I found a 1988 Turbo II rusting away in my girlfriend's grandmother's back yard. They said that there was nothing special about the car...so I asked if i could have it. They said I could, if it ran. Its been sitting for about 4 yrs now.

Soooo, I went out there and placed a new battery in the car. Got in and tried to crank it. The starter and battery seem to be fine...but the car won't crank. I checked the gas of course and its fine. I put new gas in actually cause I was afraid the old gas was TOO old.

Anyway, does anyone have an idea of what I should look for next in order to get the car up and running? As of now, I am probably going to get it towed (it has two flat tires in the front) to my mechanic and get him to look at it. I would rather do the repairs myself, but I am not too sure what could be wrong. I think it is possibly the fuel pump, but I'm not sure.

I don't want to pass up the chance to own an RX-7, so what should I do next?

 

in all seriousness, you should get someone to push you while cranking it. and just drive in circles for 30 minutes untill it runs fine.

 

put some oil in the spark plug holes, cuz i bet the compression is a little low.

 

^+1

But also check normal routine things like plugs, wires, fuel filter, fuel pump/filter and just look over the engine bay to make sure nothing is randomly unplugged.

Mike

 

nice find!!

 

So does the motor turn? I'm confused.

Try spraying some starting fluid in the TB before you crank it, if it spits and sputters like it wants to go (or even starts for a sec) then you know its the fuel.

I found my GXL sitting under a tree for about 3 years, droped in a new battery and a clutch slave and she started right up and purred like a kitten.

 

Not a bad dowry. I would hold out for an FD, or S5 TII at the very least... although that beats a shot gun weddin'. Have them around your parts?

Brian

 

are you pressing the clutch in?...

on my car when i bought it, i was stupid enough not too, so i did, and it worked....

:P

 

Yes the motor turns...but it won't actually run.

 

+1 for the ATF in the housings, also you should pull the plugs and clean them off...probably has varnished fuel... id actaully squirt some atf in the housings, via spark plugs holes or, when my car used to flood before the rebuild, it was easier for me to pop the 5 bolts out of the upper intake and pull it up a little bit and squirt the atf down that way, anyways id do the ATF trick and compression test it...if you dont have any compression, then you know the motor is shot...and there is no other need to trouble shoot. my $.02
-brad

 

there is NO way 4 year old gas is still good. the first thing you should have done was drain the tank.

you'll probably end up needing a battery charger, so wheel one out there and do a compresion test. there are write ups on the poor man's/not so poor man's compression test in the FAQ for FC (in the 2nd gen tech section) if it has good compression, then put in some good fuel and give it a shot.

unfortunately, there is probably a reason it sat for 4 yrs in the 1st place.

 

Yeah thats what i was thinking half way through my post...

Ask them if you can half it anyways even if it doesnt run...a free TII is crazy...at the very least you could sell it and make money if you dont wish to keep or fix it.. FC's are getting hard to come by these days so, im sure you could make a nickle if you wanted, or fix it and have a legit TII
-brad

 

My car sat for over 1 year, but was in running condition. Some ATF in through the plug holes and a few cranks...then screw in plugs. Definitely new gas in tank. Maybe starting fluid in intake to see if you get spark. Battery or jump starter is a must. If not, then tow home & or compression test. Good Luck

Ramses666

 

Did you try unflooding it?

Mine was flooded and wouldnt start when I bought it.

 

Thanks for all the help...i will have to try the compression test.

the reason why it sat there is cause the owner died and his mother did not want to get rid of his car

 

Since you probably don't know too much about these cars, ATF in the sparkplug holes is essentially the "nuclear option" of deflooding.

I suggest you start reading through the FAQ thread and the archive section. You'll get flamed on here if people don't think you searched properly.