I am new to rotaries, or any engine with two spark plugs per chamber, so please bear with me...

Is it obvious when one of the plugs is not firing? Specifically, if one of the two plugs (leading/trailing) is firing correctly, and the other isn't, is it readily apparent in how the engine runs? Anyone seen this happen and have an idea of what it feels/sounds like? I am aware that there is a timing difference between the two plugs, and at least from my best guess, I would think that it would be obvious if one were not firing, but I am not sure of what to look for as far as diagnosing this condition...

 

Anyone?

 

I know somebody must have encountered this before... Has anyone here ever changed the spark plug wires on their 3rd gen? (I don't blame anyone for not doing it, ever, regardless of how old the wires are, because of the needless difficulty of the operation - as long as the leads still carry current with reasonable resistance). Once again, the real question I am asking is, what, if any, are the noticeable effects of only a single plug firing on one rotor? That is to say, one (trailing/leading) plug is firing fine, but the other is not. Timing difference makes me think it would be very readily apparent...

 

Hey there Fygar,
I don't know what effects a bad plug would have. I would stress that if you even remotely suspect a bad plug that you replace them, and your wires if they are old. I was having a problem with detonation under boost. I tried different maps, adding fuel, retarding the timing...nothing! I kept getting pinging in the transition under WOT. It turned out that I had bad plug wires. I've replaced them and the problem has disappeared. Good luck Pooka.

 

Hehe, finally somebody that recognizes the name!

Thanks for the info - that's exactly what I was looking for. If I have reason to believe that it is a potentially serious issue, then I have no reservations about going ahead and replacing the plugs and wires. I just wanted to see if anyone had encountered this before.

Thanks!

 

Hey bro, Glad to be of assistance. Since you are dealing with an older and more fragile vehicle than the norm it behooves you to be proactive. Plus since both plug wires and plugs are wear items, worst case scenario is that your ahead on maintenance.

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