that one guy300

i have a sort of project car that i have been workin on for a while now. i recently wrecked my old fc, and ended up buyin another with a blown engine... i just swapped engines in them, and i am still swapping parts out until everything is as close to perfect as it can get. i ran into a problem today, when i tried to start it.. it wouldn't start, crank crank crank, no start, so i figure i'd forgotten something, went over everything, all good... i decide, aww ill try swapping ecu's out that might work... starts right up with ecu from old car... i take a couple of test drives, come back and park it for an hour or so. i go back out and try to start again... crank crank crank.... wont start again, i figure why not try it again, swap ecu's again, starts right up!!! i have searched for a while today, and couldn't find anything like it, so right now im running it with the ecu that came with the blown engine, the ecu that wouldn't start it before... does anyone have any ideas as to what might be causeing this? i am stumped

farberio

iTrader: (7)

Are you sure its not just flooding?

that one guy300

[QUOTE=farberio;9968007]Are you sure its not just flooding?[/QUOTE

well i have heard, its hard to get it to start after it has been flooded, but with this problem, when i switched the ecu's, it starts right up like nothing was wrong with it, no smoke or anything, other than that i really dont have any proof of it not flooding, and also this is an intermittent problem, only happens maybe every 3rd to 5th key cycle

Go48

iTrader: (7)

Check the ECU for error codes. Could be that when you switched ECUs the error codes in the "new" ECU would not exist until you ran the car for awhile. Then any error codes would register in the "new" ECU. [Anytime you remove power to the ECU any error codes are lost--theorhetically anyway.] If you don't know how to pull the codes, go here:

http://www.rotorwiki.com/index.php/86-88_Error_Codes

It would also help to get a copy of the factory service manual for information on how to troubleshoot the specific error codes. Go here:

http://wright-here.net/cars/rx7/manuals.html

HAILERS

I've a half baked idea. Next time go to the engine bay and remove the BTN fuse. Then wait a full minute or two and reinstall the BTN. Then see if the engine starts or not.

Only power to the ECU with the key OFF is thru the BTN fuse via the Room fuse. Just a half baked idea. Easier than swapping ECU's.

that one guy300

all good ideas.... i will try the error codes.... today it started right up ran for a couple mins, then it died and wouldn't start again.... switched ecu's again, and still has same problem.... only difference this time is it was beeping... like a power steering beep... i dont know... more stuff to look up

HAILERS

Beeps are most likely not related to the non start. I know of no beep related to the ECU on a series four car.

Check codes.

If not codes then do the silly job of pulling either of the EGI fuse............spin the engine over for ten/fifteen seconds............reinsall the EGI fuse you removed..........start car. IF it starts.....was flooded for unknown reasons. Next step is buy a RTEK 2.0 and Palm and fix it that way using RTEK 2.1 features.

that one guy300

yeah i probably f'ed myself when i swapped out ecu's.... haveing the comp erase all codes.... but the car will not start at all now, i tried the sequence to de flood it, and spark plugs looked fine, not wet... i did realize i had the spark plug wires on wrong.... stupid me, fix that, still no start. i gotta find the stuff to build my own code checker... i looked through radio shacks website, and didn't see the LED that was on that website... but ill keep looking

calpatriot

The code checker is a piece of cake. Two leds, three male spade lugs, two current limiting resistors (500-2000 ohms). If you get the 12v LEDs, they already have the current limiting resistors internally.

There is a detailed write-up on teamfc3s.org.

If there are no codes, backprobe each pin on each of the three connectors on the ECU; compare the voltages there vs. those listed in the FSM. If there is a bad sensor, or an open wire to a sensor, it should show up in that check.

HAILERS

You check the timing. You align the mark on the pulley with the fixed pointer on the front cover.

You pull the CAS out of it's bore.

You align the timiing mark on the bottom gear of the cas with the fixed mark on the case of the cas.

You remove the top cover off the cas and observe where the moving parts are in relation to the non moving parts while the marks on the cas are aligned in the step above.

You install the cas. Once installed you rotate the cas's body til the moving parts in the top of the cas are again aligned as you observed above.

That gets the timing within at least 5* or better of what is right.....even without a timing light.

You now spray starter fluid into the air filter for three seconds and no more. NOw you start the engine. It should rev up for a moment. Disable the fuel pump prior to doing this so no flooding can occur AND I DON'T MEAN REMOVE THE EGI FUSE TO DO THAT! Pull the elect plug off the fuel pump to do that.

that one guy300

the car started this morning.... exactly what i did... try starting w/o touching the gas... no start, wait for 30 seconds, try again with gas pedal on the floor, starts right up.... and after that, it starts everytime like it used to.... it could have been flooded, it did die the first time while on its cold start cycle when it didn't restart... it seems to only happen when on a cold start... maybe i didn't do the un flood procedure enough? but im happy it started, when it runs... it runs like a champ, i dont know ill let it keep going until it does it again...

calpatriot

Check the water thermo sensor; ECU sets the mixture for start based on the temp signal from that sensor.

that one guy300

i found the source of my problem.... somone put in a kill switch... and for some reason it was in the "off" position, i must have tripped it with my foot or something... but yeah i found this out today when starting it up... i pushed the brake and it died... let off the brake and it came back to life... i moved the switch... to where i cant get to it by accident anymore, no problems since, even starts if i kill it during cold start cycle... sorry to waste everyones time.... but damn why the hell put in a kill switch so close to the brake pedal???????????

FC_fan

iTrader: (2)

nice job finding the problem, I don't see why they would put the switch there either. nice of whoever you got the car from to tell you about it huh?lol. I know that my POS '86 na floods horribly when I bring it out of storage in spring for maybe around the first 7-10 start ups (I start it once a week in the winter too) but after that its fine for the rest of the summer. starts up with no gas pedal to the floor nonsense, I also rev it up to about 2500rpms before I shut the key off to keep it from flooding too. I was going to suggest this was the case with your car but you had a simple fix. simple fixes and rotories don't usually go together.lol.