[guinnessmike]

My 92" Max SE (5-speed) has decided it no long would like to start. When I turn the key I just hear a click from somewhere under the hood. All other electrical work fine (lights, radio, etc). I thought it was just its' aged battery. New battery...nothing. I pulled the starter and brought it to a local shop that rebuilds them. He put it on the bench and it seems to run just fine. I am not sure what to check next, any ideas?

 

[internetautomart]

it is the starter. if you hear a click from it, the other option is that it is getting a poor ground.

 

[guinnessmike]

I finally had time to play with it this weekend. I loosened the bolts enough so that it was not engauged with the flywheel (but still connected to ground) and cranked it. The motor spins fine without a load. Since I now know the solonoid and my connections are good, I would guess the motor probably just need brushes and a little cleaning up. I did a quick search but could not find a website selling brushes for it. Maybe the stealership?

 

[internetautomart]

good luck finding anyone selling the brushes anywhere who doesn't require you to have an account with them. a rebuilders supply place might, but most require minimum orders

 

[guinnessmike]

Finally got the rebuilt starter installed (it has been damn cold here) and low and behold...nothing! It still does not crank at all, just a click and I hear the fuel pump whirring. So if it is not the battery, starter, or the starter relay, what else do I look at? My fear is that the engine has seized. I am guessing the best test would be put a big wrench on the main pulley to see if it moves. Is there any better/easier way to test it? Sigh...

 

[RB24SRB24DETT]

I finally had time to play with it this weekend. I loosened the bolts enough so that it was not engauged with the flywheel (but still connected to ground) and cranked it. The motor spins fine without a load. Since I now know the solonoid and my connections are good, I would guess the motor probably just need brushes and a little cleaning up. I did a quick search but could not find a website selling brushes for it. Maybe the stealership?

i work at this stealership and yes we did sell the brushes but now they are discontinued. you would have to purchase a remanufactured starter from us IF you are interested. and its not rebuilt that is completely different. rebuilt they replace what they think is wrong and clean it. remanufactured they keep the case and completely replace the internals whether they test good or not. rebuilds tend not to work because the parts are old and worn out.

 

[guinnessmike]

I paid a local shop to totally rebuild the starter. All the guys does is rebuild starter and alternators and I have heard from several people that his work is very good. He told me the gear drive was in good shape but he replaced the solenoid and all the motor internals so it should be as good as new.

 

[internetautomart]

follow your gut and try to turn the motor over by hand.

 

[guinnessmike]

Well, it would appear as though my engine has seized. Try as I might (both with a large screw driver on the flywheel teeth and on the main pulley with a wrench), the motor will not spin. I have tried so hard to make this car run but once I fix something, I find something else is bad (battery, brakes, injectors, exhaust, starter...although in retrospect, the starter was probably never bad, grrrr). This may be the nail in the coffin. I do not have the time, money, or expertise to swap an engine and even though I know I can buy a JDM engine for like $600, the cost to pay someone to put it in will most likely be more then I can swallow right now. The car has some much potential but I think maybe I got in over my head on this one.

 

[internetautomart]

I do find it weird that your motor seized. does it have oil in it? did you drive through water?
shame you are in PA or I'd probably want to buy the car off you

 

[guinnessmike]

It never ran good. It made a clacking sound that I guessed was a bad VTC or possibly a bad lifter. I tried grounding the VTC solenoid but is still ran poorly below 4000 RPM so after reading what some others have tried to fix the their VTC issues I tried another low cost fix, which was to run a can of engine restore in freshly changed oil (supposedly the very small oil supply tubes for the VTC cam can get clogged quite easily). If I had to guess, it was like a fat guy having a stroke, the engine restore probably loosened 150000 miles of sludge from one orifice that blocked another and just choked it off??? I ran the car for 10 minutes at idle as the can suggested then drained it and refilled with fresh oil. I let it sit for a few days, and after that I never heard the engine run again. :-(

 

[internetautomart]

you used restore or a flush?

 

[guinnessmike]

I don't remember the brand name exactly but it was a oil flush product designed to "remove sludge" from your engine oil. It was not an engine restore product designed to condition seals and improve compression.

 

[guinnessmike]

Well, its official...stick a fork in her. After an exhaustive search of the the internet for a good engine and a local shop to install it, the best price I got (with people I felt confortable with, at least) was $1500 (the KBB value for the whole car). I then searched just buying another car and found a 94' Accord for $1000. Drives nice and doesn't need anything other then front brakes. Sorry to say but I am switching teams, I just can't justify the expense. I really liked this car and so wanted to get it running good, but it just seemed doomed from the outset. I am going to try to list on craigslist as for sale as a whole. Hopefully I will find someone willing to undertake the project I just didn't have the time or $$$ to complete.

 

[internetautomart]

good luck selling it.