rx-7girl

ok i need to know for sure what the problem is before i tear her down......now ive talked to a few people about my problem and now im just not sure what my problem is...

1. the car was sitting for about 6months before i got it
2. car did not turn over when i got it but turns over now
3. she does not start...but gas comes out of the second rotor
4. ive been dropping atf into the carb every 3 weeks or so with no avail

anyone know?


oh and to add to it.......spark plugs were in it before i found out the whole gas thing and she still didnt start

is this my third date?

Max7

I found the 2 plug rule works for me
I use 2 sets of plugs when a car is in the "Hard Start" phase
crank it over on the one set, trying to get it to fire.
yank the plugs, swap in the others, clean the ones you just pulled out
this gives them time to let the gas evap. take a steel or brass brush
and make sure its nice and clean.
I have had to "swap" the plugs 5-6 times sometimes before she will fire.
all the atf, oil, gas, and sludge seems to wreck the plugs so quick.

Pele

iTrader: (28)

General compression check:

There are small wires going to the ignition coils. One to each side. (One of them actually has two on one side. More on that later, it's not important now.) Disconnect one of the small wires from each ignition coil. Remember where they went.

Remove one spark plug from the front rotor and crank the engine. Listen to the sounds.

You Should hear three loud bursts of air, like PTSS, PTSS, PTSS.

Put the plug back in and remove one from the rear plug. Crank and listen.

If it sounds like PTSS, put, PTSS, you've got a bad side seal.
If it sounds like PTSS, put, put, you've got a bad apex seal.

Sadly, both require a rebuild.

NOTE: You may want to have someone hold a rag over the plug holes as

If compression is good, Proceed on to general ignition check. Your chances of needing an engine rebuild are signifigantly reduced. YAY!
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General Ignition check:

You need a helper for this. Reconnect the wires you pulled off of the coils in the compression check. Be sure that the large wires that go from the coils to the distributor are attached securely.

Proper wiring is as follows:

The coil with two small wires on one side is your trailing coil. It goes to the connection marked "T" on the dizzy (Distributor). (If unlabeled, roughly at 10 o' clock) The other coil is leading and goes to "L" on the dizzy (Center if unlabeled.)

Using a loose spark plug (remove one from the engine if you need to.), connect it to one of the spark plug wires that comes from the dizzy. Wear gloves and use good insulated pliers (Not doing so will result in electrical shock.) to hold it against one of the bolts on the strut tower. Have your helper crank the engine a bit. One or two seconds should do While the engine is cranking, look for spark at the tip of the plug.

Repeat for all four plug wires.

If no spark on all four wires, double check fuses and fusible links. You still could have dead ignitors or coils. If no spark on just two wires, you defenately have a bad ignitor or coil.

Ignitors and coils are available from junk yards or E-bay. The dealer WILL rip you off on these. The leading ignitor is on the side of the dizzy. The alternator blocks access to it, but you can see it. It looks like a small black matchbox. The trailing ignitor is on the front of the dizzy.

Whether or not you have spark, proper wiring is key. I forget which is which if your dizzy car is unlabeled, but the pattern is this (looing at the side of the engine):

T1 T2

L1 L2

Remember:

Front rotor is 1, rear rotor is 2.
T = Top = Trailing
L = Low = Leading

If you have spark, go on to fuel check. If not, replace problem parts, and try starting again. If it still doesn't start, recheck ignition, then try fuel check.
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General fuel check:

Make sure your "ENGINE" fuse is good. Its a 20 Amp one in the fusebox by the pedals.

Listen back behind the drivers side storage bin. Turn the key to "RUN" and you should hear a clicking or humming noise. (Be sure the stereo is off.) I have never heard the fuel pump, so this may not be the best check.

Go under the hood. Disconnect the fuel line and put it in a 2 liter soda bottle. Turn the key to "RUN" and check the bottle. It should be about half way filled after a minute.

If so, you have fuel. If not, you need to check the wiring to the fuel pump, and if need be, reconnect or replace the fuel pump.

If all of this is good, your engine should at least start. Then we can move on to minor engine diagnosis, that takes a bit longer.

Good luck

rx-7girl

okay new situation
i went to the car today to try out your solutions i found this

1. car has no compression in front rotor and a 30in compression in second rotor

2. that was about it

so this means rebuild

Pele

iTrader: (28)

What did you use to test compression? If you used a normal compression tester, you'll need to modify it slightly. In the tip of the hose that screws into the spark plug holes, you'll need to remove that valve.

Also, You've been dumping ATF down the carb, right. Try using a turkey baster (No. Not the one from the kitchen. Get one from Wal*Mart for 98 Cents. The small one with the blue suction bulb is great. ATF is not finger lickin' good. Ask me how I know :p ) With maybe three inches of hose hooked to the tip to squirt an ounce of ATF into the Lower spark plug holes. Crank the engine by hand ONE revolution. It's easy, just pull on the belts and it moves. You can mark the pulley with masking tape if you can't see the timing marks. Shoot some more in, Crank one more time. Shoot some more in. Repeat three times on the other rotor. That ensures that the ATF will be all over the rotors instead of pooling up in your carb.

Let it sit for 24 hours.

If you still don't have compresion, then yes, it is time for a rebuild.