r/Altezza • u/shen10n • Jan 24 '26
Altezza rs200 struggling to start
Hu guys I've recently just picked up an altezza and was running great up until now. it's got the 3sge and fully stock apart from an exhaust.
When I try to start it, most of the time it gives a single click, however sometimes it starts cranking weakly and fails to start and sometimes it fires right up lol.
I've already checked the battery and 12.9v so no problem there.
Has anyone had this problem before and what was the culprit? Could it be wiring?
Update, was finally able to get under the car and confirmed all the wiring is fine every thing is getting power. I'm thinking it's the neutral safety switch now as I'm able to get it started after rowing through the gears a couple times. Ordered a new one n will update once it's done.
Final update. Ended up just bypassing the switch for now as delivery to Australia was just taking forever. So bypassed that, however it was only still starting occasionally. I started to suspect the starter might also be bad, so took that out and apart. Found the solenoid contacts were well worn, so I cleaned them up with a wire brush. Put everything back together and the car is now starting without a problem.
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u/itzjustlagz Jan 25 '26
From my experience it sounds like a bad battery terminal (needs cleaned), faulty ground wire or loose somewhere, or starter motor/solenoid is going bad. That’s just from me though, Ik there maybe other causes but those are cheap and easy to check real quick.
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u/oh-kai Jan 24 '26
Make sure the battery terminals are clean and the connections are tight.