, either you did the spray wrong or you now have spark where you had none before

[shekshay_beast]

well finally got it started. it smokes from the exhaust and if i let it idle for about 10 seconds it would sputter and the rpm would go crazy and then it would die on me. this also happened when i drove it, it would drop down to 0 and then jump up to about 2 and my car would pull like crazy, im not sure if its a fuel problem, checked my fuel filter and the gas came out clear so i guess its good

[evildky]

a failing fuel pump can cause bucking but the smoke is what interests me, is the smoke white or black? White smoke indicates coolant which would indicate a HG issue, black would indicate a severe rich condition

[shekshay_beast]

i think the HG is bad and so therefore i will probably have to replace it and also have the head check out to make sure that it isnt warped...about how much would u think it would be

[evildky]

my machine shop charges about 440 to clean and check, to teardown, surface and simple valve grind I think it's about a hundred more

[shekshay_beast]

how can u check to see if ur car really does have a blown head gasket ? becuz i dont want to take it to have to take it to the shop i dont have any money for them to fix it

[evildky]

white sweet smelling exhaust, air gurgling from your radiator, foamy oil, these are all tell tale signs, you can do a compression test but it won't always show up

[shekshay_beast]

do you think i can maybe use those gasket seal to fix it? I hear that some of them work and some don't

[evildky]

NO! do not pour any of that crap into your engine! that stuff is terrible, it clogs passageways, your radiator can ruin your heater core, you can not fix a physical problem with a chemical solution, anyone who recomends them as a treatment for a blown HG does not know what they are talking about, in the end you'll still have to pull the head and fix it but it'll be a lot messier and will require cleaning all the gunk out