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I've had problems--twice now--starting my car. Only get a clicking noise coming from around the area where the ignition coil is. I wait ten minutes or so, and it starts. Next ten times I have to start it, it goes. But I'm just waiting for that click, click to come back--as it did. Is this typical of a coil failure? If so, are there any tricks to replacing it or is this a pretty easy job that I--a rank rank amateur--could do?
Thanks,
Paul

Sounds like a stater starting to act up. If you don't have the juice at the battery either because of corroded terminals or battery not up to snuff it can happen. If the starter solenoid is on it's last legs it will do it. It starts out intermittantly then quickly becomes much more frequent/all the time. If starter has to be replaced, consider a modern gear reduction stater. 2/3rds the weight, smaller , uses less battery juice, turns over quicker, problem free, just have to replace cheap copper solenoid contacts many years down the road when they wear out. Reconditiond original starters don't have a good reputation of lasting too long.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

FI Sypder is spot on here wilkpauled. It's the starter motor.

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<b><font color="blue">wilkpauled,
I have this problem at the moment and I can confirm that it does start getting more frequent as time goes by. Now mine is giving me the click and no starting vertually every time I start her with the occasional start. I also did not put it down to the coil as I have just replaced mine for the Lucas Sports one. I know what you are thinking, a sports coil on a 2lt TR7 [:D].
I tried tapping the starter moter with an hammer, but gave up when I got a spart from touching one of the wires. Do not know if it is helping, but found that if I have my foot on the clutch, this helps get shot of the clicking, that is coming from the starter moter direction.
I have had a look at the new high torque ones and think this is the way to go, but wish I could find one a little cheaper that what they are selling for at the moment. So if you do find a good priced supplier, please let me know.
One thing though, check your battery is not on its way out as I also think mine is, which I think is adding to my problems here</font id="blue"></b>

Paul,

I had the same situation on my starter in my '80 Spider. It would only click, sometimes nothing would happen when I turned the key. Naturally this happened only when I parked on the flat in very public locations.

I would take a breaker bar, rest it against the top of the starter and hit it. Sometimes that would free the solenoid [the usual suspect if it is clicking]. Then the car would start.

If you jack up the front of the car, driver's side, you'll see the starter underneath your exhaust header pipe. Disconnect the battery. Feel for the wires going to the starter. If you have spade connections there, pull the wire out and clean off the corrosion. Make certain the connections are tight. There should be a wire that goes from the starter to the car itself, a ground wire. Make certain it is tight on the body and not not corroded. Clean it off if so. The clicking can be a poor ground or a corroded wire connection.

To replace the starter, you need to unbolt the exhaust pipe and move it aside to get at the starter. Have some exhaust gasket cement handy when you put it back together. The starter is held on with just 3-4 nuts. They're awkwardly placed when you are lying on your back but you can get at them. Slide the old starter out and put the new one in. The gear reduction starters my need the gasket shaped shim from the old starter in order to fit correctly - you won't know until you put it all back together and try and start the car [save the exhaust hookup for last.

Except for the gear reduction starters, all starters are rebuilts these days. Some are well done, some are not. The replaceable innards are easy for shops to do, but sometimes the interior windings are also gone [and shops don't usually touch those except for a cleaning]. A good shop can bench test it for you before you wrestle with putting it on your car.

The job is not a hard one, just a fiddly one because of the tight quarters.

Jeff

Jeffrey Aronson
P.O. Box 90
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
USA
'80 TR-7 Spider
'66 Land Rover Series II-A [2]
'66 Corvair Monza

Thanks for the great info, everyone. I've heard of the trick of hitting the starter, but I haven't had to do this yet--maybe if I get stuck again.
Again, thanks for the help--I always learn a lot when I write to this forum.
Paul

I would start by cleaning the connections at the starter and the battery clamps. Sometimes a clicking from the starter is indicative of bad connections. A cheap fix if that's it.

Rich

1975 TR7 ACL764U