rx7nerd

ok i want to buy a 86 rx7 from this guy, come to find out my brother knew about this car for a while and where it originally sat (for a while) the kid (that i wanna buy it from) says the guy he bought it from said the engine wouldn't work so he was going to just donate it to charity.the kid got it from him,changed the spark plugs,and it started right up and drove.he drove it around for about year,then one night it started running like crap and when he got back home he looked underneath and the catalytic converter was red hot (he suspected it was clogged,of freakin' course!) so he cut it off and replaced it with a new one.

HERES THE PROBLEM
he tried startin' it and it wouldn't start,it would only roll over and not start up after he replaced the catalytic converter

HERES MY QUESTION
what could cause the engine to not wanna start up? Could it be the spark plugs again? hopefully it is not the APEX seals cause those cost a lot to replace

the car is in freaking good shape ecspecially because i can get for $250!!

manuelxj

iTrader: (2)

might try to deflood it ,and get new plugs

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

If it's $250, I would just go ahead and get it no matter what if it really is in good shape otherwise.

I agree that it's likely flooded, but you should do a compression test when you're taking the plugs out to make sure.

killahrx7

get it, tie it to a pickup truck and pull start it, if doesn't start you know you have a problem

rx7nerd

pull start? you mean shift into gear while being pulled right?

Chris Boots

Ya, get going about 25 mph plus and put it in either 2nd or 3rd. Do this by simply pushing the clutch in puting it in gear and slowly letting the clutch out. It should clear it self. Try flooring it to clear it while doing this. Once it starts (and you'll know when it does) push the clutch in and put it in neutral. See if it will idle on its own. thats the easiest way to unflood an RX-7. But 250 is a steal for a complete RX-7. I once bought one for 900 and the motor was in pieces in the hatch!

manslayerx9

most def not the easiest way to deflood a rotary. not to mention risky and dangerous to your car. the easiest way is to pull the egi fuse and crank the motor and then put it back. if that doesnt work just use the search feature to find out the full procedure
(chris boots please stop spreading mis information)

manslayerx9

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

NoDOHC

With the catalytic converter glowing, I would guess that the engine has bad compression on one rotor.

I have seen a couple that had a bad rotor and they both made the exhaust glow red hot.

Just the same, NA 13bs are inexpensive and $250.00 for a good condition RX7 is not a bad price at all.

Just remember, count on replacing/rebuilding the engine.

rd_turbo

iTrader: (4)

Bump starting is a totally acceptable procedure which is to be used as a last resort WHEN REMOVING THE EGI FUSE DOESN'T WORK. This is not misinformation, this obviously comes from a person who knows what this procedure actually does. This forces the engine to rotate at much higher RPMs, must faster than a starter can ever spin it. People have been doing this for decades and if you've been into rotaries for a long time, you certainly know about this procedure. It is perfectly acceptable, provided it is done in a controlled and safe manner on a side road. You don't need to be going 25 mph, 5-10 mph will get it going if the engine can be revived. No amount of bump starting will allow the engine to start properly if the seals are permanently stuck or if they've failed. Pull it with a long enough tow rope and remember to do the braking first to keep the tow rope taut. This procedure is reserved for situations where everything was fine up to the point of flooding. If the fuel and ignitions systems are suspect, they need to be ruled out first.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Never pull start, always PUSH start. It's far safer and will start any rotary, no matter how blown or flooded it is.

manslayerx9

thanks aaron thats what i meant pulling is a bad idea.

rx7nerd

ok i ll try that next time i go up there

dazed01

Pulling is the best way, pushing would be ok but wouldn't you mess up the bumpers?

manslayerx9

in pulling you could run over the tow cable damaging your car or the tow vehicle. 3 people can also push the car or find a hill to roll it down.

dazed01

There is some competency required.

TalkSick

not to throw you false hope but i often have to do a serious deflooding whenever ive had my car up on jacks to do things like replace exhaust components and suspension bushings etc. And by serious deflooding i mean i spent enough time tryin to deflood via fuses to the point of killing starters and pricing rebuilds only to be rewarded through persistance or some brain fart. If push/pulling does work, check for vaccuum leaks and injector leaks, as both have been the cause of my problems in the past.

pfsantos

iTrader: (1)

Glowing cat can also be caused by too much fuel build up due to frequent flooding, rich mixture, or missing/inoperative secondary injection system (air pump, ACV, emmission solenoids that control it). Check compression no matter what to see if the following is worth doing - de-flood (both the fuse and more intensive oil in chamber method if needed), install a fuel cut-off switch as a temporary fix in case your injectors are leaking, and make sure the fuel, ignition and secondary air injection systems are working properly.

Wait, just remembered the cat was removed in this case, so focus on low compression, ignition (and timing) and leaking injectors.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Put some thick blankets between the cars.

Pulling sucks because you have two cars physically connected together. Not only can this create unsafe situations, but often after unflooding you will want to drive the car that has just been unflooded until it reaches operating temperature.

manslayerx9

yes there is but you cant assume that everyone has enough. where as pushing is much easier, also you dont need rope or a tow line.

rx7nerd

ok but my brother keeps telling me it has bad apex seals! but i can tell you when he tried starting it the engine would roll over but it WOULD NOT make any "pops" or "puts" like the engine is trying to ignite the gas, it is a automatic transmission 13b car and for the love of god i freakin hope its not the apex seals

rx7nerd

if you guys can message me on yahoo! my email address is torinoguy70

CyberPitz

I'd say try the deflooding procedures first. Just to be 100% sure that isn't the case. I would kick myself if a 7 was for sale for 250, and it was only flooding....

Shenti

Get somone to rebuild the motor for you, and replace the whole exhaust system/

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

See this page:
http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/blown.htm