Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 John,s 3 wheeler

The starter is a Miata starter so I highly doubt that S&S can help in that. Most modern cars/bikes have a start switch that is used to trip a coil inside a starter relay. The relay coil as said above pulls hardly any load at all. The main power to the starter solenoid is usually direct wired with a fusible link in the line. The fusible link is designed to burnout like a fuse when there is too high of load in the starter etc. So your little start button on the center of the dash does NOT directly hook to the starter.

Most heavy load on a car's wiring system run through relays, horn, fuel pump, etc. They're also covered by fuses in the fuse panel, so everything pretty much is covered for you.

You are correct Dan, the relays and coils are doing the work.

I mentioned S&S because the starter for their big bore bikes would give an idea of the kind of power required to turn the big cylinders. Mazda is very different in energy to crank over their small engines.

I suspect few hobbyists will have a meter capable of measuring starter current draw, given the norm is to put an ammeter in series with the device drawing current.

As I suggested a rotor in a starter while stationary acts like a dead short UNTIL the magnetism in the motor builds up causing it to begin to rotate... thus a graph showing the rise in current at the instant the start sequence was initiated would be heading skyward... any average AVO (amps volts Ohms) meter connected in series expecting to read current would be toast..

I suspect the actual current draw would be variable for the reasons I suggested in my previous mail.. But I have been known to be mistaken and more than once.. (-:

There are other types of meter that can be clipped round starter cables and will give a reading though they tend to be specialist equipment..I suspect the initial inrush current could perhaps get to 600amps..as ever your results may vary..?

It can be very dangerous messing with high current devices, even in lower voltages, LARGE amounts of POWER can cause injury or worse..and plenty of power can be stored in a 12 volt battery, so be careful folks.