Hey guys,
I was just wondering if there are certain 'tricks' to keep my car in good condition. I rode it a little rough the other day and now it doesn't start at all. Just cranks and cranks. This guy said that onse I park, before turning it off I should rev it one good time then turn it off. Is this true? What other FC tricks are out there?

 

I let my FC slowly circle the driveway, sniffing and tamping down the pavement until it finds just the right spot to rest on.

This procedure, much like "This guy"'s advice is not a 'trick", it's just high level lunacy.

She does look adorable when she sleeps though...

 

http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/

BTW, your car is flooded. Pull the EGI fuse, pop the vacuum line off the MAP sensor and stick it in a jug of oil. Crank the engine over for about 15 seconds, let the starter cool for a few minutes, do it again. This will suck oil through the hose into the engine, building compression. Replace the fuse, replace the vacuum hose, start it up in a well ventilated area. It's going to smoke. Alot.

Welcome to owning a rotary powered car. Read Aaron's website. It'll save you headaches.

 

"Redline a day keeps the carbon away"

That's a good motto to keep in mind

 

+1 - Rule to live by.

 

If you have an S5 you could floor the pedal while cranking and initiate the anti-flood mechanism. What you do is crank the car and if she doesn't start, while still cranking the engine, floor the pedal and let it crank once or twice then let go of the pedal while still cranking. I don't think this feature is on S4's; If you own an S4, follow AGreen's advice. I've read around here that Mazda's cold start system doesn't help and actually makes starting a harder issue so you might want to look into removing that.

I use this technique to get through my cold Chicago winters in an S5. It's sad to DD the S5 through the salt infested winter roads of Chicago but it's the only car I have and could afford .

 

+2!

 

Is your car NA or Turbo?
1) Redline a day is good for keeping the carbon down.
2) Do you have an S4 (86-88) or S5 (89-91)?
S4: You will need to remove the EGI Fuse and crank the engine in 5-10 second increments 3 or 4 times. This should clear out your fuel. Replace fuse and start.
S5: Hold down gas pedal and crank car in 5-10 second increments 3 or 4 times. Start car normally.

Please note that flooding CAN be a sign of an engine losing compression.

Your best was to learn about the car is to Search and read the Stickies/FAQs. Any question you are going to ask has been answered multiple times in the past.

 

1. The biggest thing is simple scheduled maintenance, as detailed in your owner's manual or haynes manual. Especially cooling system maintenance with an OEM thermostat. Overheats are the #1 cause of non-turbo rotary death by a mile.

2. Replace leaking oil cooler lines with OEM or stainless with AN fittings (Mazdatrix or Racing Beat) or find a hydraulics shop to rebuild them (cheapest but great option). Avoid others. Burst line = no oil = no engine. Likewise don't forget to tighten the oil drain plug after an oil change. But don't overdo it, it only needs a little torque.

3. Learning to deflood is convenient ya.

4. Check the fuel pulsation dampener for leaks, especially if you smell fuel. Replace it regardless if it has over 100k on it. It's conveniently placed over the exhaust manifold for a nice quick engine fire.

5. +1 to redlines for carbon.

6. If your rear wheels have toe play (if you can steer them slightly with your bare hands) you need DTSS eliminator bushings to avoid dangerous spinouts.

7. 20 year old alternator remans tend to suck. Get good at replacing them (super ez thankfully), don't sweat it if the replacement fails too (or it could work fine), or upgrade to a different alternator. I carry a spare now. If yours is fine or a little weak don't touch it; the replacement might be worse.

8. The car tends to have electrical issues in general. If something electrically controlled is broken, check the electronics first and mechanical part second. Check the FAQ or www.aaroncake.net. The ECU grounds to control the secondary fuel injectors at 3800 rpm+ and the heater / AC controls are particularly common. Take care to never connect the battery backwards; it's at least a blown fuse if not a fried part too.

Search FAQ / forums for more info on any of the above. Did I forget anything?

 

takes alot more than just a redline a day to keep carbon down, I rev the **** out of my car all day everyday and still get tons of carbon (mine as well as many others runs rich). once you get it running. steam clean your engine, let the engine warm up to opperating temp, take it for a short spirted drive (maybe with low gas and a can of sea foam. then pull a vac line near the throttle body, I'd use one for somthing other than map. rev engine to about 3500 to 4000 rpm, and hold (that creats like 30 hmg vac dip long vac line into a gallon of water and suck it up. you just need a few feet of vac line, and a gallon jug. and sea foam if you want to cover all bases.

 

I have NA, S5. I got it fixed. Car runs great now. Still working on it though, it seems to do better with long distance driving, kinda lags passing 80mph. This is my first rotary engine car, so I'm still figuring it out. Thanks for all the advice and help! I appreciate it. Took it out to Import Face-off this weekend in San Antonio, was a blast.

 

yup

 

Zoom power engine cleaner works too. Buy it from your Local Mazda dealer.

Warm the engine, pull the EGI fuse and disable the fuel pump. Find a vacuum port nearest the engine. (LIM works good) Spray that into the engien while cranking at WOT. You'll need help from a friend. Spray for 10 to 15 seconds on each port then let the engien sit an hour. And boy when you start that sucker its gonna smoke it's *** off. lol.

 

do none of you guys install fuel cut off switches? it is really simple instead of having to go under the hood to pull the fuse when going to turn off the car you just flip the switch the car dies then turn the key off. Seacrh it is the easiest way to stop flooding

 

fixxed

 

When my s4 floods and I'm too lazy to pull the egi fuse I just floor the pedal and crank it and it'll start up after about ten seconds of holding it.

 

i thought this wasnt possible with s4?

i just unplug my fuel pump.

 

Only works on psychosomatic flooding...

 

Awwww.... whosacute wittle car?

 

Psychosomatic flooding would be what?

 

Rev before parking is good?

 

rev then cut ignition yes, its good if you have bad compression/leaky injectors what it does is this-

when you turn off your car it still has fuel pressure and fuel in the lines, leaking injectors will seep this fuel into your engine clearing the oil film around the housing causing no compression (and scaring of the housing ifaik).

revving the engine and cutting ignition turns off the fuel pump but the rotation of the engine still injects and expels the fuel (no ignition too). this relieves pressure in the injectors and keeps them from leaking (or leaking as much) saving you the trouble of de-flooding it.

I REALLY need to just cut and paste that...