She just wont fire

[Driftit]

First off a little of who I am and what I have.

Names Daniel and I am from New Zealand, recently moved to the UK for a bit of an OE.  Decided to buy a car as I hate public transport.  And also so I could get out of London on occasion.

So I brought a extreamly cheap Series 3 RX7.
It is a 1986 Series 3 13b NA Manual
It has been in storage for over 1 year and not run.
Needs alot of work to get it up to scratch.
Had been running fine prior to storage

But now the first of my problems.  She wont start.

After a bit of mucking around and cleaning contacts and the plugs up she turns over perfectly but would not fire up.

So I came accross this very helpful site.  I have done big searchs and have tried many of the unflooding techniques as that seems to be what the car is doing.  I presume from its age and sitting so long that it was just initially low on compression to start.

I have tried pooring a little oil into the housings to create some extra compression aswell.  I have also made sure it is getting good spark which it is.

Now it seems like it wants to start.  With a fully charged battery the car will turn over normally.  With the added help of a little engine start it turns over very quickly but still will not fire up.

It made a couple of HUGE backfires as I think I hooked the leeds up the wrong way around  :eek .  But have since tried again and still have the same probs.

Does anybody have any ideas that I can try.  And can someone tell me the correct way to hook the leeds up just so I can make sure.

Thanks for any help.  And I cant wait to get it going.

Cheers
Dan

[Donato]

Hi mate, welcome to the site.

Cant really help with your probs but im sure someone will come along soon who is more helpfull than me (wont be hard!   )

Cheers

Donato

[Driftit]

Haha cheers.  Just hanging out to get this car going.  I know it will be something simple.  Or something expensive.  Ahhh the way of the Rotor.

[MikeLMR]

you may have to let it turn over for a while before it will fire if it is flooded. Best bet is to get another car running and some jump leads. But don\'t run the starter for too long each time and let it cool ... then it should eventually fire up if you have a spark, compression and fuel (IF) No doubt a nice new set of plugs wouldn\'t go amiss either.

I\'m not sure about the engine start spray either ... I seem to remember that its a bit harsh and can damage any engine ... let alone one with apex seals like a rotary.

good luck and no doubt someone else will come up with some more ideas.

[Driftit]

Cheers mate.  I have been doing just that.  And it has actually gotten better since I first started trying.  The plugs look new but I think I will go and buy some new ones anyway.  Plugs are deceiving little things.

[Brett]

Ok first thing, mix some two stroke oil in with the fuel, about 1 pint to a full tank, this should help out the engines sealing and prevent wear until the oil pump is on the ball.
 2 check the plugs are in A1 condition.  Blue Wires are Trailing I believe, you can check on the coils, the rubber lead caps will have T and L on them.   Leading plugs are at the bottom, trailing at the top.
 Check the fuel filter, change it if you can, do the same with the air filter if its knackered.

 If all else fails, try a rolling start

Welcome to the club :wave

[MikeLMR]

the engine should also be marked T & L and so is the standard 12a dizzy cap so its just a case of matching the T\'s and the L\'s

[Driftit]

Oh awesome thanks guys.  I will go and try it all now while it isn\'t raining.  I have actually already mixed in some 2 stroke oil and it made a good difference.  Fingers Xd\'

[Driftit]

Ok.  I have tried a few more things.  I am thinking that it is the plugs that need replacing.  I went to the local Halfords who I thought would stock the plugs but no luck there.

Where can I purchase replacement plugs for a factory 12a NA in the UK???

Also.  Need to know which plugs the leeds go to.

Is T1 and L1 the housing close to the firewall or close to the front of the car??

[MikeLMR]

try one of the links above ... most should have them in stock.

T1 & L1 are the plugs for the front rotor

[Driftit]

Awesome thanks Mike.  I have just gone and ordered some from sparkplugs.co.uk.

[Driftit]

Ok I am still not having any luck.  I have got new plugs now aswell.

Just to confirm.  The T1 and L1 leeds go on the front rotor housing (closest to the radiator)?

I dont have another car to do a tow start on her ether which I think may help a little.  If anyone has any other ideas or could help in any way let me know.

Cheers
Dan

[OLSKOOLROTAR]

Ok I am still not having any luck.  I have got new plugs now aswell.

Just to confirm.  The T1 and L1 leeds go on the front rotor housing (closest to the radiator)?

I dont have another car to do a tow start on her ether which I think may help a little.  If anyone has any other ideas or could help in any way let me know.

Cheers
Dan

Have you tried the rotor arm inside the dizzy (rotor button-depends where your from lingo wise!!!) try cleaning it with a bit of fine emory (I cant remember how thats spealt!!!) paper or use ya missus\'s nail file set and clean the brass arm/s etc.

Are you getting fuel to your Carb/injection, you can disconnect your main fuel line and turn ignition on to see if pump is working. If yes check to see if it feeding into your carb etc, if no check your fuel pump, may have a blown fuse or a knackered pump.

I\'m sure its something really simple as from what your saying she wants to fire up.

You\'ve probably tried these anyway, but if not you\'ve got nothing to lose.

Kind regards

Jase :wave

[NixRX7]

I had the same model as you, and it would never bloody start, after checking all the usual stuff and confirming the plugs where firing, i found that the car was continually flooding, and if your getting a backfire, it may be the same thing.
I eventually solved the problem by tapping the wire that runs through the cabin that controls the fuel pump and putting in a switch that i then mounted on the dash.
To start the car i would turn on the ignition,let the pump prime, then switch it off, then turn the ignition key all the way until the car fired up, then quickly turn the pump back on.
When i stopped the car i would just leave it running and switch the pump off, and let the engine stop itself.
After i did this little mod, i never had problems again.
Its worth checking this out first by disconnecting the pump (find the fuse) and see what happens.

HTH

Nick

[Martiny]

Right, here\'s what I would do.
First, make sure there is a spark. Disconnect the plug lead from the plug,(preferrably a leading one L) get a spare plug, and plug the lead onto that. Rest the body of the plug on a definite good earth point, like the engine.

Now turn the engine over, and you should see a spark.

Ok, so we have spark.  

Next, get a spray bottle, put petrol in, and mix in maybe a little 2 stroke. Remove the top of the air filter. Open the throttle completely ( primary and Secondary), and pour some oil down all 4 chambers.

Connect another battery with jump leads. Now turn the key, hold the primary throttle wide open for about a second, just keep that key on, keep that engine turning , and turning, and turning.

If it sounds like its just starting to catch, just keep that key turned. The starter motors on these things are really really strong, just keep it turning. Now spray some fuel in and see if it sounds like it wants to start. Remember, keep that key turned. Now let off the throttle some, then let it off all together, try spray some more fuel. Try half throttle.

And over and over and over, and sooner or later, you will hit the right combination of oil/fuel/air mix.

If there is enough compression, it should start sooner or later.

Pour some more oil in and try again, etc, etc, etc. The extra battery is to hopefully prevent damage to the first battery, and keep a good strong spark going all the time.

Post back and let us know how you get on.