75 280Z - Starter Motor intermittently clicks when restarting after car has been driven for several miles/in town driving

[HusseinHolland]

 

Today I removed the fusible links, and rewired the two circuits. The first link was fed directly from the starter, then that one goes to the shunt, then that feeds a connection somewhere under the dash, that then comes back & goes through the 2nd link.

So, I eliminated the feed from the starter to the fusible link #1. Ran a new feed from the battery to the secondary panel, then added the output from the fusible link to a fused connection.

Added a Maxi fuse to replace the second fusible link

secured the Maxi fuse holder to the cover.

While I had the harness open, I decided to add the H/L relays. The high beams didn't work at all, until I futzed with the connectors under the column - the withe one on the bottom left, and the black spade. Offloading this circuits seems like a very good idea

Cut 4 wire circuit to headlights - Red: R/S +,  Red-Yellow: L/S +,  Red-White: High Beam,  Red-Black: Low Beam

relays fitted under relay box

Harness spliced - original bulb feeds now feed relay coils for H & l

added the fused relay feed (30) - need to get more lower amp fuses though, all I have left are 50Amp, so I'll swap that out later

function test before wrapping

wrapped

cleaned up starter connections, just main cable & (30) to starter relay

Edited June 23, 2023 by HusseinHolland

[HusseinHolland]

Since I had to add a power supply for the AC fan, I removed the battery & also replaced the negative cable with a Volvo part (2005 S40) that incorporates the body ground leg.

I had previously treated the rust on the battery tray, so I primed & painted the area while the space was clear

I added the EMS ground to the battery terminal with a ring terminal, and got rid of the old spade connection

So, ground to engine, body & EMS

 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by HusseinHolland

[HusseinHolland]

Now that I've driven the car for days in row, commute to work, local & mixed highway driving - I have found that there is what I would call a heat soak issue. When restarting a hot / normal op temp engine after a few minutes of sitting (after getting coffee, for example), it will crank REALLY slowly for a couple of revolutions, then pickup to normal cranking speed.

Having redone the wiring with suitable gauge cables, added the starter relay to offload the switch, and changed the breaker on the starter leg of the battery cable to a higher amperage, I can't see what else it could be besides the starter itself. I did replace the one that was in there with a reman (RockAuto - Remy 16209) in June of this year. I'll have to see if I can measure the draw from the starter, duplicating the symptom when I have equipment available to test it is the trick.

Maybe I'll just swap out the starter for the reman that was in there.  A gear-reduction version would be nice, but I'm not sure I want to splurge since it only needs to be in there for a year or so. On the other hand, this is a real PITA to deal with, so maybe it's worth it, if one is available

Edited October 24, 2023 by HusseinHolland

[HusseinHolland]

Found a new construction 280ZX gear reduction starter on RockAuto, WAN Global - I've used that brand before with my Honda K24 swap, so I have some faith in it lasting. I'll just swap it out when it gets here next week.

[Yarb]

I’ve had a couple of the Remy starters that had issues right out of the box. Went to the gear reduction and like it a lot.

[HusseinHolland]

I swapped the earlier starter back in, and this one cranks very nicely, regardless of starting after a short sitting period. I'll send the defective one back to RockAuto 

[Captain Obvious]

Man how I hate rebuilds. Glad you got it cranking reliably.

[HusseinHolland]

18 minutes ago, Captain Obvious said:

Man how I hate rebuilds. Glad you got it cranking reliably.

Now I have to wonder if that was part of the issue with the HEI module slow cranking. It starts so much better now. I'll see how it goes with the AM cold start.

[HusseinHolland]

Starting is so much better across the board, cranking speed is significantly faster. I hadn't realized just how reduced the rpm was, even under the 'normal' conditions. 

Looking forward to putting in the gear reduction though, less strain on the battery at the very least.

[Patcon]

Reman's are a very hit or miss proposition these days!