I often have trouble starting my 1989 RX-7. The former owner suggested that I hold down the accelerator to shut off the fuel injectors, turn the key, then release the accelerator. That usually works, but when it doesn't the engine floods and I need to spend five or ten minutes cranking and pumping, worrying that the battery will go dead or that I'll burn out the starter. I have overheated the starter on a few occasions and had to wait for it to cool before trying to start the engine again.

My mechanic isn't sure what to do. He's tried adjusting the idle. I thought maybe it was a solenoid valve problem, but a friend said it probably isn't. My next thought is to go through all the electrical connections with a cleaner.

Any ideas?

 

The most likely causes would be leaking injectors or low compression.

 

Then what would be possible solutions? Do I repair or replace leaking injectors? As for compression, should I just tell my mechanic to check that?

These seem like such obvious answers that I'd be surprised if the former owner, who worked for Mazda, wasn't aware of them. Also, you would think a mechanic would suggest checking this. Then again, who knows.

Thanks for the tips.

 

He worked for a dealership. That dosnt mean he knows anything about what he was selling. Mazda dealerships arent exactly the best places ever. But your problem sounds like low compression or leaking injectors like 13bace said

 

When did you last change spark plugs?

 

The best way to get it to start without cranking it for 10 minutes is to put a kill switch on the fuel pump. Turn the switch off, hold the pedal down, and it'll start a whole lot quicker.

 

If it's leaking injectors you can have them cleaned/rebuilt for about $20 each. If the kill switch UniqueTII talked about fixes your problem then it may be the injectors.

 

I hate to rain on your parade but in almost every case I have dealt with where the engine is a chronic flooder the compression is the culprit. The fuel pump shut off will buy you a little time but I can almost assure you the engine is on its way out. This is particularly true for engines with over 125K miles on them.

Rotaries have low compression at cranking speeds under ideal conditions. Throw in age, mileage and worn/sticking rotor seals and you have even lower compression. This leads to flooding when you try to start it.

A compression check is a must do for you. This will tell you right off where the problem lies. In almost all cases the rear rotor gives the trouble first. I have no real idea why, but this is a fact.

Leaking injectors can also cause this problem, but I have found they are usually not the culprit here.

If you have low compression, sooner or later the rear rotor is going to shuck the apex seals. This will ruin the rotor and the rotor housing. A rebuild before this happens is the only solution if you wish to avoid finding a replacement rotor and housing.

To unflood the engine, remove the fuse located closest to the engine (from the fuse block on the driver's side fender), then remove the leading spark plugs. Hold the pedal to the floor and turn the engine over with the starter for several seconds to blow out the excess fuel in the chambers. Squirt a couple tablespoons of oil into the spark plug holes, reinstall the plugs and fuse. Crank your engine. The oil will temporarily raise the compression and allow you to easily start your engine.