Ok, I have a 1990 GTU and i went to start it up on sunday, no problems there, starts up exactly like it should, but when i went to start it up today, nothing, it sounds like it wants to start but it doesnt do anything, and there is smoke coming out of the exhaust, not like poofing out, just like rolling out. If you need more information or if you know what might be wrong, please oh please let me know.

 

anyone

 

Sounds flooded. Pull the 30A EGI fuse in the fuse block in the engine bay, then crank it w/o the fuse in. Put the fuse back in, and try it. If that does not work then pull the fuse, and the spark plugs, and crank the key till the engine stops smoking from the spark plug holes (burning off xtra gas). Put everyting back, and go again. If that does not work, put some ATF in there, let it soak, and try again...

 

Can you hear the starter working?

 

what happens when you engage the fuel cut by pressing the gas pedal to the floor while cranking?

 

Alright ill go try that, and no i dont hear any clicking.

 

Questions:

Is it turning over? If you've got smoke coming out of the tailpipe, it must be...

What does the smoke smell like? What colour is it?

How's the charge on your battery?

What do the plugs look like after you try to start it?

Have you searched the Forum with terms like "hard start" or "won't start"?

 

No clicking? Hmm might be a bad starter...

 

Oops. In the time it took me to write that you got some much more valuable replies. Good luck!

 

Does it GALLOP when trying to start?

It . . . . A L M O S T. . . . starts but never does?

Pull your trailing plugs.

Screw the rear one back in just a few turns.

Pull the EGI fuse.

Turn the engine over a few times.

You should hear a constant series pf pulses.

Now put the front plug in a few turns, remove the rear.

You should hear a constant series pf pulses.

If you hear one or both rotors doing

"Hiss" "hiss" " " "Hiss" "hiss" " " "Hiss" "hiss" " "

Then you dropped an apex seal.

Welcome to "Rotary Parenthood".

Time to access that $1200 "new engine" account you opened a few months ago....

What? you didnt have such a savings account?

oops.

Anyway, its not devastating, just takes time to swap the engine.

I can do it for $650, you bring the car + engine.

I can fly there if you have metric tools, jack stands, a 2x4 and a crane.

Airtran is wonderful.
I am very good too!

 

dang it, i knew i should have opened that account, anyways, thanks for all your help, im about to go try some of these things. Cross your fingers for me that the rebuild monster isnt around the corner.

 

WAIT...

If its flooded, the 1990 ECU is modified at thefactory to do a WOT dry start.

hold the pedal to the floor when you turn the key to start.

this kills the fuel pump.



Start the car for 10 seconds and then let off the pedal.
it should lumber to a start.

this is better then the EGI fuse, or other un-flooding techniques for earlier cars.

1990/91 cars are special in this way...

 

That always worked for my 87.

 

That never worked for my 91 n/a.

 

how odd.

they arent designed that way.

 

I fought mine for 6 hours to get it to unflood when I let it sit for 2 weeks over X-Mas. This is why I added a fuel cut switch...

 

the fuel cut switch falls into the:

"This shouldn't augta be"

category.

I was threatened with this problem early on with my car.
I fixed the injectors and the other things that i felt were causing it and it went away, along with all my vaccum leaks, my 6 port problems etc....
(intake rebuild in other words)

I had to do it, and all had been right ever since.

 

it usually worked when i needed to do it on my 1991 cars.

its a tricky maneuver.

Hold it down, crank....

let it rest (for the batterys sake)

hold it down, crank, release , still cranking, sputter, half throttle, sputter, full throttle.

this works every time for me.

 

Just tow start that ****! My 91 used to have a serious flooding problem, and there would be times that it jsut WOULDNT start until I got really angry, grabbed my father's horrible underpowered 90 HP previa, tied the tow loops in the back of it to those on the front of my 7, had my friend it in the 7 and pop the clutch once I was pulling him at 15 mph or so. It struggled along at 2500 rpm for about 50 feet before the engine actually coughed to life, started, and filled my block with smoke. Weeee!

So, its probably not the greatest philosophy, but when my car just refused to start, I litteraly draged it down the street kicking and screaming until it cooperated. I dont know how effective this is if one of your apex seals is stuck or fucked up or something