electrical short

[Wade Nelson]

I've read that the 260Z's tend to have a problem passing enough current through to the solenoid to get it to do its job. .

Hmm, I recently had the EXACT same problem with a 280ZX. Intermittent, one out of 10 cranks. If I shorted from the + post to the solenoid with a screwdriver it would hit and crank.

I wired in a failsafe switch to crank it. I tried it the next time the keyswitch only produced a click and it blew a 15 amp fuse. At that point I replaced the starter.

Some sort of failure mode in these starters causing excessive solenoid draw... which is a great way to ruin ignition switches.

[Wade Nelson]

The battery is two years old, when connected to the volt metter it reads 12.3v when engine off ... the voltage drops to 5.5v to 7.0v and .

A battery at 12.3 is 50% discharged. And it should not drop below 9V when cranking. YOu most likely need a new battery.

A fully charged battery is 12.6 or above with the engine not running. 12.1V is 90% discharged.

[Zed Head]

When I try to start the car with the key the voltage drops to 5.5v to 7.0v and it does not start.

As Wade says, and you suspected. Not enough cranking amperage left to keep the voltage up. Batteries wear out eventually after so many charge-discharge cycles. Any good auto parts store can test it for you to be sure.

And there are no factory issue starter relays. The power to the starter solenoid comes directly through the ignition switch. There are other relays but they aren't for the starter.

There are other things on the solenoid power wire that could be causing a drawdown. If your battery tests okay, you might get the wiring diagram out and find those other things, like the seat belt buzzer timer, for example.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Zed Head

[dat260]

update;

I check the battery after being on the charger for almost 48hrs, put the volt meter to it and got 12.6v. tried to start with key but not enough juice to turn engine. Also, I used the remote starter and same result. I will get a new battery tomorrow and a starter relay and hopefully everything will be fine.

Thank you everybody for your input.

[LeonV]

I have a few relays on the passenger side, inside the car. I know the starter has one the wipers has one, the horn and others. They are factory installed. So since I might install an aftermarket relay for my starting problem I was not sure if having two relays for the same function is a good idea.

You "know" the starter has a relay inside the car? If it does, it's not stock.

The starter solenoid is the SOLE relay in the stock starting system. I added a $5 relay to trigger the solenoid directly from the battery (using the ignition switch to trigger the relay coil) and haven't had issues since.

[dat260]

You "know" the starter has a relay inside the car? If it does, it's not stock.

The starter solenoid is the SOLE relay in the stock starting system. I added a $5 relay to trigger the solenoid directly from the battery (using the ignition switch to trigger the relay coil) and haven't had issues since.

I was assuming, but apparently there is not a relay for the starter. I just ordered a starter relay and waiting for it. Also I was told that my electric fuel pump (which I removed 20yrs ago) has a relay that is always on and causes also battery drain. I'am going to unplug it put the battery back on charge and take it from there.