I Just picked up the car up a few weeks ago..and like most when they get their first 7, I dont know much about rotaries yet. The guy I bought it from said that it had ran fine, but he had parked it for awhile and then it wouldnt start back up, from what i have researched I took that as a combo of a stuck seal and flooding. I turned the car over and took the leading plug out each rotor. The front one has three strong pops, but the rear has two strong, one week. I put a combo of ATF and Seafoam down each rotor and let it sit. After a while I took the plugs out and turned the motor over by hand to walk out the ATF and junk. I put new plugs in it and pulled it behind a truck for a good long way, not even one pop, it didnt try to fire. I know that the fuel pump is coming on and I know that its getting spark, what gives? Even missing that one compression on the rear rotor it should start right ? when I took the plugs out they were of course covered in fuel but they were also coated in ATF. Any ideas? The spark didn't look overly strong, are there any common ignition problems? BTW= L1 and T1 go with the front rotor right?

 

Also, I thought that the comp might be week since i didnt do an actual compression test, but the car pulled like it had gobs of compression, even with the stuck or blown side seal...gerrr...

 

Grab a set of new plugs, and make sure that the wires are routed correctly. A new cap/rotor too while you're at it. Beyond that you'll probably have to wait until the Doc wakes up and checks this thread out...

 

Clean your plugs with a propane torch. But, like the above post suggested, buy some new plugs too. After you get it started put the new plugs in.
Put a timing light on your leading plug wires and insure that you have spark.
Then repost your results.
If you have spark and the plug wires are going to the right plugs, pull starting it should start it up.
L1 = lower plug towards the radiator
L2 = lower plug towards the firewall

 

anyone else thinking bad ignitor?

 

Did you have the trans in gear?

How did you verify that the fuel pump was coming on?
You need to do more than just turning it over by hand to deflood it and get rid of the ATF.
Did you verify for spark at both leading and trailing sides?

 

yep, second gear at about 25mph (I got the sarcasm). I turned the key on and had my brother push open the AFM door while I was under the car and heard it. I'm not sure now if I checked the leading plugs...I just pulled out two and grounded them to the intake. That could be something. Also, I guess I misunderstood the ATF deflood, I thought that pulling/ pushing the car would be enough after I got most of the stuff out. I suppose that the ATF could be fouling the plugs. How should I get the rest out? Turn it over with the plugs out and the EGI fuse pulled (since I cant seem to find out where the fuel pump relay is..)? I thought that I would have to leave some ATF in so that maybe it would get the side seal loose while running...Thanks for all the info so far, this is the best forum for any type of car that I have ever been on as far as info.

 

Wait, I have full tach function though...doesn't the tach read off the leading ignition?

 

Tach reads off trailing. To disable the fuel pump, pull the engine fuse under the dash. If the plugs are wet at all, they won't fire across the gap, but rather through the fuel/atf that is fouling them.

Disable spark and fuel, pull all the plugs and crank the engine over with the starter to clear the combustion chambers. When the fog stops blowing out of the plug holes, most of the atf is gone. Plugs MUST be clean and dry to fire. I've had to sandblast brand new plugs after 30 seconds of cranking, then clean them with brake cleaner and dried with compressed air to to get them to refire.

Towing should have cleared the atf, so I'd say the plugs are fouled. Test all 4 plugs for spark If the tach is working, then the trailing ignitor should be good, make sure both leading plugs have a good strong spark.

 

does the engine fuse under the dash (the one in the regular fuse box right?) disable spark too? if not, what is the best way to disable the spark safely? I'm kinda new to all this old school dizzy stuff, mostly work on newer Subarus with DIS.

 

Disconnect the coil wires.

 

IT RUNS!!! sorta... well I feel like an idiot because i was sure that it was getting gas...the plugs were just wet from the seafoam/ atf combo. the fuel and return line were hooked into each other and bypassing the engine (no idea why someone would do that...) well anyway I hooked up the lines, turned over like twice and started. Still fairly sure that there is a bad seal because it ran bad and wouldn't idle. my dad went to town on a screw while I was trying to keep it running. He was thinking idle screw (old time guys...) but it was in fact the TPS. I know that it would do this if an apex is blown, but wouldn't a jacked TPS make it not idle and surge?

 

So even with the car running on like a rotor and half, this is one of the funnest cars I've ever driven! I drove an FC and I thought that was fun...the FC feels like a really big car next to my SE. I see why you guys put so much time and effort into them! The power isn't stupid but the car has really good balance. BTW I ATF'd again and it seems like it was getting better (still wouldn't idle, but ran smoother with more power), I had to go back to college before I could dig in further but I might have even gotten the seal unstuck! FB FTW!!

 

1 can seafoam + 1/8 tank of gas, then go for a hard drive. If you have a sticking apex seal, that should take care of it. Otherwise you may be looking at a rebuild...

 

would the TPS make it not idle and surge? seems like it would to me...

 

Yes

 

Well if the sensor is bad and variably adjusting itself it could be causing a serging effect check the archives there are a few surging threads out there.

 

I bought my car last November and when the weather got cold I also had problems starting the car. It would start right up when it was cold, but if I went somewhere and then let it sit for an hour or two, it would have trouble. The consensus seemed to be that it was a leaking injector. By using Seafoam and just driving the car a lot, it got better. So far this winter I haven't had the problem. ( hope I didn't just jinx myself)