1995 3000GT VR-4: Click-Start Fix

• Why Do I Want To Do This?

  • Apparently, it's a pretty common experience for 3000GT and Stealth owners to have trouble starting their cars. The specific problem I address with this page is the "click-start" problem. This is the situation where you turn the key to the "Start" position, and all you get is a click and the car doesn't start. Many have found that if you turn the key from "On" to "Start" and back repeatedly, the car will eventually start. This was the case on my car. When it didn't start, I would hear a single metallic "tink" sound from the engine bay as I turned the key to the "Start" position. Sometimes the car would start if I just held the key in the "Start" position for 5-10 seconds.
  • I originally suspected the problem was a defective starter or a defective battery. After replacing each of those components (at different times), the problem lessened in frequency, but it never completely went away.
  • After checking out the main (4ga) wire to the starter and confirming that it's good on my car, that left only one likely problem: the control wire for the starter. This is a wire that runs through your ignition switch (where you stick the key) and then to the starter's solenoid. To determine if this wire was the problem in my car, I spliced a relay into this wire near the starter. Essentially, the wiring coming from the ignition switch acts as the trigger for the relay, and the relay powers the starter solenoid. The relay gets its main power from the battery, so there should be no question as to the relay's ability to provide enough current to the starter solenoid.




• How Long Will It Take Me To Do This?

  • A temporary installation (to check if this resolves your problem) can be done in about 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.
  • If you're a first-timer or want to take the time to do a more permanent installation, plan on a half-hour.




• Anything I Should Do Prior To Attempting This Procedure?

  • Remove your air filter (if you have a K&N or similar) or your airbox lid (if you have the OEM air filter).




• What Mitsubishi Parts Will I Need?

  • None.




• What Other Parts Will I Need?

  • (1) 30A SPST or DPST Automotive Relay
  • (1) Fuse Holder (10AWG)
  • (1) 10A Fuse
  • (1) 18-22ga Partially Insulated Male Quick Disconnect Fitting
  • (1) 14-16ga Fully Insulated Female Quick Disconnect Fitting
  • (1) 18-22ga (Red) 5/16" Insulated Ring Terminal
  • Electrical Tape
  • Zip Ties
  • Wiring Loom




• Where Can I Get the Stuff To Do This?

	Part	Company/Contact	Part Number
	Relay	Hosfelt Electronics	45-287
	Relay Harness	Hosfelt Electronics	21-193
	Fuse Holder (10AWG)	Hosfelt Electronics	43-180
	10A Fuse	Hosfelt Electronics	31-772
	18-22ga (Red) Male Partially-Insulated Quick-Disconnect Terminals	McMaster-Carr	7060K26
	14-16ga (Blue) Female Fully-Insulated Quick-Disconnect Terminals	McMaster-Carr	7243K21
	18-22ga (Red) 5/16" Insulated Ring Terminal	McMaster-Carr	7113K748
	Electrical Tape, Zip Ties	Home Depot, Auto Parts Stores	N/A
	Wiring Loom	PartsExpress	080-523 080-525

The Procedure

	Remove Air Filter or Air Box Lid
	Using a 10mm nut driver or a #2 Philips screwdriver, loosen the hose clamp that secures your MAS housing to the air intake piping. Disconnect the MAS wiring harness, and move the air filter or airbox lid (with the MAS attached) out of the way.
	Locate Starter Solenoid Wire
	There is a black wiring harness for the starter solenoid wire, which located in front of the battery. It has a black wire with a red stripe.
	Disconnect Starter Solenoid Wiring Harness
	Disconnect this wiring harness so you can splice in your relay.
	Assemble Relay and Harness
	In the upper right of the picture, you can see how the relay and harness come when you buy them. The left/bottom of the picture shows how the assembly looks after it's ready for installation. Red Wire (Terminal 87) This wire goes to the battery (through a fuse). Yellow Wire (Terminal 30) This wire goes to the starter solenoid. Blue Wire (Terminal 86) This wire goes to the ignition switch harness. Brown Wire (Terminal 85) This wire goes to ground (a metal part of the car).
	Attach Brown (85) Wire
	Find a good place to ground this wire I used a ring terminal and attached it to this screw. The front of the car is toward the bottom of the picture.
	Attach Blue (86) Wire
	This wire should have a male quick-disconnect fitting on it. Insert the fitting into the side of the harness that heads toward the firewall (as opposed to toward the transaxle). The male fitting will only fit into one side of the harness, so it should be pretty obvious which side to connect it to.
	Attach Yellow (30) Wire
	This wire should have a female quick-disconnect fitting on it. Insert the fitting into the side of the harness that heads toward the transaxle (as opposed to toward the firewall). Again, the female fitting will only fit into one side of the harness, so it should be pretty obvious which side to connect it to.
	Connect Red (87) Wire
	This wire needs to go to the positive terminal of your battery, and it needs to be fused. I already had a fused terminal (shown) for my water injection system, so all I did was remove the fuse and insert the new wire into the fuse block. If you need to install an additional fuse, you can use the fuse and holder suggested above. If you need to attach this wire directly to the positive terminal of your battery, REMEMBER to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery before touching the positive terminal!!!
	Mount Relay
	Find a safe and secure place to mount the relay. I chose to mount it onto the threads of the bolt that holds the fuel pump relay from below. You also could zip-tie it somewhere if you like. I also chose to install wire loom around some of the relay wires for protection. And yes, I'm all too aware that I have entirely too much electrical junk installed in my car. This rat's nest of wiring and wiring loom is pretty good proof of that...
	Protect Wiring Connections
	To make sure that the connections to the starter wiring harness are secure, I wrapped them with some electrical tape.