Starting Problems

[Miriam]

Hello, all. This is my first time on the forum and I am very happy to be able to benefit from knowledge.

I have owned my 1981 Zagato for 15 years and it has been a typical "love/hate" relationship. I recently pulled it out of storage and $1,300 plus parts later, it's back on the road. I am experiencing three distinct problems. 1) The car won't start after it heats up - a heat soak problem. My understanding is that I need to install a starter relay. Is this correct? Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I can get one, since it's not a stock item? 2) The low beam, the side marker, and the brake and reverse lights on the passenger side keep going out on me. The odd thing is that the bulbs seem to be intact when I pull them out, but the new bulbs light up instantly. Unfortunately, they go on me within a day. I also noticed that the dashboard lights are very dim. 3) Finally, when I accelerate the front end rears up, I feel a shuttering vibration and hear a clicking noise. My first inclination with the vibration and the clicking is a CV joint, but this occurs when the steering wheel is straight. Thoughts?

By way of background, I just replaced front and rear calipers, rotors, pads, springs, and struts.

I really appreciate your help. I am desperate not to fall back into the "hate" portion of my relationship with the car. Thank you.

[Gregory Smith]

Many of your electrical issues will be solved by going through the system and cleaning and tightening all the connections. Pay particular attention to the grounds, up front under the headlights in the engine bay and in back bolted to a taillight stud, usuallly the one that's got melted plastic around it from the resistance.

If you do decide on a relay, I have one too, there is room in the small fuse/relay panel for it. Additionally, running a fuses 12 or 10 gauge wire directly to the 30 terminal on the ignition switch will improve things, since there are numerous connections in that circuit to corrode and cause resistance.

The dash lights are dim because they draw their power through the delicate headlight switch. Another good spot for a relay. This circuit also feeds the parking lights and other dash illumination.

Add a relay to your headlight circuit too, to further protect the stock switch.

For the shuddering and clicking look closely at the rear tranny mount, it may be collapsed. Other mounts should be checked as well.

Hope this helps some...

[jp]

I also had similar symptoms and it was the rear mount- I also have a dash mounted starter button directly wired in my 82. Wow, someone else in New England with a Zagato!

[CorseChris]

Slightly pertinent I suppose...a MonteCarlo engine mid-mounted in a kit car, with a Beta steering column. Also had the hot-start clicking solenoid problem. Fitted a relay at the weekend and effected an instant cure.

That solenoid sure takes some current.....not surprised the switches suffer. I'm almost tempted to add a separate solenoid to drive the starter solenoid! Not sure how long a 30A relay is going to last. Must carry a spare....

[Gregory Smith]

A 30A relay will work just fine. Another brand of vehicle noted for this problem (initials are V.W.) even goes so far as to offer a relay kit just for this, ZVW1 if I remeber correctly. Most VW tuning/parts places carry a version of this kit.

On the later injected Betas, there is room in the small fender mounted panel to add the relay. If you use a kit with crimped, snap-in terminals or can make that style yourself, you can install the terminals into the Beta panel from teh underside and use a 30A plug-in relay, very tidy. I used a red relay from another application for easy identification.

There is a relay location there for automatics already, for a neutral safety switch. On manuals the relay is replaced with a white jumper.

Some aux lighting relay kits have large enough wires to work as a starter relay, 12 gauge is the minimum, and Hella for instance makes 30A relays with integral fuses.

[CorseChris]

The thing that worried me was what it did to a 30A fuse...twice! I fitted a fused relay, but after it took my picture when I turned the key, I decided to try it without a fuse.

It did just dawn on me that I wired it for a type A relay, but didn't check the format of the fused relay - just plugged it in (it was an Alfa 164 headlamp relay so could be 'odd' I suppose). It's vaguely possible that doing this was the problem. I'll have another look tonight as I'd much rather have a fuse in there than not. Having said that, there isn't one in the original feed from the ignition though, is there.


edit to add....

That was it. Just so happened that the 30 & 86 terminals are transposed so the relay coil earthed via the solenoid winding and connected the live feed traight to earth...

Moved the two wires and I now have a fused relay in place.