Starting Issue

[vancouver]

Hello I have a 78 Beta. When the air temp or car temp gets hot the engine won't turn over.
I replaced the starter relay (with another old one) and that fixed the problem.
Now its doing it again. What to do? Is the new/old one faulty too. As the problem was fixed when I replaced the original.
Can I bypass the starter relay with a new modern unit.
Does anyone have an extra 2 pin starter relay. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. - Jonathan

[Nigel]

Hi Jonathan,
I don't know your location, but if you have a NA market car [only an assumption
based on your user name!] yours may be wired differently to Euro spec cars.

To clarify, do you mean what I call the starter solenoid which is mounted
on top of the starter motor?

The euro cars didn't have a 'relay' as such, but send the power
direct from ignition switch to the starter solenoid. This typically caused
premature failure of the ignition switch. Many owners fit a relay into the circuit
to stop the issue.

I suggest firstly to repeat your previous repair, if possible, or revert with more info.

Best, Nigel

Edit: I now realise you indeed have an NA car!

[vancouver]

Hi Nigel, yes I have NA car as I am in Vancouver BC. I have one of two, that I know of in the province. My car has a many cube shaped relays in the 2 fuse boxes. There is a relay between the ignition and the starter solenoid and I think that is the problem. Part of the issue is that the problem is intermittent. When I last had the problem it would exist consistently when the car or the out side temp was hot, so it was easy to diagnose. Now it is not temperature dependent and very intermittent. I am trying to source another relay in the hope that was the problem and my last "fix" was with an old and possibly fragile part. Thank you for your wisdom as I am not very bright when it comes to these type of issues

[Nigel]

Another thought Jonathan.....

These fuse boxes have a tangle of wires inside, connecting the terminals together.
Easy to remove, take the back cover off and carefully inspect the
integrity of wires and the terminals. You may find that the starter relay terminals
are not tight enough. A squeeze or poke with a miniature screwdriver can make
all the difference.

Nigel