Hello,

I've got an 89 3VZE with starting problems. For a long while I just tap wires together, everything is good. I finally had enough and piece together a solenoid relay setup, out of pieces of an old miata harness. I have to add a new wire from the ignition switch to the relay coil since the OEM wiring is so badly shot that it can't manage enough current to engage a relay coil. This all works, I completely ignore the cold start injector and clutch switches...

It's pretty cold and I'm tired of it cranking and cranking and cranking to start, so I guess I ought to look at the cold start injector setup. I cut out the black/white wire off the injector and spliced it over to my relay. That works, it starts a lot easier now. Except now, a couple weeks later, I go to start it and it cranks once and dies, blown 20A fuse. I replace it and it immediately pops next time trying to start. I measure a dead short, cut the cold start wire, measure the just the solenoid coil (~0.4 ohms) and replace the fuse, starts just fine (eventually)

What gives? Has anyone ever seen the cold start switch go bad and short out? A genuine replacement is expensive, I'd rather replace the primitive junk ECU with something aftermarket before spending $200 on nonsense. Also, is THIS why my dang start wire couldn't manage to pass enough current to energize a relay coil?!!?!