She's dead, Jim.

Ever since I put this starter in, it's seemed like it cracks more slowly than before, and gets progressively slower the longer it takes.
Went out to let it run for a bit, since I haven't driven it in over a week. Pretty slow cranking.
Pop the hood & greeted with a smoking starter with electric burn smell.

Pulled the battery as a precaution. Called AutoZone & it's still under full replacement warranty. Just have to go through the trial of pulling it, again.

If the next starter slow cranks like before, may just get my $ back & spend the extra for a high torque model.

 

Like a K20 or maybe a 2.3 Ecoboost?

 

I bet you could fit a LS in there somehow.

 

Not anytime soon.
If it got an engine swap, it'd likely be a 4AG [20v Silvertop w/ ITBs ] or Miata 1.6
A K20 would be a blast, but the rear end can't handle the power.

 

The rear end will only have a problem if it has grip. Keep the skinny tires and it'll roast them through 4th gear.

 

Til the splines shear off the half-shafts
Sounds like the FB RX7 rear end [narrowed a bit] is a common swap.

 

I'm on board for a Miata 1.6 swap. Cheap, reliable, plentiful.

 

That's an easier problem to solve than the weird British electrical gremlins haha.

 

Yeah, but I've driven a 20v 4AG with ITBs & was tuned to run up near 10k RPM. Had it up to 8k a few times & it was great.

 

If you want ITBs, high revving but not axle breaking torque, have you thought about a motorcycle engine?

 

An option, but adds the oddity of figuring out reverse.
Nothing likely to happen on that front anytime in the foreseeable future, unless the 1500 decides to have a heart attack.

 

Fixed.

 

K20 would be cheaper

 

I thought you said you wanted to rev it out!

 

Right now, I'd take reliable enough to drive more often.
Could YOLO & put in a 13B

 

Sorry about your troubles.

Lol 13B, you want more or less reliability?

if you get an engine with more power, do you think it’ll change the character of the car too much?

 

Go the Subeam Tiger route and LS swap the sucker!

 

There's a few Ford 302 swapped cars out there. I imagine that takes some substantial engine bay & chassis mods/fabrication to make work.
Something between 100-200hp would be perfect, I think.

 

For what? A lawnmower? Come on, go big or go home.

 

Maybe If I get the B from the neighbor, more room to work with there.

 

Picked up a new starter this morning on the way to the office. Local AutoZone to my office is open 6a-Midnight.
Now to find an hour after work this week to get it put in & tested.
Hoping the dead starter was the cause of the weak cranking I was getting. Almost seemed like a weak battery, but persisted even after replacing the battery.

 

you already gave up on the B engine, c’mon man!

 

New starter is in & things are back to normal. Good strong cranking unlike the slow & weak that the prior starter had.
Back on track to the next problem.

 

LMAO, you sound like me with most of my projects.

 

Nearly 50 years old, she's got her fair share of problems. Just glad to be almost back to 0 & moving forward again.
Next projects:
-Replace mechanical fuel pump with electric (will resolve the extended cranking to prime the duel system, and hopefully alleviate the vaporlock when driving in high temps)
-Remove mech pump, install blockoff plate & tap for a vent/filter. Should ease crankcase pressures & hopefully resolve the small oil leak which seems common on Weber equipped Midgets [lack of vacuum that the ZS & SU carbs pull]
-Fix oil pressure sensor [wire broke when installing the starter], and add a T to plumb in the oil pressor gauge, which wasn't connected when I bought it.

 

Saw this today while leaving Cars & Coffee.

 

Looks like a clean B GT

 

Well, forgot to post an update to this saga.

Went out to start her up & let it run a bit & just got a click when turning the key.
Double checked all the wiring & nothing looked off.
My dad was down for Easter dinner yesterday so we took a gander. Much easier having 2 sets of hands/eyes & he was able to look under the hood while I cycled the key [and he's forgotten more about this kind of stuff than I've learned so far].

Bad starter solenoid, which I replaced when I put the first [defective out of the box] replacement starter in.
Need to recall where I bought it so I can source another & see if it's a warranty-able replacement. I think I got this one from Advance Auto, but it's one I didn't document in my little cost tracking sheet
Hope to get another this week & have beck to running, then back to planning the fuel pump replacement project.

 

When I got my toy, I started a little spreadsheet as well too keep track of running costs n stuff. After 2 years I decided that is evidence could be used against me. Plus, opening it up had me wincing s little, but I didn’t need that sort of negativity. So now I live happily with my head in the sand pretending all is fine, shredding receipts and enjoying my time with the car

I am sorry you’re having issues with your car though, hopefully you can get the part replaced under warranty!

 

I could swear that was my first thought when you started having this problem.

 

Technically it runs, even if it won't start with some help

When I had the Jetta in school, it needed a battery a couple of weeks before I had battery money. The driveway was sloped so I could get just enough for me to bump start it when I needed to go anywhere. Was a less reliable method when the snow came...

 

Midget lives again!
Put the original solenoid back in, not even a click
Went to Orielly & tried to exchange the one I had, no go they don't have any.
Swung over to Tractor Supply on the advice of a couple guys on the MG board & picked up a 4 post solenoid there.
Cranking strong again, took a bit to get fuel up to the carb [elec fuel pump can't get done soon enough] & she's alive.
Took a little victory lap around the neighborhood & let her come up to temp.

Now, back to the last project of replacing the fuel pump & venting the crankcase off the mech pump blockoff.

 

Picked up a spare transmission & a Mk3 grille over the weekend.

Have been talking with a guy that had it listed on CL for a couple months, but he lives 3 hours from me.
We were in Waco Saturday & were only a half hour from him, so I swung by & picked them up. For $50, worth the detour.
Plan is to go through this one & have it as a ready spare. Current 4spd has a 3>2 grind, unless you're going quite slowly.

Grille needs some minor repair & paint, should fit the 1500 [Mk4, but never officially called that] & look much better than the battering rams & mesh grille.

 

Bump.

 

Nothing new to report. Need to find some time to get the Facet pump installed, when it's not elevntybillion degrees with 400% humidity.

 

Well, along with the fuel pump replacement, looks like I'll be replacing the ignition switch as well.
It had happened a couple times in the past, but happened 3 times yesterday. Turn the car off & as the key is rotated to the 'Off' position, if you just overrotate 'backward' past Off, it engages the starter. Takes a careful turn to hit off without going past.
Luckily, the part's cheap, and should give me the opportunity to cure the interference between the key & dash that killed the first starter. Either the steering column needs to be lowered an inch or so, or the dash needs to be raised [I think it's the latter, but probably easier to drop the column a bit].

 

Went to coffee with some guys Saturday morning. The above ignition switch issue has gotten worse. Took 5 minutes to get the key our when I go to the coffee shop, and even longer when I got home. Enough that I just disconnected the battery until I can deal with replacing the ign switch.
Other than that, it was the longest drive it's taken in a while [12 miles ] but it ran great, fuel delivery wise.

 

Glad you got to enjoy it a bit before the summer heat.
brave boy going so far! How did that make you feel

 

Last time I went that route, it stranded me over an hour. Vaporlock.
I haven't had the time to get the new fuel pump installed, so I've been cautious on distance.
Mostly gets used on the short run to my daughter's dance class.

 

I didn’t realize there was history with that route. Glad it went well. It’s also neat you drive it occasionally to your daughter’s dance classes.
I tend to just drive the van on short drives because I try to minimize cold engine running, i dunno, maybe that’s stupid and pointless.