Mazda Rotary Club

Cars by Model Type => 3rd generation RX-7's => Topic started by: nickc1972 on January 21, 2010, 10:35:23 AM

Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: nickc1972 on January 21, 2010, 10:35:23 AM
Can anyone point me in the right direction on this one?
 
Firstly, my Fd has never failed to start, hot or cold. Always fires up first time every time. Then this morning, it started as normal from cold. I then drove my boy to nursery, the same routine every morning, but when I went to start it after dropping him off it wouldn\'t fire up.
 
I then noticed that the main instrument binnacle wasn\'t getting power, no odometre, coolant light etc, but the rest of the interior equipment was fine, heater, radio etc.
 
The car is turning over, but won\'t fire up. It has a immobiliser, but when this is activated the car is totally dead, and like I said, there is power getting to the starting motor and some of the eqiupment.
 
Anybody got any ideas what may be causing this?:confused::confused::confused:
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: jackaleks on January 21, 2010, 01:39:23 PM
sounds flooded?
 
easy solution: with the ignition off push the throttle pedal to the floor, then turn the engine on and crank it a few times. if this doesn\'t work...
 
hard solution: take the plugs out and stick them in the oven for a bit. pull out the fuel relay on the car and then crank it a few times with no plugs in. squirt some two stroke into the plug holes before you put them back in and fire it up. :)
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: nickc1972 on January 21, 2010, 01:46:09 PM
I guessed it may have flooded, how I don\'t know. It was running perfectly prior to this and I tried to start it normally.
 
Why is the dash dead as well? I find it weird that both issues started at the same time. I thought they had to be related???
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: jackaleks on January 21, 2010, 01:58:32 PM
i don\'t really know my electronics that well, but if the starter is going then i can\'t see why the engine wouldn\'t fire. you could always check if there is actually a spark, though?
 
the dash could be coincidence (again, i don\'t know the wiring at all to say)...
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: John RX7 on January 22, 2010, 07:37:58 AM
i thought my immobliser had gone off,but it turned out to be battery as pretty cold at the minute,so might be worth checking that out if it isnt flooded
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: RXSpeedy on January 22, 2010, 12:50:33 PM
I had a similar problem when i fitted my PFC, fired up fine first time and i followed the PFC install. Turned it off then tried to turn it back on.... engine turned over fine electrics all fine... turned out that somehow the fuel pump fuse had shorted, new one in and fired first time. That\'s after i\'d removed all the plugs because i thought id flooded the thing lol.
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: nickc1972 on January 22, 2010, 02:24:15 PM
I\'ve pulled all the fuses and all are okay:confused::confused:
 
I\'m gonna take the dash out and see if a connection has come loose. I reckon the non-starting and lack of dashboard power have be somehow linked as they both occured at the same time. However, I say this without any technical knowledge whatsoever  :Hammer
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: nickc1972 on January 22, 2010, 07:53:32 PM
I\'ve manage to get it sorted.
 
When I was removing the steering surround to start removing the binnacle, I noticed the immobiliser \'box\' under the trim by the steering column. I thought I\'d have a play with it before I removed the whole binnacle and I heard a click. I then turned it over and, hey presto, started first time and all controls functioning normally.
 
I don\'t know exactly what was wrong, but judging by the amount of wires going off in all directions from the box, I guess that the immobilser was still \'part\' activated, allowing some things to function, but not all the parts of the car it is wired into.
 
So more by luck than judgement, job done. :Thumbsup!
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: neil_jdmr on January 23, 2010, 05:12:49 AM
I would get that immobiliser removed mate now tbh and buy a new one as it is bound to happen again and could cause major damage if it shuts down mid boost
Title: Engine won\'t start
Post by: nickc1972 on January 23, 2010, 07:59:11 AM
Yeah, I will be mate.
 
Defo don\'t want it happening again at the wrong time.