I've read lots of post but it doesn't seem like anyone has had this problem in the past. My car has had this problem for over a month. I go to turn the key to the fire position and I get nothing. I can hear the fuel pump come on, the starter clicking, and all my light are strong. Sometimes it'll fire right up after cranking it 2 times and sometimes 8 to 10 times and sometimes it won't go at all. Then I go to leave it for about an hour or so then go back to start it, it starts right up. I took my starter to Auto Zone and got it tested and all 3 trials confirmed PASS. This is the strange part because I thought it was my battery so I connected it to my other car and it fires up everytime. So I went to buy a new battery for it yesterday and install it and I get the same thing. So, so far I have determined that it is not my battery and starter. All the connections look good connecting to ground and power on the battery and starter. What else could be causing this problem. I've heard some say check the main relay. Where is it located and what should I look for. Everything runs fine when it's running I just have a problem starting it.

I have a 88 dx zc dual ohc w/ msd ignition unit. Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Anyone??? Trying to get this fixed cus it's my daily driver and I don't want to be left stranded at work if it all of the sudden becomes completely non-startable.

 

how are your connections to your battery and the connections to the starter? Check for any corrosion, sand em down and spray with WD 40. If the starter is clicking than its not gettin enough power. Hows you ground on your battery? I beleive that when people talk about the main relay, their talking about the fuse box under the hood, but I could be wrong there. I blew what I thought my mechanic told me was the main relay fuse, and it was the biggest fuse in my underhood fuse box (60 amps i think). anyways, clean off all you connections.

 

connections are all clean. its got a brand new battery in it. sometimes it starts just fine and sometimes it doesn't start at all until an hour or two later. connections from the battery to the starter and to ground are all new. there is no build up anywhere around there. don't you find it strange that sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't? I'm stumped and need more help from anyone!

 

Well, I did have this problem. My starter was slow, sometimes so slow that it would crank 5-6 times and not start at all. Othertimes it would start fast like nothing... But during my mpfi swap, I cranked it so much that I pretty much fried it, so I had to get a new one. Problem solved. i would try a ground kit for sure. Just my 2 cents

 

it kind of sounds like a problem I used to have at first I replaced my + and - wires. my old wires were rusted and not to much voltage running through them.and sometimes it fired pu and smetimes did'nt.What I ended up finding was that the nagative wire has two connecting points one on the body and one on the motor.My first mistake was that I connected one side of the wire to the negative post and the other tip at the clutch cable braket I believe.My correction was that I followed my stock - wire from the post to the cable braket and I found were the point to the body is connected.Of course you have to custom make a bald gap exposing the coper wire so you can screw it,solder it,etc. to the body.Oh and one last thing the point to the body is kind of under the battery side and close to half way down the radiator. GOOD LUCK