silverado1981

I have owned this car for 32 years and never seen it this flooded. Car had been sitting for 2 months since last started and driven several miles. I tried all the usual procedures to unflood the car but none have worked. Recently it was 19 degrees out here but today it was 73 degrees out & that didn't even help. So I bought a new set of NGK spark plugs & installed them and she still wouldn't start, which surprised me. This brings me to my first question:

1. It's been a while since I put new spark plugs in this car. The new ones I just stalled are NGK, BR8EQ-14. Do I need to somehow "gap" these plugs or are they pre-gapped at the factory? What should the plug gap be?

2. I want to change the oil in this car. It's probably been over 8 years since the last oil change (the car had been sitting for most of the last 10 years with Stable and ethanol shield in the gas. During this time the car was started about once a year, warmed up, driven and some more treated 93 octane fuel added). But before I change the oil I'd like to get it started so the oil is nice and hot. As you know, otherwise it defeats the purpose of the oil change. Will draining the old oil out of a cold rotary engine & replacing with new oil & filter help me to cold start the car? Or should I wait to change the oil until after I somehow it get started?

captain carnage

iTrader: (1)

Perhaps I'm underestimating the power of stable and ethanol shield. But is it possible the remnants of the old gas has gone bad?

silverado1981

Yes, that is possible, but in October the car was running great. And the burning gasoline didn't smell like typical stale, varnish infested gas. I think the flooding is the major issue. Do you recommend draining the old oil out cold before I continue to try to start the car?

captain carnage

iTrader: (1)

Right sorry. In that case you're right sounds like I'll leave this topic to the pros. Merry Xmas! I realize I've given you an answer to either of your queries.

kardoktor1

Even with the fuel precautions you used you could get a piece of trash or sediment lodged in a needle/seat in the carb. Are you sure you are getting spark? also Pull your new plugs and see if they are wet with fuel. Disable your fuel pump (unplug) and crank your engine over to get rid of the excess fuel (misting vapors) out the spark plug holes. If your plugs are wet, dry them with a propane torch or compressed air. Reinstall and try to start with the fuel pump disabled. sometimes a tablespoon of motor oil down the carb primaries can help also. Get it to pop over or run briefly. then try with the fuel pump enabled. If it starts to flood again, tap or rap on the fuel bowls with a hammer handle to get the floats to unstick and to start working properly.

Alternatively to unplugging your fuel pump, pull the large fuel line from the carb and run it into a clean container, gas can or clear bottle. and try to start after drying out the plugs. you can also look at your fuel quality this way and prevent additional flooding while you are trying to de-flood your engine. if your fuel quality is clean and it still floods, you might need to pop the top on your carb... but post again before doing that. I and others will have some more questions for you before you go down that trail.

GSLSEforme

Agree with previous poster... This type spark plug does not need to be gapped. Take air cleaner lid off,turn key to run position and look down carb. throat for fuel overflowing.Yes? May be dirt/debris between needle and seat. Remove air cleaner assly. and lightly tap airhorn in fuel line inlet area,may dislodge whatever foreign material there. Remove ig. coil+or- primary connector from coil(disable spark)pull fuel pump fuse. Remove,dry plugs,crank engine til all fuel mist expelled. Insert plugs in cable ends,lay plugs on engine for ground,reconnect coil wires,crank engine and check for good spark at all plugs. Engine will start/run without trailing ignition,won't without leading. Open throttle,pour tablespoon of ENGINE oil down each of primary venturies, turn engine by hand to distribute oil about rotor housings-to help restore compression....lost by fuel flooding condition washing all lubrication from rotors/housings during extended cranking. NEED a fully charged battery to crank engine with sufficient speed to start. Install plugs,try to start,if sounds like wants to,put fuel pump fuse back in,try again. No start,recheck carb throat for overflowing/dribbling fuel, if so,carb removal/disassembly/cleaning is in order. Lots of threads here to show how/what not to do..pay attention to advice given about NOT replacing oe needle/seats with replacements provided in repair kits. Weak spark/no spark could also be cause of flooding..condition/age of cap/rotor/wires unknown? replace,not a lot of money. Ignitors on distributor may be cause of problem for no spark on leading or trailing ignition and can be swapped quickly to help diagnose lack of spark. Much easier to start any car,problems or not on a warmer day. Although you have kept fuel stabilized and tank full as noted in your post,recommend draining gas tank,adding fresh fuel and new fuel filter before go much further. Lot of people overestimate fuel stabilizers' ability to keep fuel usable/viable over extended periods of time,adding more fuel and stabilizer does nothing for the volume of "old" gas already in tank and no mention of actual age of previous full tank of fuel. The fuel in your tank may have crossed the threshold of being stale and unable to support combustion and could be "the" cause of no start/flooding. Once getting engine started and running, let run til comes up to operating temperature,then change oil and filter. Long read...lots of info,good luck and post back with results or more questions?

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

I figured it is the float bowel vent solenoid getting slightly stuck due to his inconstant driving style.

silverado1981

Thanks! And may you have a Happy New Year!

silverado1981

Thanks for the advice! Because you mentioned spark, i decided to start with the basics and disconnected the battery posts and throughly cleaned the positive and negative cables. After doing that I tried to start the car using the typical cold start procedure (turn the key to on, then pull the choke out all the way & then advance the key fully to start). It started up instantly! The Mazdarati lives again! Thanks to the previous flooded condition, the smoke that poured out was incredible (burning off the ATF I poured down the 2 small barrels last week, etc.). The choke eventually closed as usual and the car idled great. After I warm it up today I am going to change the oil & filter. Thanks again for your response and the good advice!

silverado1981

Thank for the good advice. Because of the spark suggestion, I cleaned the battery cable connections yesterday and it started instantly. Lots of smoke of course from being flooded. Smoke eventually all cleared and car idle is smooth. I let the car warm up for about 15 minutes and then drove it into the garage where I will change the oil today. I have a couple mid sixties domestic cars and have dealt with varnish, dropping gas tanks and having them cleaned out or replaced in the past. Those cars don't have gas tank drain plugs. Does the '81 RX7 gas tank have a drain plug? If so, is the plug easy to remove and reinstall?

BTW, on my domestic carbureted cars, years ago I installed in-line glass fuel filters so I can see what is coming up from the tank before it reaches the carb. Maybe I should put one on the RX7 as well...

GSLSEforme

Welcome,glad you got it running & fairly simple fix...I've owned an 83,84,now an 85. All had drain plugs in tank,yours likely has one also. Had to drain tank on 83,drainbolt was tight,wrench and socket/ratchet wouldn't budge it. Quick blip with 3/8" impact gun loosened it right up.