Hi all, been several years since I have been back. I parked my RX7 in 2012 with a no start problem. It was a recurring problem of no-fuel. I have had several fuel pumps put in that would work for a few miles and then no start. It was a cycle. On this forum I learned about a relay or safety switch that can go bad and it could also be jumped to bypass. I cannot find that info any longer. Soooo I went to try the bypass exercise last year (after 12 years of sitting) and the engine is frozen. So i actually have two enormous problems (other than the problem of being a dips**t and neglecting car for so long.
Regarding the frozen situation I poured mystery oil in about 9 months ago and used breaker bar with no luck. I need better leverage for breaker bar and unless anyone has any better solution then the engine needs a rebuild I am thinking. If I do a rebuild I suspect I could have the same fuel relay/switch issue I had before. Two questions :
does anyone have any info on freeing up the frozen engine? and. Does anyone have access to info or old thread of bypassing fuel relay or fuel safety switch?
thank you all so much for all the info shared on this site.

 

 

I moved your thread into the 1st Gen section. Let me start by saying welcome to the forum (even though you've been registered since 2021)!!

How much MMO did you pour into the engine anddid you rotate the engine over to spread the MMO? Have you tried taking the spark plugs out and rotating the engine over in either direction?

 

Thank you for responding and putting in proper place. I probably put about 6-8 ounces of mmo through the top spark plug holes and tried turning over with breaker bar on front shaft bolt. Doesn’t budge. Tried both directions but understand (through reading this forum)that the proper direction is clockwise if looking at engine from front of car.

 

One other question I have is that when it did turn over years ago and I was dealing with the no start issue, does a faulty relay/ shut off switch keep the engine from firing even if I use starter fluid in carb?

 

At this point, trying to avoid having to split the engine apart, I would also pour some MMO down the intake and allow it to soak from that side too. Getting oil into through the spark plug holes only addresses 1/3 of the contact spaces, so the intake will give you some more soak area.

 

For a 12A no, there isn't a relay that would stop it from firing with starting fluid. As long a the starter is spinning the engine and you have spark, it should try to start.

As started below, the fuel pump relay will cause an issue if your trying to pull fuel from the tank.

 

[QUOTE=GtiKyle;12637043]At this point, trying to avoid having to split the engine apart, I would also pour some MMO down the intake and allow it to soak from that side too. Getting oil into through the spark plug holes only addresses 1/3 of the contact spaces, so the intake will give you some more soak area.[/QUOTE

 

Thank you uncle Rico. I get that about trying to get into upper end of chamber. Is the intake through the carb or would I need to tap into the intake at the side of the housing? Thanks again.

 

Pouring it down the carb will end up in the engine one way or another.

After this has marinated for a while, try the breaker bar on the front bolt, working back and forth. Be gentle, but persistent. Hopefully it frees up and you can move onto the next steps.

 

Are you by chance talking about this relay:
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-arch...-trick-597949/

I am using this jumper myself for the time being until I get a new relay.

Also breaker bar wise, I found it helpful to take a floor jack handle off the jack and put that on the breaker bar to get mine loosened (and at your own risk). My breaker bar isn’t a great length so this helped me. Hope maybe those help you out.

 

Thank you rotary_fan!! Appreciate the comments and the artwork!!

 

It sat for TWELVE YEARS?! I can't keep my eyes or hands off of the car for 12 HOURS!

As the other guys said, be careful with the breaker bar on the Eccentric Shaft bolt. You're potentially putting all of that force on the Apex Seals that may be rusted in place and/or carbon locked. Too much force will break them and could chip your Rotors and then your rebuild just got a lot more difficult, because 12a parts have dried up in the past 12 years. Go slow, take it easy, and don't overdo it. Let the MMO sink in, even if it means letting it sit for a few days to a week.

It looks like a really nice GSL with LE wheels, so ponder this process step by step and we'll be here to help you out,

 

Thank you Long Duck. Yeah, life got a little crazy on me. Good thing is there is no rust and it is in great shape as I had it covered in a spare garage. I feel guilty about neglecting it but looks like the wait will pay off due to the popularity of these vehicles lately. I really don’t want to make matters worse so I will take it slow. I really am confused on how I am getting that mmo to coat the whole chamber? Does dumping it down the carburetor and spark plug holes really get to the upper parts of the chambers? Thanks again.

 

Rotary engines have three "compartments'


The top section leads to the intake (down the carb)
The right section is the spark plug holes
the lower would be the exhaust section. In order to get oil into that chamber, you'd have to introduce it back through the exhaust.

So effectively, if you pour the oil into the spark plug holes, and the intake, you've covered 2/3 of the chambers you can.

 

Thanks again Long Duck. Very helpful!!

 

I cannot thank you guys enough for your helpful comments. I was sooo close to giving up on the frozen engine. Was patient and got it to budge a little.. then waited… addded some more mmo and budged some more. Haven’t fired up yet but she is rotating with compression. Got the front frozen caliper free and wheeled her out for 1st bath in over a decade. Thanks again!!!

 

 

 

 

Wohoo that’s great news! Keep us posted, that’s some good progress towards getting it back on the streets.

 

Nice! Congrats, the car looks like it's in really good shape.

 

Ok. My motor might be toast but not giving up yet. Motor turns over nicely. It appears to have compression on both chambers BUT…. Upon inspection of spark plugs the front chamber plugs look somewhat wet (could be premix I added to carb) but also presence of rust and very very fine sludge/metal “sand”. The rear chamber plugs look very black black wet. I will attach pics. The front chamber sounds like it has compression with plugs out when I turn it over but the rear chamber sounds more robust when turning over. My question here is that this car has been sitting for 12 years and probably 12 years before that (I know…life got busy): shout I still try and fire it up and potentially damage further? Is there any hope that all the sitting can cause the issue of rust and the engine might just need to be run? If it is toast and needs a rebuild am I better off not turning over further and just trying to find someone to rebuild? I am pretty mechanically inclined but not sure I could handle the job myself. Never attempted and know nothing about rotaries. Any comments are ver very appreciated. Thanks.
1st two pics are front chamber. 2nd two pics are rear chamber.

 

Your front rotor with the rusty plugs almost certainly has a water jacket seal give out, and that rust is a combination of coolant which has rusted the inside of the chamber housing and rotor. Have you drained the coolant from the engine and looked for rust?

I'm afraid it's going to need to be pulled and disassembled. Trying to run it the way it sits will likely result in great clouds of steam out the back, and a diminishing supply of coolant the longer you run it - assuming the rear rotor has enough oomph to start the engine. Sorry to share bad news.

The worst thing you can do to a collector car is let it sit for years unused.

 

The wheels do not appear to be from the LE as they have a center cap that looks similar to the BBS on the FC verts.
So what wheels are they and is it still a 4x110 pattern?

Welcome and glad the car is slowly coming back to life.