Hey guys,

I finished putting my 8 back together the other night after the new clutch instal, but now it won't start. I have had this problem before when the cat's heat shield came off taking the O2 sensors wires with it, throwing codes and not allowing the engine to start, even after the O2 was reconnected.

at some point while working on the clutch I had the battery reconnected, ignition on and O2 disconnected. so I 'm currently thinking it's the same thing again and if I clear the codes it will start.

So if someone has a code reader that I could use, I would be very thank full

 

I have 1 but I am in Montreal until Friday. If you can wait that long, come on by the house and you can use my Code Reader.

Eric

 

great, thanks Eric. I will stop by after work Friday then if I don't get one before then

 

It cranks buit does not fire?

I'm pretty sure if you disconnect the battery, turn the key to the "ON" position and pump the brake pedal a few times it clears any stored codes.

 

just tried disconnecting the battery and brake thing, no change. besides I had the battery out for about 4 hours today charging it. it was worth a shot though

 

It does crank over though right?

 

Disconnecting the battery alone will clear the codes. I've done it before on mine. Is the check engine light on still? If there light is off, there is no error code. Does it crank?

thewird

 

yeah, cranks just fine but doesn't fire, not even a hint of firing. the CEL does sty lit as do most of the other dash lights

 

I'd say you have other problems, ground strap came off when wrestling the trans out, or didn't get put back on, check all your fuses.

Start with the basics, see if you have spark and fuel.

 

Have you tried holding down the throttle fully while cranking and then letting go after 10-20 seconds? This basically disables fuel and acts as a deflood procedure. I had to do this once when my RX-8 flooded from being driven in and out and shut off a few times and then sat for a few months and wouldn't start. If you pay attention to the engine sound you can actually hear the compression coming back and then you release the throttle and it struggles a little bit and starts and eventually cleans out (assuming thats the problem anyway).

thewird

 

I just tried the flooring it and turning it over, then released the gas and cranked again, it stuttered and almost seem to catch, but course the battery is weak from all the cranking. going to go pull the battery and charge it or get a boost after work.

 

Good to hear . It might take a few tries depending on how bad it is. Remember to give your starter and battery breaks in between attempts. For future reference always rev to ~3k before shutting off a rotary engine

thewird

 

Just to take this off on a tangent, it is very interesting that my code reader won't read the codes off of the EEC IV unit in my Cougar. The stock ECU was modified by Ford for the engine and now I can't read any codes, it just tells me that it is "Unable to be Read".

Luckily enough, the car has no idiot lights to bother me with, so I just worry about if it starts and runs well. It also floods like a ***** if the battery is down at all or if the air temps are too cold to vapourize the fuel.

Eric

 

still no go, I'm almost getting desperate enough to take it to the stealership.