al4252

Got a 1980 rx7 yesterday..I cant get it to crank..its got gas to the carb and spark to the plugs..Car has been sitting up for 4 years..I couldnt get the plugs out because they were so far into the block...How do i remove the plugs and any troubleshooting tips would be nice.....THANKS

OnlyOnThurs

plugs were so far into the block?!?! Um they should be right there easly accesible.....can you post a pic of this?? You you will somehow need to take those plugs out and inspect them AND replace them......Hmmmm there might be a few other things wrong with it as well since its been sitting for 4 years.....So you can't get it to turn over at all? or it does turn over at least? Oh and start looking atthe FAQ's....lots of good info here to help you out.

RotaryMelon

iTrader: (7)

Maybe the spark plugs are so far into the housing that the apex seals are hitting the spark plugs & shattering instantly when turned *shudder*

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Sounds like someone put in the NGK B8EIX plugs which require the thinwall socket to install and remove. If that is the case then you have 2 choices. 1). Get a pair of pliers or vicegrips and grab onto the ends and remove. If they break off and you can't get a grip back on them, then see option 2.
2). But a thinwall socket from Mazdatrix that is designed to install those plugs.

After you remove the plugs you need to see if they are gas fouled. If they are you need to perform the de-flooding procedure that is in the Archive section. Then I would run a compression test to see what you have. If the compression looks ok then install new plugs.

Make sure before you attempt to restart that your battery connections are good and the battery is in great shape. If you don't crank the engine fast enough it will flood. Also recommend that before cranking to spray some starting fluid down the carb before cranking.

Now, if you very low compression listed on the gauge then I would recommend using the MMO treatment as found in the Archive section.

al4252

[QUOTE=al4252]Got a 1980 rx7 yesterday..I cant get it to crank..its got gas to the carb and spark to the plugs..Car has been sitting up for 4 years..I couldnt get the plugs out because they were so far into the block...How do i remove the plugs and any troubleshooting tips would be nice.....One other thing : The car turns over fine.What concerns me is that it turns over as if it has no compression.REAL EASY.
Now I don't know how a rotary should turn over because I'm new to the whole rotary concept......Thanks

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Like I stated above. You need to remove the plugs first. When you crank the motor over without the lower plugs in it you should here 3 strong whooshes out of the holes.

speedturn

iTrader: (1)

RX7 Doctor is telling you that Madatrix sells this thinwall socket made to fit those sparkplugs. from the www.mazdatrix.com website

TOOL SPARK PLUG SOCK Special SMALL DIAMETER #49-11529 price $75

Once you get those old plugs out and diagnose the engine compression, then you can buy some new sparkplugs that have the hex built farther up the body of the plug, so that you won't need that $75 special socket any more

Zkhwajas

Well If You Want It To Crank In The Carb Put 1 Cap Full of Oil And Make Sure You Have 2 Igniters And Dont Mess Up The Spark Plugs Dont Break Them In The Motor Or Lose The Wiring Order Or Push The Car WIth Couple Of People With The Ignition Turned On And When You Have At least 5-10MPH Put It In Gear It Might Start If Not See Push Again And See If Rotors Are Turning If Not New Motor Or Rebuild Because Motor Is Locked

fluffysheap

Wow, a $75 spark plug socket. I have never had the misfortune of encountering these plugs... that sucks.

The firing order is easy since it's printed on the distributor, don't worry about that, although it might not make sense at first. Rotors are numbered 1 (front) and 2 (back), and each has 2 plugs "L" and "T". It stands for Leading and Trailing but it's easier to remember as "Lower" and "Top". Getting them mixed up can be destructive, although if you mix it up in the right way, it just won't run...

If the plugs aren't too bad the engine will usually start if push started, but at some point the plugs will get totally fouled and nothing you can do will start the car then until you get new ones in there. And you will have to get the plugs out eventually anyway so now is as good a time as any. But if you can push start it, you can drive to some local rotary-qualified mechanic who might already have the socket. I guess this is one of those rare cases where a Mazda dealer, with their vast array of funny tools, is a good bet.

Don't forget to apply anti-seize compound to the new spark plugs before you put them in. If the previous owner used anti-seize you might be able to get the plugs out with vice grips.

al4252

[QUOTE=al4252]Got a 1980 rx7 yesterday..I finally got it to crank..O.K. Now it will run as long as im pouring gas into the carb!
: I have gas up to the carb. Its an elec. fuel pump in back...What may have stopped up in the carb in 4 years of sitting?I'm not afraid to take it apart,but,would like to know if anything is going to jump out!!!!!Oh Yea, I finally got all the plugs out by grinding a socket almost to nothing!

speedracer_not

The won't cranking thing might be a symptom of >>carbon lock<<

search for >>>atf treatment<<<

Maybe it was abondonned for 4 youras b/c of the carbon lock??

RXnos1200

iTrader: (24)

tap (not hard ) the banjo bolts by the top of the carb. the needle and seat maybe stuck not allowing the gas to flow into the float bowl.

Check the sight glass on the carb. There are 2 of them. You should be able to see the fuel level about the middle of the glass.

-=DanK=-

$75 for a socket? Screw that! Why not just buy a cheapo socket that is the right size for the nut on the plug, and grind the crap out of it until the wall is thin enough to slide in there? This could be done by putting the socket on a ratchet extention and putting the extention in the chuck of a drill, somehow secure the drill to something solid like a workbench or if you have a large enough vice your good to go. Then just tape the drill trigger to make it spin and hold a grinder to it until the desired diameter is reached.
Good Luck!

bliffle

Dank: I've been using a small $40 drillpress to hold work while grinding. they're available at Home Depot, among others, maybe the mfg is "Wolfcraft". Has many uses around the home and garage. Mount an old slow-speed 110v drill in it semi-permanently.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Friend of mine bought some cheap NGKs off eBay, then we found out why. They needed the thinwall socket. I took one of my old ones and ground the tip down until it fit.

Starting up a car that has sat for 4 years is fraught with problems. Mostly bad fuel, plugged filters, external and internal, carb varnished up and stuck seals in the engine because the carbon deposits have dried and hardened.

Drain the old gas, add 3 gallons of fresh gas and a full can of Seafoam, if you can get the engine running. Change the oil and filter, clean, flush and fill the cooling system. New plugs, plug wires, dizzy cap and rotor too.

A full carb rebuild is strongly recommended. In my sig line is a link to the online FSMs, carb manual, etc.. Download whatever you need.

Welcome to the forum and the Darkside.

-=DanK=-

Bliffle: Yeah a drillpress would be better, but we here in oreygun have to get ingenuitive when we dont have the proper tools.... You should see some of the crap I have come up with! but it gets the same job done.