alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

so i recently finished my rebuild... all new seals and springs, bearings, sleeve inserts tacked in with some high temp locktite, and some exhaust porting... the engine is completely solid... i drop it in and hook everything up, cross my fingers, and it won't start... i'm getting a spark, there is a proper signal to the injectors... so i spray some petroleum ether in the intake and it runs for a few seconds... so fuel delivery is obviously my problem.

i did the priming procedure in the haynes manual, the pump came on as it also does when the engine is cranking and then i checked the sending line from the tank right before it connects to the metal tubing before the lower fuel rail and it flowed freely into the cup i had put under the line and had pressure (do not have a guage, but it had good force against my finger when i put it over the line). then, i disconnected the pressure regulator and banjo connector on the upper fuel rail to see if it had been flowing there... it was completely dry... so was the return line obviously... any suggestions?

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J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Have you tried jumpering the fuel pump check connector, to see if you have flow?

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

yeah, i've done that several times and it pumped fuel out... i've done it with and without the feed hose connected to the metal fitting right after the filter... the rails are still dry though... it's like it's not getting past that point. oh, and the manual says it should stop pumping after ~10 secs if you jump the yellow connector, but it just kept going... i'm so stumped.

NZConvertible

[QUOTE]Originally posted by alexdimen

Quote:

...the manual says it should stop pumping after ~10 secs if you jump the yellow connector, but it just kept going...

No it doesn't, it just says to turn the ignition on for 10 seconds to prime the system and check for leaks. With the check connector jumpered it'll keep running as long as the ignition's on.

Double-check that don't you have the flow and return lines mixed up. You wouldn't be the first to accidentally do that. The engine won't start like that because there's no pressure behind the injectors.

If it's a US engine the flow line goes from the fuel filter to the primary (lower) rail, if it's a J-spec engine the flow line goes from the fuel filter to the secondary (upper) rail.

If that's OK you might have a blockage. Disconnect both the flow and return lines and blow through one of them. Air should flow from the other.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

still not running right! ALRIGHT... the lines were crossed... and i blame that partly on my stupidity and partly on the fact that the orientation of the tubes on the 86 i got it off of is the reverse of the 88's lines (which i had labeled front and rear). i get everything flowing right, or so i think and it roars to life... for about 2 seconds. it won't stay running under 2000 rpm or without my foot on the throttle keeping the revs that high.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Vac leak!

oregano

iTrader: (1)

so did it turn out to be a vacuum leak? im really curious cuz i wanna be able to diagnose my car once i get it running.

oh, and how does it run after you allow it to warm up? maybe its just being touchy cuz its freshly rebuilt and
ported.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

well i'm going out tonight to check for vac leaks, though i don't know exactly what to look for (cold as it is). i guess i'm just looking for bad connections in hoses, etc. i will post again on the diagnosis.

oregano

iTrader: (1)

i think it would have to be a MAJOR vac leak to prevent your from idle. usually it just idles rough, but i have little experience with rotaries so i may be wrong.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

alright, so here's the verdict... good call oregano, there was no vacuum leak (checkeed it with mapp and propane gasses). i had the fuel lines reversed and when i had swapped some coolant connection near the fire wall on the dynamic chamber i had forgot to hold back a spring-loaded screw, which rested on a sensor of some kind, when installing the good one. fixed that... so it finally started and ran on it's own, but it seems that those were only the first of two of my problems.

there is a major coolant leak... it's not getting into the internals though, because i keep checking the oil and there are no signs of water in it. that i can easily remedy (hopefully). what concerns me is that it has a rough idle at around 800 rpm, when i press on the gas it will sometimes die, and when i put it in drive or reverse (it's an automatic tranny) and let off the break it stalls out (sometimes it will die just by being in gear and the break still on). it's like pulling out the clutch on a manual without giving it gas! i say **** it! it's like i put my dick in my own ***!

oregano

iTrader: (1)

hmmm.... i still think it might be cuz the engine is new + ported. how duz the car feel when driving around at 2500 - 3000 RPM?

If your car runs fine other than at idle, I suggest you adjust your idle speed a bit. Maybe put it up to 1100?

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

man, these japanese rotor housings are not mating with the american lower intake well... i've got a coolant leak between the two because for some reason on the jspec there is an open cooling port where oin the american it is only a circular half inch deep indentation!?! no, i can't even drive it. it stalls out before it rolls anywhere. hopefully with the leak fixed and some steady idling the engine will break in a bit and gain power maybe?

oregano

iTrader: (1)

"the jspec there is an open cooling port where oin the american it is only a circular half inch deep indentation!?"

So is there one hole on the housing and one on the lower intake to flow coolant? If so, are they reversed?
Please explain this as it is very peculiar. Is your car turbo or n/a?

I know that on my friend's n/a FC, the intake manifold had all the ports open and so did the rotor housing. Now he bought a TI engine and i noticed that it looks like one of the intake ports is closed off on the housing and manifold, and that the other one is used to flow coolant.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

very sorry, my mistake... i'm using all n/a housings except for one rotor housing from a turbo (the one i thought was a wierd japanese variation)... apparently there is a cooling channel through small ports in the intake to cool the turbo or something... i used an o-ring and it stopped the leak. it had nothing to do with intake channels... the port i'm referring to that was open is on the rotor housing about an inch above the mounting bolt for the lower intake maninfold...

oregano

iTrader: (1)

hmmm, yeah, i think i know what u mean. so there is a hole on the turbo rotor housing but not on the manifold, correct? and coolant was leaking from there?

I really dont know but maybe the turbo rotor housing flows coolant differently than the n/a? I guess this could prevent the waterpump from flowing coolant and create power loss.... maybe. Can your car idle long enough to check if it overheats?

Are the intake/exhaust ports even the same for turbo/na?

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

exactly, the only port on the rotor housing for any 2nd gen is the exhaust and smaller openings for oil metering and spark plugs on the top and other side, i worked out an o-ring size for the hole and it's now sealed against the intake manifold, where coolant in a turbo would normally flow. the intake on an n/a is a 6 port system (two of which only open up at higher speeds), turbo i'm not sure of, but the only turbo housing i am using is the rotor housing, which like i said is no different than n/a aside from the cooling hole.

i can get the car to idle for a while and then my spark plugs get fouled up...i'll take them out and ground them and try to fire them and they won't arc, but a new set works fine... no overheating or water in the oil though. i know the engine is solid... it sounds great and revs smoothly (when it doesn't mysteriously cut out when i touch the pedal too heavily or destroy new $40 sets of ngk plugs!).

oregano

iTrader: (1)

destroys ur plugs?!?! wow, i would definately look into that. maybe they are just wet with fuel when u take them out?

from the symptoms u describe, it sounds like the engine is running really rich. duz the turbo rotor housing have the same 3 intake ports as the intake manifold u are using? and do they line up correctly? i know u said they are the same, but im just making sure.

it sounds to me as if ur engine is unable to suck in air properly. maybe the intake is clogged somewhere?

HAILERS

Are not the air passages for the *Port Air* different b/t a turbo and a n/a? You know. The air passages to the diffuser in the exaust ports. I know there is a difference b/t the front and rear rotors on a non-turbo in this respect, that's why a front and rear should not be swapped on a non-turbo car if you want the Port Air to go where it should go and the EGR air to go where it should go.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

oregano; tho only turbo housing that i am using is the front rotor housing... there are no intake ports on any rotor housing... the intake comes to the rotors by the side housings and intermediate housings whether the car is a turbo or an n/a.

hailers; i'm not familiar with the port air system you're talking about, could this really be a problem? i didn't notice any differences between the two rotor housings (one n/a and one turbo housing) besides the turbo had a ported exhaust and a cooling port. that would really suck if i had to pull the engine apart again.

i just find it hard to believe that my problem lies in the fact that i replaced one of my rotor housings with one from a turbo engine...

HAILERS

Nah. The different rotor housings in the wrong spot would only mess with the EGR and the PortAir (read emissions). I think.

ON a 86 or a 87 there is a variable resistor that can be used to lean out the idle mixture. You might try that. Make note of where the screw was prior to making an adjustment so you can return to that spot once again if required.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

ALRIGHT, well it's been a while and it finally got warm enough to work on the ole' roxy again... seems i got to the bottom of the problem... i had the friggin' primary injector wires running to the secondary and vice versa (double checked against haynes wiring diagram). i feel like a complete dumbass, but i suppose that in the process i found smaller problems that would have gotten me eventually anyways.

in addition, i had to rewire them because of my impatience in disassembling the engine for rebuild and as i checked their polarity (i checked for common positive with an ohm meter between the right terminal on the disconnected plugs and + battery term for anyone's reference) i found that one of them was inconsistent, i fixed that and am going to check the wiring diagrams before reassembly to be sure. she should be as good as new by the end of the week. *crossing fingers*

this just goes to show that cutting corners is not worth it by a long shot... there's a reason for detailed labels and for not accidentally ripping out efi female plugs.

can't wait to have the luxury of bondo-ing two doors and a hood, mmm...

now about that paint job...
ferrari red, tint, and 17's are definitely in order...

thanx for the input everyone, and if anyone's got any questions feel free to pm me. man that put me in a good mood...