QuantumDuck

I can't get my 88SE to start...I've done the whole unflooding thing several times and I know it's gettin spark cuz it tries to start but dies...there was gas dripping from the exhaust flange gasket that had blown out, so i replaced it but can't seem to get it not to leak really bad when I'm crankin the motor over to try and start it...
I put a new flange gasket in it, new plugs, changed the oil, did the indepth unflooding procedure twice and still no go..and still have gas dripping out of the flange gasket that STILL won't seal.

Could my cat be clogged? If I disconected the exhast at the flange gasket, would it theoretically run? (I ask this because I don't know if there is any backpressure needed for a rotory to run right...and yes...I'm still new ) Any other things that I should check/replace? Any and all help will be rewarded with lots of beer and free barbque...but you have to come to my house for that

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

I would say that in addition to whats probably going to require a push start or ATF, you should do a compression check.

If the cat is clogged, your motor should still run, but VERY BADLY, unless there is a complete blockage of the exhaust system. Feel any whooshes at the exhaust tips while cranking?

Jarrett

QuantumDuck

I've already done the atf thing and I'm not sure about the whooshes at the exhaust tip...my arms ain't long enough to reach back that far while cranking ..I'll have the wifey help me with that when she gets home...There is a really loud whooshing sound coming from under the hood though the closest thing I can find for that is the exhaust flange leak...

I don't have the means to do a compression test (yet) but when clearing the cylinders, (oh god...I have pistons on the brain ), with the spark plugs out, the gas vapors get shot out pretty hard from both rotors...

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

HMmm..May want to do some preliminary checks like that, then might want to consider the good old push/pull start... Ive personally seen it work.

Jarrett

QuantumDuck

I'll give the push start thing a try..the good part is i live right by a hill...the bad part is...I live the bottom of that hill...

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

By push start, I mean using another vehicle. You gotta get the RPMs up.

Rat

QuantumDuck

I haven't tried the pull start thing yet..gave the battery a really good charge overnight and went back out tonight to wrench around somemore...
The flange gasket still leaks, but now it is shooting an almost constant spray of gas out of it?!?! WTF?!

I'm headin back out to go through the whole unflooding thing again only this time...I'm gonna use regular motor oil instead of ATF...

Anyone have any other ideas?

QuantumDuck

Back from outside.....

MASSIVE gas vapors! I let the motor turn over for about a minute and a half till I could see no more vapors rising from the engine compartment...

Should I drop some oil in the spark plug holes and turn the motor over a little without the spark plugs in or just throw in the plugs after dropping oil in?

I eagerly await any answer

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Okay, here are some questions that might help figure out whats wrong.

Did the car just suddenly stop running? Or have you NEVER started it? Did you do some major work to it? It sounds flooded, but there are other things that may be affecting the motor. Compression is one, and timing might be another. If it was running one day, and wouldnt start the next, I would go with flooding. Get all that gas out of the cylinders, then it probably wouldnt hurt to put some oil in the LOWER plug holes, crank, repeat a few times. Then try to start.

Jarrett

*edit* there is yet another way to start a flooded motor that I have found to be quite affective, but it requires that you access the fuel pump connector in the back of the car. It also requires 2 people. Basically the same principle as a fuel cut-off switch. Unplug the fuel pump, have someone else crank the car. Then plug it in. Sometimes, the car will flood again, so you just unplug the fuel pump, and keep cranking. Once the car starts to run, you plug the pump back in.

shurton

I just had a severe flooding problem last week. ATF and the unflooding procedure got me close to starting but not quite. So added an ounce of ATF per rotor, and had a buddy push my car with his truck. AT 30mph I popped the clutch in 2nd, and away I went.

good luck

QuantumDuck

J-Rat...Car was running fine one day and then the next I heard a sound like air rushing out of the motor compartment somewhere,not really loud, but the performance of my car was slightly lacking...I looked,listened and felt all around the engine and found the noise to be coming from low on the passenger side of the motor, but could feel nothing with my hands and thought it might be a sucking noise instead of a blowing noise, so I basically shot carb cleaner all over the intake system and found nothing that way...the next day the noise was louder and the car would barely go 45mph so I parked it on some wheel ramps and haven't been able to get it started since..even though I have found the source of the noise to be the ehaust gasket, there is literally a massive cloud of atomized gas flowing out of the exhaust flange...

shurton...The push start thing happens tonight for sure..

I'm also bringing a compression tester home...I know I can probably do a search for it, but what exactly is the procedure for compression testing a rotary...I have seen references to numbers like 90/85/85...I'm assuming that is for each side of the rotor...but how do you read only one side of the rotor at a time?...I realize that may sound stupid, but as you all may have guessed I'm no rotor-pro...

With all the gas coming out of the ehxaust it may very well be a timing thing...I have a timing light...is it any different checking the timing on a rotory than a piston car? how do you check the timing?

Thanks again for all your help

darkwaveboi

get a compression tester with a valve in it that makes it so the needle doesnt stay at the highest point. Then have someone crank while you look at the gauge and see where it goes up to.

Roy James

Yeah, and when you want the whole rotor's compression let the button stay up and just let it build pressure. If you have one bad side and two good sides (anything over 75-80psi should be able to run decent, 95psi or so is optimal, and 120psi is perfect) then one of your seals may just be stuck. In this case, take the exhaust manifold off and use a mirror to look at the rotors sides. You'll be able to tell from there. If you have zero compression on the whole rotor then one or more of the seals broke loose and distroyed the other seals, as well as the housings.

But! if its just severly flooded, and has zero compression, it could just be not sealing due to the gas in there. I would maybe change your injectors as one or more might be hung open and just dumping fuel in as soon as you start to crank it up. Have you installed a fuel cutt-off switch or done the 'ghetto switch' mentioned earlier?

QuantumDuck

Just got back from doing the push start thing...got rollin to 30mhp and let the clutch out in 2nd gear...5 times...and nothing

From all of your advice and counsel...this is my conclusion...

I have a stuck injector(s) that has clogged my cat.

Here is my train of thought...feel free to tell me I'm full of **** because this all theory at this point...

An injector got stuck open (which would explain why my gas mileage went to **** when it first started running bad..which I totally forgot about until Roy James mentioned a stuck injector..thanks Roy ) which would also explain the serious gas cloud behind and under the car while trying to start it, it also would explain a clogged the cat (thats got about 160k miles on it AND had the wifey tell me there was nothing coming out the tail pipes when I tried to crank it over), that blew out the exhaust flange gasket, and continues to flood the motor, which explains why I can't get it to stop flooding. even after unflooding it about 10 times....

Like an idiot, I forgot the compression tester at work so thats gonna have to wait...right now I think I'm gonna concentrate on the injectors....btw can you tell by lookin at an injector if it's stuck or not?

and Roy...nope...no cut off switch..


Thanks again...you guys are really helpin me out here and I appreciate more than you will ever know....