No start problems

[blitzkraig]

So the MSA show is coming up soon, and my car is starting to realize it and is giving me a hard time. For the past few weeks in the mornings the car doesn't start for a couple minutes. All I hear is the starter whirring away when I turn the key. Eventually it catches and turns the engine, but I want to track this problem down before it gets serious. The starter is only 6 months old so I'm not sure what the specific problem would be.

Also, the other day when I came home the car died as I pulled it in the driveway, and then it wouldn't start for a while but with different symptoms. The engine cranked but never started. It happened today too when I was driving around during my lunch, took me a couple minutes on the side of the road before it started again. Guessing it's an ignition problem, and probably the dizzy since I pulled a 280zx one from a junkyard (coil and plugs are new). I'm wondering if it's the E12-80 module on the side of the dizzy going bad? What happens when they do? I have two other ones I pulled from other cars so I can swap another on if I have to.

[2ManyZs]

Have your battery and charging system checked and check all the grounds and cables. The starter not engaging could be too low voltage and it's not engaging the solenoid.

Just quitting like that could be because the battery was low and it wasn't supplying enough voltage to the electronice ignition.

[blitzkraig]

The battery is no problem. I had a Kragen battery in it when these problems arose and swapped in an Optima battery (Kragen batteries suck).

[Bambikiller240]

You could have more than one issue going on here. Is the 6 months old starter a Kragen one? (FYI, They suck too) For some reason the bendix drive is not extending the gear to engage the flywheel. Low voltag could be it, bad solenoid could also be it. Dizzy isn't causing this particular problem.

[blitzkraig]

The starter isn't Kragen, but it's not oem either. I'll have my mechanic buddy check it out. I may just end up replacing the solenoid. The dizzy was in reference to my second problem, stalling, then not turning over (but the engine cranks in this case). It happened again today when I was driving across town. I hate being stuck in the middle of a busy street..... but I think it is definitely temp related since it only happens when I've driven around for a while, though the car never goes past norm temp.

So just out of curiousity, what does happen when the E12-80 module goes bad on the 280zx dizzy?