hey guys.

my rx7 has been running fine for a while now. One day last week, after it sitting for like 2 weeks, i drove it to work. everything was fine except it was low on oil. i filled it up with oil, and drove it home. everything was fine, no problems.

the next morning, i go to leave for work and it starts, but stalls immediately with a kinda thump in the back of the car. it was sudden and wasnt expecting it so i dont really remember what it sounded like. anyway, i go to restart it, and it cranks but wont catch and start.

now, it is still doing the same thing. cranks, but wont start. so i unplugged to fuel pump, cranked it. plugged it back in, nothing changes. i take out the spark plugs, clean them, put them back in. nothing changes. took out the EGI fuse, nothing changes.

there is a little bit of white smoke coming out of the exhaust after i try and start it. its got a full tank of gas too.

any ideas would be great. thanks.

 

getting spark? fuel?

 

Collapsed cat?

 

pull plugs!check for coolant (might be a coolant seal)

 

Flooded? When mine just flooded out of nowhere, once I got it started, that fugger smoked the biggest cloud I ever seen come out of a car. And to top it all off, it was at a busy grocery store and everyone was like there is something wrong with your car.

 

I had a random choke and smoke incident as well. luckily I was able to start it by gassing it and drove home.
next morning, I was Afraid it wouldn't start, but it started well and runs fine
its scary tho , I know

 

Mine while trying to start would puff white smoke but would not start. Try removing the EGI fuse crank and crank for a min or so, (you need to crank it while the fuse is out, and a lot, just hold it cranking, no gassing it) then put the fuse back in and it should start hard, then smoke like crazy if it is flooded. Keep givin it a little gas to keep it running, till it will hold idle.

 

the smoke coming out isnt alot. its not like big puufs. its like little streams out the exhaust. it'll come out on side, then stop and come out the other side of the dual exhaust. there is no cat, it has a rb header, borla cat back exhaust, and a straight pipe cfonnecting the two.

i think there is fuel getting to it because i can smell it after cranking it.

to see if im getting spark, do i just pull out a plug and see if it sparks when cranking it?

 

you can pull the end of the plug wire off the coil and hold it close while someone cranks it. you will see a spark go from the coil to the plug wire. if you dont then your not getting spark. you can also pull the plugs but youll have to ground them on something. i would suggest wearing thick rubber gloves as well lol.

 

check fuel, check spark, check for coolant in oil, check compression. Rebuild engine as needed.

 

If your car is an S5 (89-91) hold the gas pedal to the floor crank for 10 sec., pause for 10 sec., repeat 10+ times. Then try to start normally.

You'll need lots of battery for this, a running car with some jumper cables is advised.

 

check the voltage on your battery if its low it might be that, if you change the sparks plugs and its wet when you crank it maybe you have fuel maybe no spark thats all, you can always unplug your spark plug wire leaving the spark plug in it and place it again the firwall of your car and have some crank the car with the EGI fuse out check to see any spark from both trail plugs wires. if you got spark than locate your fuel filter unplug the holes before the filter and check if fuel coming out. if you have both fuel and spark than trying spraying starter fluid into your intake manifold that help keep the car running. make sure to spray it in the bottom end of the manifold.

 

Misconception, my 87's manual states do this with a no start.

 

S4 doesn't have fuel cut when the ecu receives 100% t.p.s. reading on start up.

 

Then my factory manual (original, one that is in the glove box when you buy it) is wrong. I can snap a pic if you don't believe. Ill add the page number to here later, for all s4 owners to verify.

Why would the original Mazda, factory manual state this if not true? For you to flood it aftr reading it? Makes no sense.

 

It's because it lets more air into the engine on a s4 and is not a fuel cut.

 

alright, i finally had time to check on things.
first, i checked spark at all the plugs. all the plugs are sparking.
second, i tried to use starting fluid.
and i hooked it up to another car to jump it.

nothing. its still doing to same thing. i took a video that im going to try and upload on here.

i did it all with and without the fuel pump hooked up, thinking it was flooding. it didnt really seem to make a difference. at one point, it almost started, but immediately stalled. i dont know.

 

Try cranking that **** with the spark plugs out. Does fuel spray out the plug holes? My old car used to get so flooded that I'd have to do this in order to get fuel out of the combustion chambers. Thats when I installed a killswitch on that car and hadn't had a problem since.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCWcnn6uaqg

there is a link for the video of my car not starting. you can hear it cranking over, then when i stop you can hear the other car in the background where the jumper cables are hooked up too. then i try and crank it again.

 

ok, so i figured ide do a compression test on the rotors. ive never done one before. but i got my tester, and i wasnt sure if i had to do it on the leading plugs or trailing plugs. so, i tried the leading plug on the first rotor, got nothing. tried the trailing plug on the second rotor, got nothing. i think im doing it right. there the spark plug adapter, the hose, and the guage. cranked it, and the needle didnt budge..if im doing it right, thats means my apex seals are blown, right?

 

Boy! I bet that engine spins fast with the starter.

How 'bout leaving the trails in and pulling the leads. Then put a finger over the sparkplug hole and spin the engine with the starter? Feel any thing? A normal car would try to blow your finger off the hole. If it does try to blow your finger off..........I'd say there is something amiss with how your using the compression gauge. Though it's like you say...........install the hose and adapter in the sparkplug hole and attach the gauge. Spin engine and the needle should bounce up and give a compression reading.

Someone is going to say this, so I will save them the time.............try pouring oil into the sparkplug holes and then rotate the front pulley a third of a turn and repeat the oil into the sparkplug hole til you've gotten all three faces of the rotor most likely covered with some oil anyway. Then try the gauge again. Something like that.

Can't say I've ever done that on a second gen but used to do it with a first gen thru the carb on top of the engine. Much easier.

 

Even with an apex seal blown you should be getting a reading. After all that cranking for as long as the cars been like that it is most definitely flooded. At this point I would do an ATF treatment. You risk destroying your oil seals but the engine seems dead at the moment anyway. Search ATF treatment on the forums if you don't know what that is. The short of it is, you squirt aft fluid in the leading plug holes and coat each of the apex seals and leave it for 24 hours before trying to start it. This soaks up all the gas and loosens up any carbon preventing the rotors from making compression. After the car is running you will have to change the oil and plugs.

 

hey guys. i just wanted to let you know that i did the ATF treatment and it worked. It runs good now. So, thanks to everyone for the help.

 

i seem to be having a similar issue. car ran ok but started getting warm luckily i was on a short trip in town so i was like a mile or two away and parked it. went to start it the next morning and crankcrankcrankcrank no start. got it towed to my work and they checked spark, fuel, and compression plugs were fouled with oil and fuel. did a couple deflood procedures still no start. a couple days before it was having difficulty starting but i eventually got it started using the pedal but there was a bit of white smoke. but only sometimes it was being difficult starting. i'm wondering if the atf treatment would be my fix