Ok, as you saw in my other post of how my car will not start, I had the battery tested and recharged.....but nothing yet. It starts to turn over more now, but still can't kick the car to a start. I had my frien try to start it while I watched under the hood and I can see everything turning and it looks like it's gonna start but doesn't sound like it and it doesn't. I am going to lift up the car and check the starter connections today and do a couple other things, if nothing works I may have to take it in to get it checked! I still have to put the dp on and re splice the air pump wires. After this I will also add a couple more grounds to my car to "spruce" up the electrical system. After this is all done and I check the turbo connections and it still doesn't run I'm gonna take it down to the Mazda Dealership in Redlands. There is a guy there that worked on my dad's RX-7 and did a great job. He'll be able to help me out with this confusing wierd and impossible for me to figure out problem...=)

 

Could be that it's flooded from your previous attempts to start it with the other battery...also you have probably started to drain this battery so hook it up to some jumper-cable when you are trying to start it next.

I don't know but I think there is something you do if the car if flooded...read it on here somewhere

 

ok thanks...

 

Hey RX. I'm sitting here watching this poor guy trying to start a weed whacker. Pulling and pulling. Nothing. Sad...

Well, here I thought I'd be able to help ya, but no! Did you check for spark? Pull a plug, put the electrode end up to the engine to ground it, wear THICK gloves, and turn it over watching for spark. Just to rule that out.

Are you able to start it by rolling and popping into gear? Didn't you do this before?

 

yeah I can get it to start by popping the clutch, but it just wont start. Maybe I just need new plugs and it needs the connections on the starter to be cleaned and checked. I'm going to see if I can do this either today or tomorrow. If not then I will do it over the weekend. I really do appreciate all the help you guys are givin me it's just that nothing working so far. Anyways, even once I get it to start I still have to figure out what the hell the problem with it running is! It just isn't getting a whole lot of boost, and no POWER at all. Maybe something to do with vac lines, something might have come off and/or a intake/intercooler pipe came loose or possibly even cracked/broke. Probably a coupler. I'll check all of that once I get the starter checked. Any more advice would be appreciated. Thanks again. Keep the ideas coming.

 

So you CAN get it to start by popping the clutch? First you say that it will start, but then you say it won't start. I'm confused.

If the engine is turning over but just not starting, it may be related to your other problem. Your plugs may be fouled out.

And from your description of the problem, it is not a problem with the turbos or turbo plumbing (i.e., not a boost leak).

Did you ever check for trouble codes?

 

no no no...lol, I guess I'm not making it clear sorry. I can roll it down the street and pop it to get it started, BUT it will not start with the turn of a key. And once I have it running about half way down the hill it runs like ****. Revs to only 4000 RPM's and I can hear turbos kind of but no blow off sound at complete stop, but I get the sound when shifting from 1st to 2nd(vented BOV), but I get no power whatsoever! It doesn't have enough power to get into 3rd gear, and barely has enough to go up the hill in 2nd gear. I can get it up but it's embarressing because the car can't go fast at all. Any car could beat me right now....ANY! So that's the whole story. Hope that clears it up for ya. Yeah I think I'll get some new plugs just to get them anyways. Cause this is pissing me off!

O yeah and I need to change the oil, I may have an oil leak, oil is dark blackish color and very thin (gas mixed in it).

 

So did you ever check for trouble codes?

 

no, and also, now that I think about it....it makes more sense if my plugs are bad. That would be why it wont start and why it doesn't run very well.......I think its time for some new plugs and then I'll let you know if it's ok. If not then yeah I'll try pulling codes.

 

Dude, pull the codes first! It's extremely easy to do. Under the hood, near the battery, there is a diagnostic port with a little plastic cover on it. Flip that cover over and you will see several terminals, which are all labeled. Take a piece of wire or a small paper clip and connect the TEN and GRD terminals. Turn on your ignition, and the codes will flash on your check engines light.

This should be the FIRST step in any kind of engine diagnosis. It takes like 2 minutes to do.

Your plugs might be bad, but its probably the result of something else that fouled them out.

Have you ever checked to make sure your MAP sensor hose is connected? Its a little black box near the master cylinder on the fire wall. There is a single vacuum line that goes to it. Double check that one. Your car will run like crap if that hose comes off.

 

where is the master cylinder again? Do u got a pic? Thanks for the info, I'll try the codes once I get home. I have a site that has the codes and what they are cause I don't have a manual. Thanks dude.

 

ok dude, I have another idea too. It may be something to do with the injectors cause I just read somewhere else that the engine will turn but not start if one of the injectors has a short or something like that. I have to check the trouble codes now. The only reason I think this may be a problem is because they just put one in, not sure which it was, but if they screwed up or didn't put it in right that might be the problem.....or even worse to where I'll be reall mad is if they put in a shitty injector instead of the new one we brought them to put in. I'll beat the hell out of that guy if he put in a shitty injector or a used one instead of the brand new one. Hopefully it's something small like that that can be fixed fairly easily, cause he's gonna pay for a new injector or put the one he was supposed to if it is the problem. Thanks.

 

When was the last time you had a compression test? Maybe I missed something here, but it kinda sounds like it could be the beginning of the end for that motor. A motor with low compression will have trouble starting with the starter, but can usually be bump started (for awhile anyway.) I am not saying that it is definately your motor, but a crappy running motor that will bump start and but not start with the key is a classic symptom of low compression.

Good luck.

 

....The engine is new with 800 miles on it, I don't think that's the case.

 

What kind of boost is the car running? Do you have a good boost gauge? New Fuel filter? Cleaned and flow tested injectors? It only takes a few seconds of a lean condition for a rotary motor to crack an Apex seal. And, it has absolutely nothing to do with how many miles it has on it. I know guys who have blown up new motors with much less than 800 miles on them.

Did the motor run correctly after it was put in? What has changed since then?

I am just going what you are giving us here. You are saying that the car has no power, runs like ****, won't start with the key (even when jump started) but that it turns over, there are no codes, and the map sensor hose isn't unplugged.

Based on these facts, I recommend a compression test.

Just my $0.02. Take it or leave it.

 

He hasn't checked the codes yet, or the MAP sensor.

The master cylinder is the thing you put brake fluid in! The big thing bolted to the firewall on the drivers side... You're starting to scare me.

 

He is just now starting to scare you? I passed scared at about the third post and went straight to terrified. For the car I mean!

 

RX, didn't you just buy this car from a dealer with a "new" motor? I assume you got a warranty and are now going to let them honor all the promises they made.

I'll say again for my own piece-of-mind (sic), don't start a bunch of upgrades like downpipes and the other items you mentioned until you sort this car out. What's it been, 4 weeks? And you've had issues since you picked it up. You must get a stable history with this car to give accurate info and get good advice.

Everybody wishes you well. Some of these guys are experts, listen to em.

 

.....not funny, and someone please give aReX-7 reading lessons cause he needs to read my posts more thouroughly, I specificly said it started when I jump started it and I haven't checked for codes......damnit guys this isn't funny! And the question about master cylinder WAS stupid, I wasn't thinking when I posted it. I realized what I asked afterwards, I do know where the master cylinder was and I had already checked that. I have finally come to the decision of taking my car back to Haines Mazda Specialists and have them fix whatever they fucked up. Now it WILL be fixed hopefully by next week, but this means that the car will have been in a shop for a little over a MONTH!!!!! DAMNIT this sux! I will then change all fluids in the car and put in new plugs. And of course find out about putting in my dp, then it'll be runnin smooth......I hope. And I love my car, I've always loved rotary, and it's my mission to learn EVERYTHING about them and take the best care of this car. And yes if they don't take care of this then my dad will get a lawyer to take car of it =) and then maybe I'll get brand new street-ported engine AND brand new '99 efini turbos! That would be cool, but I'm not expecting that to happen since they wouldn't want to get sued or have to deal with my dad again....hehe. Thanks for the support Joe Still and paw140, and thanks for nothing aReX-7.....you were kind of an *** to me with the stupid comments, I don't care how funny u think u were or how much of an expert u say u are.

 

I think your on the right track. I'm not trying to offend you but you dont sounds like a RX7 expert, I also doubt the dealer is a expert since most dont know much of anything but at least they have a shop manual there and should be more educated in the car and general mechanics than you.....again not offending, not everyone can be a mechanic.

Taking it back to the place that worked on the car is the best thing you can do.

I'm going to guess that its flooded and your plugs are fouled due to that. If you have no mods then engine should be fine, unless like mentioned before the fuel filter is severely cloged or something like that. While its at the dealer ask then to change the fuel filter, it really needs to be changed every 15-20K miles eventhough the dealer doesnt think so. It'll cost about $100 to ahve it changed there and will save you a motor hopefully.

Good Luck, let us know what the dealer find out
STEPHEN

 

I am going to make this my last post here, but I need to clear up just a few things for you Spirit.

First of all, I am sorry if you feel that I am making fun of you with my comments. It is not my intention to laugh and joke about you car trouble, and I do not think that I am. I read your post and even searched for your previous posts before I posted my opinion on what it could be. However, I probably should have expressed my opinions in a softer manner. For that, I apologize. But just like everyone else here, I was trying to help. Everything I said is perfectly valid.

Which brings me to my next point. YOU are the one that asked for help here. There are some folks here, including me, who are asking some very specific questions of you in order to help you with your problem. Unfortunately, you have not been able to answer them. In addition, some folks have made some good suggestions of how to start narrowing down the problem. But so far, you have not replied that you have done any of them except for testing the battery.

I am experienced with the FD's, but I am not trying to run you down because you are not. Even if you do not have a lot of knowledge, you should still exercise a certain level of common sense in your posts. This is not a joke, it is sound advise. You have to think about what you type up here because you can't erase it later.

Last, I definately think you have a bigger problem than fouled plugs. If the car will run , so it is not flooded. If it suddenly developed a severe power problem, the problem lies much deeper. It is obviously not the starter because the starter spins and it has nothing to do with how the car runs. It could be the motor, it could be the coils, but it really sounds like the map sensor hose is unplugged and the car has gone into limp mode. But, I agree with Stephen. Take it to a dealer or shop and have it checked out. Under the circumstances, it is your best bet.

Again, good luck. I truely hope that your car gets fixed.

Jeff

 

i think you should check your ignition coils. I had a similar problem with my FD. It would start ONCE in awhile, but more often it wouldn't. I replaced the center ignition coil with a BRAND NEW one. Started initially...thought it was fine... drove it around for awhile...then it started running like shi*. I got fed up with it so i let it sit in my garage for a few days. Then one day i decided to do something about it...so i pulled the intake manifold off and checked the harness wiring to the center ignition coil. It just happened that one of the wires was like barely touching...so basically it had just enough spark to run before, but it finally gave out.
When i fixed it...the car started right up, and ran faster than when i first got it.

so with my experience...i think you should check the ignition coil, or any wires connected to it. If you haven't done so already.

 

ok, now that everything is cleared up, thanks. I will have them check ignition coils and they already replaced fuel filter last time. I'll have them put in new plugs just to be safe. And maybe I'll have them check the ECU, maybe the ecu went bad or something......who knows, but **** I'm not gonna pay for it, they are. So, new plugs and ignition coil check. Just have to check all connections. It might be something simple as hell....it might be something extremely complicated and serious, I'm not sure right now and there is no way for me to tell, because my dad doesn't want me doing anything to the car until we take it back there to have THEM look at it. If I need a new ECU I'll get a non-cali used ecu from someone on here. Someone's got to have one, but that's if it's bad. Ignition coils, not sure how much the stock on costs, how much were yours? I just need to pay off my $980 insurance bill and then I can concentrate on spending money on the car.....damn that's a lot o money. My dad found a guy at his work (LA Fire Department #3) that comes down to polish and detail the trucks and rigs. He can do my car for around $100 or less, that will get me the best wax/polish and wash I can get and he polishes wheels, treats leather interior, cleans interior, cleans engine bay and steam cleans the engine to new looking condition. I've seen his work, and like what he did, so I'm gonna have him do that to my car.......he will clay the car to a "glass" finish, very nice! Then of course after getting it fixed and smogged, I'll have the downpipe put on. Thanks guys, I'll repost once I take it down there and find out the problem. I'll let you know what the problem was and the outcome and what they did.