Ok it seems like whenever i get one problem figured out in comes the next one!!! A while ago when i was driving my car i shut it off to go in the bank and came back out and it didn't want to start... it just cranked and cranked, i noticed that the only accessory lights coming on were the parking brake and the seatbelt. i wiggled some wires and went back in and it started just like normal.
ok so now i put a new fuel pump on my car and have done a few other things to it and go to start it for the first time in weeks and it is doing the same thing but i obviously can't find the magic wire to wiggle.
Any suggestions on this or do you think i'm out of my mind and the two problems have nothing to do with eachother and have been a stupid coincidence???

 

As cars get old the electrical connectors accumulate some corrosion between the contact areas. The very electric current going thru the connector can contribute to the buildup. I've used regular "Contact Cleaner" from the electronics store to improve connectors, but they aren't as good as the old contact cleaners which had a lot of carbon tetrachloride, a carcinogen, not used much in modern concoctions. But I noticed that there's a new Contact Cleaner at Kohlweiss in Redwood City (King of autostores in the SF bayarea) so I'm going to try that.

Try a Contact Cleaner. The trick is to spray it in the right place.

 

When a car won't start, you can take a look at it from this angle:

You need 3 things to make an engine run: Air/Fuel, Compression and Spark

Assuming you're not flooded (which is a distinct possibility. Rotaries flood pretty easily and they don't "unflood" themselves by just sitting there like piston engines do), and you haven't lost compression for some reason, then you should start by checking for spark.

If you don't have spark, start by tracing from the battery to the fusible link box. Use contact cleaner on this and make sure your fusible links aren't burned through. I used to have to wiggle my fusibles to get started sometimes too.

Then check the connections at your ignition coils and the ignitors on the side of the distributor. Check your spark plug wires, and if you have some dielectric grease, it's always a good idea to have a little on them.

While you're at it, checking your alternator connections is good too.

Let us know what you find.

Jon

 

Check the electrical portion of the ignition switch.