how do you know if your car is just running one rotor?

 

it will have no power

 

Sounds like One hand beating a drum. Or one hand clapping!

 

You have No compression on the bad rotor1

 

the last time i drove my car on 1 rotor, the fastest you can get it to flooring it in 3rd is about 65mph, if you shift to 4th you just start slowing down. that was the last one i had

 

What a bunch of useless answers (except the last one).

The telltale signs are:

1. No power
2. Very rough idle
3. Black smoke
4. Sounds like it's "missing"
5. Low vacuum

If you pull the spark plugs and crank the engine, you will find one rotor with loud, strong chugs. The other rotor will be very weak.

 

To add to Aarons.

It will also be very sluggish on rising in RPM's.

If your pulling the plug there is the chance you'll still get nice wooshes if your rotor is fine but the injectors aren't sending fuel. This was my case when the harness was bad.

 

When my rear rotor blew (totally lost compression) the engine would barely idle - it sounded like a lawn mower at idle. It smoothed out nicely over 2000 RPM, but had *no* power. Revving the engine in neutral involved 1000 RPM/second rise or so, instead of the normal spastic response. Starting the car required slipping the clutch at 3000-4000 RPM, and I had no acceleration. I'm not sure I could have made it to 65 - it had ZERO power.

-=Russ=-

 

when mine went if the engine was running and the doors were open it looked like the car was flapping and trying to fly away... there is no mistaking a completely gone chamber..
If your car is running on 1 rotor then ... low power... no acceleration... dies trying to climb uphill.. it just sucks

 

DIN-DING-DING