Here's the deal; I am in the process of getting a 1984 RX back on the road. I removed the 12a, did a mild port and reinstalled the motor. I am now trying to get the thing started and pulling my hair out. Yesterday, I jumped the car and it almost instantly killed the other car. Somehow it completly drained the other battery. The day before, I melted a set of jumpers. How is the started supposed to be wired? The hot goes directly to the starter, right? Another issue I have is on the bettery cables, the ground goes to the body and off again. I'm not sure if I am supposed to ground this again. I didn't take a pic and am at work now, I will try later. Maybe my battery is bad.

 

Strategic pictures would be helpful so we can be helpful.

But if you almost killed the jumper car, and especially considering the melted jumper cables, then I would take a very hard look at the positive side of your battery hook ups as it really sounds it became grounded somehow while you were in the process of the Engine R&R.

 

Agreed. Tomorrow morning I will crawl under mine and show you how it goes, unless someone beets me to it.

 

Aside from the cable issue, an easy way to get it started is to pull it with another car and pop the clutch. The battery will only produce about 250 RPM while pulling with another car (or a big hill) can produce 2000 RPM. Put it in second gear and pull it going about 20 MPH. Let the clutch out and once it starts push it back in. It takes some skill but has never failed me.

 

I haven't don't that since I was in high school, years ago. I should add I did remove all emission as well as the ac and power steering, i wouldnt think that would cause a short. I will them back later but I just wanted to get the engine rapped up. I am sorry and do understand how helpful a photo would be, trying to get to the car for a couple shots. No chance it could be a bad battery? Thanks for the help.

 

One other thing, is brake fluid used for the clutch?

 

Yes, brake fluid is used in the clutch. Check your starter to make sure the + wire isn't touching the casing or any surrounding metal. I had the same thing happen when I jacked up my engine once - it pulled on the starter wire and turned the connector just enough to touch some metal and ZZzzzZZZZzzz *pop* *smoke* Not good!

 

Thanks, I plan on getting this figures out today. Too many projects and not enough room, I had another car in my garage so I started the project at my brothers house so there it sits.

 

This is the cable. It's not the hot to the starter, its the ground. Where does this go?

 

From memory that negative goes to a bolt on the frame below the left strut tower and then continues on to a bolt on the side of the motor or the starter. Otherwise the ground connection to the motor is through a rather tenuous connection through the transmission bell housing and drive shaft to the differential and then not really sure how it would get to the frame as none of that stuff isn't rubber isolated. Maybe the ebrake cables. Hopefully someone will have a couple of photos to show you how it goes back together.

 

Are you sure what you have described is correct for the ground? I would beg to differ about the ground making it's connection through the trans-driveshaft-rearend route.

The ground cable from the battery connects at the drivers side shock tower and then on to the starter. That's it.

 

From the battery to the strut tower then to the starter? Anyone?

 

the starter has to be grounded. that spot down low of the strut tower wont do it. in my experience, the ground from battery was bolted with a tranny to engine bolt or the long starter bolt that goes in from engine side.

 

This is the route the factory cable takes. The factory cable has a connection that runs from the battery to the strut tower and then to the long bolt on the starter. When I redid my cables, I ran one cable from the battery to the starter long bolt and another cable from the battery to the strut tower.

 

Normally there is a ground strap that connects at the rear of the car at the muffler
mount to the muffler mounting donut via the bolt holding the muffler. This creates a
ground for the rear lights, latch, and maybe other things. If the primary ground for
the started is not connected this is probably the route it will take: engine -> exhaust
-> muffler -> chassis ground. Either way, not good.

 

The photo you posted looks like the positive wire, It's aluminum including lug.

 

Correct. If you don't run the cable from the battery to the starter it would take that rather obscure path back to the frame I mentioned. I wasn't saying that was the correct path, just that is what would happen if you didnt hook up the ground to the starter. And if you tried to start that way you would most likely have issues. I think you would end up with rather severely heated emergency brake cables or if you have replaced your brake flex lines with stainless those would probably end up as the starter ground return. Suffice to say it would work poorly.

 

Also, if you have the other wire, that you think is the hot wire connected to the positive battery terminal you may be grounding the battery + straight to the chassis. The negative lead is copper and has a lug about a foot from the battery for grounding to the strut tower/chassis and then carries on to the long bolt for the starter. And again, the positive lead is aluminum and runs from the battery straight to the solenoid on the starter.

 

Thanks. I did have the cables switched as well as switched on the starter. I feel a little stupid now looking at it, it obviously is the ground. I purchased the car partially dissembled and labeled. I didn't check and just assumed the cable that said starter was the hot. I have the shop manual and it only shows one wire going from the battery to the starter, i assumed incorrectly. So I was running my hot to the ground on the body and off to the starter, i confused the current more than myself. I guess it's all a learning.

 

Don't worry about it, we all make mistakes. I've made a couple large ones recently, I don't care to discuss them

 

Another little hint to get things started for the first time: Pour a little (about a capful) 2 cycle oil directly in each of the carb barrels.

 

I have my ground going to the strut then to a motor/bell housing bolt under the beehive oil cooler. Thats where it was on my car when i bought it and looks factory. No problems. And +1 on wesmcbride, add a little mmo before starting, smokes like crazy when you start it tho.

 

More frustration. I had the starter clicking, bad battery. Had my bro jump me, he hooked up the cables and said they are smoking as he did nothing. He hooked them up backward, the way he remembered them to be. I know something fried but I don't know what. I picked up a new battery and now there is nothing when turning the key, no lights, nothing. This is going to be a fun one.

 

Check the fuseable links by the battery, where a normal under hood engine fuse block would be. They're weird looking pieces of wire that provide power to the car like a normal fuse would. That's the first thing I'd check since I had a similar issue once in the 12a.

 

Lindahl is probably right. Spare fusible links are as important as gas or air in the tires.