Ring Steel

Get ready to cringe when you see these pics.

This silver 93 touring has been sitting untouched since late 2001.

I've got to get it moved out of the place by the end of March. The car is located about 3 hours away from where I live, so I can only work on it on weekends.

I am not sure of the condition of the motor, so I'm starting from scratch.

Here's what I did this weekend:
Installed new battery
Drained old fuel out of tank and replaced with 5 gallons fresh gas
Pulled the EGI fuse
Added ATF to the spark plugs holes, turned the engine over a couple of times
Pulled sparkplugs, then turned engine over several times
Installed new plugs
Reinstalled EGI fuse
Attempted to start; turns over nicely but does not start.

I don't think fuel is getting to the engine because I pulled one spark plug to check it and it had no fuel on it at all.
When I turn the key on, I cannot hear the fuel pump. Hmmm. I didn't have a volt meter to check to see if the plug at the fuel pump was getting power or not.

I've got the paperwork for the work previously done to the car, and in 2001 (2300 miles ago on the odometer) a "RP Competition Fuel Pump" was installed at the same time that the rest of the modifications were done (by RP).

When I go back this weekend, does anyone know how to check the voltage on the connection to see if the problem is the wiring or the pump? The connection to the fuel pump has 4 wires, but I am not sure which ones of the 4 supply the power the fuel pump.

Because of the distance involved, I should probably take a new fuel pump with me in case that is the problem. Is there any reason to go back with the RP fuel pump ($250 approx.) or would a Walbro be sufficient?

oppa637

iTrader: (6)

It looks better than my fd does. What part is the car located at and where are you?

Juan

iTrader: (28)

I'm assuming you're buying/bought this car from someone 3 hours away from you? Do you have the factory service manual? If not, I'd download a copy to study while you're at home and either print out the pages or take it with you on a laptop. Sorry I dont have an answer to your fuel pump question.

Brent Dalton

iTrader: (31)

How come the owner hasen't driven/started it since 2001? Was it having issues then and he gave up on it? Exterior of the car looks good and it appears to have been stored indoors... looks like what could be a nice, clean FD.

cabaynes

iTrader: (4)

Why don't you rent a u-haul trailer and borrow a truck and bring it home with you? Cheaper than driving there a dozen times to get it running.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

My thoughts exactly.

Ring Steel

I plan on renting a trailer and bringing it here, but I want to know if the engine is good before we finalize the price for the car. I'm 95% sure that I want the car for the price that they are asking, but they agreed to let me get the motor running to see if it's good before buying it.

Right now, I don't know why the car was parked.. just that "he put it in here to work on it and never did". Other than the fuel pump issue, the only other mechanical thing that I see wrong is the master cylinder is almost completely empty of brake fluid (but the brakes on all 4 corners are dry, so I don't know where the fluid went yet).

Ring Steel

I'm located in Katy, and the car is in Lufkin.

Is there any chance that there is a good rotary mechanic in the Houston area?

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Even with no fuel, you can do a compression test on the motor that will tell you the relative health of the motor. Search, doing a compression test is covered. You can use a regular piston engine compression tester - screw it in, have an assistant crank the car over with the gas pedal to the floor. Hold the bleed off button on the tester down and look for 3 even pulses on the gauge. 1 strong pulse with 2 weak pulses is a broken apex seal, most common reason the motor would be bad.

Sounds like a neat project!

Dale

smcginnis87

Man the car is in lufkin... shoot i use to live in Naca, good luck with getting it running that is how i bought my rx7 it was sitting for years!! and i brought it back to life, but day after day somting els brakes of goes wrong but i guess thats what we get for buying very old cars, but good luck!!

Hellias

you should come to the rx7 meeting in march. i live in memorial area near I-10 and beltway. you should definatly come out because there are 3 or 4 people in the club that fix FD's like this that have been sitting for years. they live out in clear lake.

Gecko86

What are you looking to pay for the car?

FixableUnknown

iTrader: (8)

I would be leery of the entire fuel system after sitting that long with fuel in it. The fuel will turn to a varnish and coat every thing in the system. I would check the inlet screen on the fuel pump and any of the rubber lines in the system. Also the fuel pulsation dampener and injector o-rings could have become hard and brittle during the storage. The brake/clutch system will also need to be inspected as it doesn't handle storage well either, due to condensation and corrosion attacking the system. I agree with Caybanes about the Uhaul trailer. I used a Uhaul car hauler to bring my 93 back from Birmingham Al to Memphis TN. I rented it in Birmingham so I only had to pay one way. I think the total with insurance was less than $150. You may need to bring some 2x8's about 2 or 3 ft long, to put under the Uhaul supplied ramps to clear the front lip of the car.
Good Luck.

JM1FD

iTrader: (1)

I'd put my money on varnish having gummed up the fuel pump and/or filter.

You might also try priming the fuel system by jumpering a couple pins in the diagnostic connector (FP and GND I believe).

badddrx7

iTrader: (7)

I can help you....

The 12v wire you are looking for at the pump is the White/Red stripe. It is a large wire. Turn the key to ON position and check this wire for 12 volts WHILE YOU ARE TURNING THE KEY TO ON. You should also hear the pump start and prime momentary. Leave the tester hooked up and try to start the car. You should see 12 volts. If not then you may have a blown fuse, wire open, etc.

Take a length of 12 gauge insulated wire with you. Run a temporary jumper from the battery over to the pump White/red wire. Listen for the pump to come on line. If it does then check for an open wire, fuse.

You must hear the pump come on line before proceeding further.


report back


LAter

drkstar02

U are wanting help, to fix it not for selling its this right.

cabaynes

iTrader: (4)

do a compression test like Dale said, that will tell you the health of the motor. Sounds like it could be a fuel system issue, which you can fix at home. It's the compression of the engine that is the largest determinate.

Juan

iTrader: (28)

Wouldnt the ATF fluid that he squirted into the chambers raise the compression and give a higher reading that normal? I know this would affect the readings if he were looking at numbers on the gauge but say if an apex seal was chipped or broken, would the ATF temporarily boost up that seal's compression enough to make it look like a good seal on the gauge? Hope that makes sense since its pretty late and my brain is half asleep

Ring Steel

Gecko86,
We've agreed on 9K if it runs. With all the extras that come with it, I've decided that I'm getting it whether the engine in it runs or not. It may be possible to get the price down a little if the engine doesn't run.

FixableUnknown & JM1FD,
Your thoughts on the fuel turning to varnish are likely true. The fuel that I drained out was darker yellow that gas should be. Thanks for the tip on the 2x8's, I hadn't thought of needing those to get it on the trailer!

badddrx7,
That's exactly what I need to start troubleshooting the pump! Thanks.

drkstar02,
Yes, I'm looking for help getting the car running to establish the final buying price. I am definitely buying the car.


Thanks to all for the helpful advice. Turning over the engine with the spark plugs out gave a nice even pattern to the sound as the rotors turned, but I'll definitely take a compression tester this weekend.

Ring Steel

Oh, and I got a call letting me know that they found the tires and wheels that go on the car. Woo hoo! I was dreading having to buy new wheels/tires before I could move it.

amp

iTrader: (50)

how does someone misplace a set of wheels and tires....

Ring Steel

Beats me. The wheels weren't on the car, and were not in the garage that the car is in. I do wonder where they found them... heck, I hope they are the right wheels!

BC-FD3S

iTrader: (2)

check all the shocks as well. since they have been sitting uncompressed for so long, chances are they will have buildup on them and will disrupt the seal... basically making them useless.

that's why most people reccomend storing a car with the jackstands on the a-arms to compress the shocks.

JM1FD

iTrader: (1)

Did you make any progress this past weekend?

Ring Steel

I didn't get to go up there this past weekend; ended up having to work.

I'm headed up there this Friday and I'll have a couple of hours to work on it then.