Okay. Here's the deal. I bought an rx-7 about 6 months ago right around the time I got married. Thing is, the wife hates the car more than menstration and I need to get this thing running before it seizes and then she mocks me coldly. Here's what happened:

1) Turn key to "on" -> Nothing happend anywhere..

2) Bought new battery and installed it.

3) Turn key to "on"
Lights came on, Batter gauge read 10V
Strange "whirring" sound from engine compartment...

4) Turn key to "start"
Everything but the clock dies.
Strange "whirring" stops

5) See step 3

Okay boys. Need help... I know nothing much of the 13B engine... or rotaries... except that the concept blows my mind!

 

It's an automatic and the place I bought it from said that the transmission needs to be replaced... but why would the sound die as soon as I tried to start it and why in the world would nothing happen when I try to start it....

the transmission is leaking but I don't think that I need the transmission working to have it turn over....

 

Check your starter. See if it is good.

The sounds stopping are because the relay cuts power to almost everything to give your starter power.

 

I'll check the starter when I have some more time to work on it (I have to move soon) but what could that whirring be? No idea what the whirring could be? Thanks for your suggestion.

 

the fan could be whirring, it turns on when you put the key to on.

if thats not the whirring, then are you hearing a kinda "tic tic tic tic" very fast? like valve tick? that could be the BAC (bypass air control) its supposed to do that as well (yea, i thought something was broke when i heard it too)
and then i also had kind of the same problem. i would put the key to ON and the fan would come on, the ticking would be there, but when i tried to crank it, it would die, i would hear a big CLICK, and it would shut down, and not turn on for a few seconds. we found out the battery cable was not on all the way.

oh, and your other problem is easy. you need a wife who encourages your intrests. my GF really encourages my rx7 intrests. so much that shes memorized how to take care of a rx7. but i know theres no way to change the mind of a woman. looks like your just gonna have to teach her what the five fingers said to the face, that or once you get it running, run into the house yelling "YEAAAAAAAAA!!!"

 

Yeah... a girl who digs cars would be cool. I was watching an anime (Initial D) when I realized that I loved cars and want to know as much as I could. I also want to learn to drift. It was a very sudden change for me.

The whirring sound isn't a clicking, it's a whirr from a fan for sure. After I turn it off, I can hear the whirr slow so... I have to replace the starter I suppose. I bought one off of ebay and it was for a manual--I have an automatic. So it looks like I'll be rebuilding a starter. But that will have to wait awhile.

Thanks for all the info guys. Keep it comming. I'll try to get a picture of the Green Goblin for you guys soon.

 

Here's a couple pictures of my green goblin. I haven't gotten around to messing around with the starter, but I hope to sometime this week. Wife permitting.



Umm.... not too sure if the pictures are working here...

open a new browser and type in:

http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/1901/greengoblin1.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/1901/greengoblin2.jpg

 

okay. I rebuilt the starter. It seems that the coil was going so it was needing over 200 amps to get going. Most houses are only 100 amps so that's a lot of power! So here's what's going on:

1) Rebuilt starter
2) Reinstalled starter
3) Put key to "ON"
4) No more "whirring"
5) Put key to "START"
6) Engine tries to turn but doesn't...

I only cranked it for like 15 to 20 seconds. The car has sat for about 6 months. Any ideas about what to do??

 

you may have put the batt to dead by all the turning? what do you mean by it trys to turn, what happens.

gee i wish i was the the same boat. mine has been sitting since 94.

 

i had the SAME thing happen to me. the two starter terminals were touching eachother...

 

Well, I mean that the starter goes and I hear the engine trying to turn over... like most engines. But it doesn't go. I'm still reading 10 volts on the battery so I'm not too sure what the deal is. I was just wondering, because it has been sitting for awhile, there might be some kind of routine matinence to do on the car.

 

Time to go for the basics (since it sat long) Check spark and fuel, also your car may just be flooded so check the flooding section. Also, while you're working on the flooding part do a compression check. Have your wife crank it over so you can read the gauge. Chicks like it when you involve them, even if they bitch.

 

This right here will talk you through unflooding. It's VERY helpful and detailed.

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/flooding.html

Also Make sure you do *at least* the poor mans compression test so you know what you are dealing with.

Directions here:

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/comp.html

You are also going to want to do your basic tune up stuff at this time.

New plugs
Fuel filter
Plug wires
air filter
(oil change duh)**

**- Oil can become so saturated with fuel that it will create compression problems from being it being injected into the engine.

 

Right on. I'll be sure to do that after I get some monies together. This car has gone from no nothing to wanting to start and it's all thanks to you guys. Thanks.

 

maybe your terminals aren't clean, so it's not getting juice to the starter, it's free to clean them up so i would recommend that, aswell as checking the grounds.

 

The whirring might be your fuel pump, which you normally can't hear over all the other sounds it makes when it's running.

 

Well, the whirring thing stopped after I bought a new battery and rebuilt the starter.

I pulled out two of the spark plugs (I couldn't get the upper set out...) and had my wife turn it over. (On a side note, I have been a real *** the last 3 days and she loves me so she's the best!) I felt the air rush out and it sounded like an steam engine so I know that the compression is good. Now, I have never seen plugs like the ones that I pulled out of this rx-7 so I'm gonna take them to a shop and see if they need to be replaced.

So, what we have is this:

1) Starter works
2) Battery is new
3) Compression in both rotars

Still have to:

1) Replace shot auto. tranny
2) Oil change
3) Air filter
4) Possibly new spark plugs.

Thanks all. Still looking to get this beast up and running.

 

The car still won't turn over though...

 

Did you try using the Automatic transmission fluid to create compression in the chambers?

 

On a side note, I would strongly suggest that if you can drive a manual transmission to swap one in instead of buying another automatic. The performance and reliabilty factors of the manual transmission are immense.

 

f1bluerx-7:
How do I use the tranny fluid to create compression??

truespin88:
I would love to drive a standard, yet, I fear that I can't find the parts. Well, I might go down to the local "Pick your Part" but even if there was one, I don't have the cash... yet. I hope that I will get a tax return so then I could use some of that to finally get the car up and running as well as moving.

 

cptlee2: you are in luck, my good sir. I have a friend who has nearly all of the parts, and all together. His forum handle is AcidShock. PM him and ask if he still has the stuff you need.

 

The directions are in my first post

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/flooding.html

 

Okay guys. I had a new battery but I forgot to take the wire off it when I was don working on it a bit so then it died. I tried jumping it and lo and behold it started!

Smoke came out the engine and I tried to get out and pull off the jumpers and it stalled before I got there. But when I looked into the engine, I only had 3 of the 4 spark plug wires on the plugs... so I'm not sure if the problem is where the starter is drawing to much power and the spark plug wires are shot so that the rotars would spin too slow and the spark on the plugs aren't enough to create combustion... does that make sense to you guys?

 

it sounds like you have some poor grounding. the extra power from the jumpers gave you what you needed to start the car, i say new ground wires and a full tune up and you should be good