Egine spins but won't START!! help. . .
 

Hey guys, I need some help.

My FD won't start, the engine will spin, but it won't fire up and start.

It ran great before this, the last time I drove it I pulled it into the garage and turned it off.
I went to start it up a week later, and it started to start then the engine just kept spinning and wouldn't do anything else.

I thought it was flooded so I went through the steps here: http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/s...g_flooded.html

But that didn't work it just kept spinning and not starting.

So all the symptoms point to a flooded engine, I can't think of anything else. . . .

Any ideas please post them up!!
Thanks Justus

test the starter. This happened to me once. It was just that the starter was bad. Test it and replace if bad and then that should do it!

But if it is the starter would the engine still spin??
My engine spins when I turn the key.
Thanks for the reply.
Justus

hmmm odd one

do you have fuel? spark? is their gas in the car?

did you try new plugs yet?

There is gas in the car, I have fuel from what I can tell( the top plugs are wet when I pull them out) spark I can't verify, and I didn't try new plugs yet these are pretty new.

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming.
Justus

You definately need to check for spark next. That seems like the only logical next step.
-Nic

man lots of people having a hard time starting there cars...whats going on..theres been at least one thread a week with someone having issues...heres how i got my blown engine ( i found that out afterwards) to start

rip out the plugs (check for sparck) if good continue, if not ignore my ramblings..
clean them with carb cleaner
let them dry
crank the engine over by hand
wait a day
crank the engine over by hand some more
put back in spark plugs
rip off the intercooler pipe the runs into the UIM
get a buddy to hose starter fluid up in there AS SOON as you try to start it (DO NOT TOUCH YOUR GAS PEDAL)
and it should start
if not...get out of your car give and give it the finger
This worked on my car with horribly blown coolant seals....good luck man

Would the fuel pump be causing the problem?

the giving the car the finger part is essential as is pounding the steering wheel in an angry rage like that guy at the beginning of office space, Samir Niyeninajad

If your car is manual tranny and you have fuel and spark then tow start it using another car to drag you down the road, should do it.
Don't forget its second gear and ignition on.

Thnaks for the replies,
Obviousboy, I have pretty much done all of that minus the starter fluid.
rex u.k. - I can't try a push start, becuase my driveway is a 45 deg. incline into the garage and getting it down is a pain in the ass even when its running, and if it fdoesn't work it will be stuck down on the street, and its not fun working on my car down there.

Any other ideas???
Thanks again, Justus

the starter fluid is key...trust me :)

my car was in my shop the only way in is via a 100 foot ramp....the starter might be your savior on this..

Change at least the leading (lower) plugs.

I flooded my engine about a month ago, and I had tried everything as you have, with no luck.

So I called PFS to ask them if they had any ideas (got my FD from Peter, so that is a free SOS call for me). One of his techs (can't remember his name) told me that it was definitely flooded, and gave me a procedure that differs some from any of the other ways I have read to get a flooded FD started.

First, hook up a battery jumper pack, because your battery will not last through the procedure by itself. Take out the leading (lower) plugs, disconnect the EFI relay, and then turn the engine over for 10-15 seconds with the gas pedal to the floor. Then let it sit for 15-30 seconds. Then turn the engine over (once again, with the gas pedal to the floor) for another 10-15 seconds. Then let it sit for another 15-30 seconds. Then repeat turning over the engine for 10-15 seconds one more time. Then replace the leading plugs, and reinsert the EFI relay. Now, with the assistance of the jumper pack, it should fire right up.

Oh, and you should do this in an open-air environment, not in a closed garage - you'll see why!

On the first repetition, I saw clouds of vapor rising from the engine bay, clearing up just a little towards the end of the 15 seconds of turning over the engine. On the second repetition, I saw significantly less vapor rising, tapering off to pretty much nothing towards the end. And on the third repetition, it seemed to have cleared out pretty much everything. I put in new leading plugs, reinserted the EFI relay, and mine fired up immediately with no hesitation whatsoever.

If that doesn't get it started, it might be something else. But from your description, being exactly the same circumstances as those under which mine got flooded, I am pretty certain it is just flooded, and you can get it started with some effort.

Yes because that's exactly what was happening to mine. It would spin but wouldn't do anything more than that. That's why I replied in the first place.

Do the spark test first, and then check the fuel pressure.

Check the ignition coil and the connector too....

Check the plug... right plug in right spot........

Yeah man I am having similiar problems. But the very first major thing you should always check is for spark. If you aren't getting spark, nothing else matters at that point you'll never get it started without that.

Come on... are you just making stuff up? If the starter spins the engine over, it is doing it's job. Unless it's not spinning it over fast enough, in which case it would be pretty obvious from the sound. Spark and fuel are the first things to check for when an engine won't start.

Well I just ordered new plug wires(none in stock), and bought new spark plugs.
I plan on trying what DigDug suggested, from what I can tell my problem seems very much like his, I get the vapor that he describes when I crank it over with the plugs and relay out, hopefully new plugs and wires will do the trick.
BTW whats the easiest way to test spark without a tester?? I have a multimeter but I am not sure what setting to put it on etc. (sorry for the stupid ?)
Thanks guys I'll update you on Thursday when my wires get here.

Justus

Cant start my car either.
This might seem like a dumb question but how do you check for spark?

Where is the fuel pump relay? My guess is one of the boxes in the engine bay but Im not sure. Thats the only thing I have a question about on the whole procedure.

Thanks

Wow I guess SpyderJL had the same question and posted it while I was typing mine.

rotarynemsis-
The fuel pump relay is located under the stock air inlet duct(plastic piece that goes from the front of the intercooler to the stock air box), its pretty easy to take off and get to.
Now if we could only figure out how to check for spark. . . .

Justus

Here:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/93duct.htm
and for flooding:
http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/s...g_flooded.html

we need a sticky "everything you wanted to know about flooded engine"

Here is how you check for spark. Remove a spark plug wire from one of the spark plugs. Put the metal end of a screwdriver in the end of the spark plug wire. While holding the INSULATING screwdriver handle, position the screw driver so that it is about 1/4" away from a good metal ground (like the engine block). Have someone crank the engine over. You should see a nice spark arc from the screwdriver to the engine block. Obviously, don't do this around anything flammable, and don't grab the metal part of the screwdriver.

Alternatively, you can take an old spark plug, put that in the wire instead of the screwdriver, ground the end of the spark plug to the engine block, and crank the engine over. Same procedure.