Well, I don't have the best internals, or housings, or irons.... But I've had worse.

I'm having the devil of a time starting this thing and breaking it in.

I used new atkins apex seals (same kind I usually use). Usually I get some hard starts, as to be expected, but usually after a few heat cycles starting gets easier. This peripheral port engine is a new game to me. Its not getting easier to start with each heat cycle.

any thoughts or previous experiences would be helpful.

PFa

 

A can of starting fluid was a common sight in the pits during rotaries racing heyday.

Though, commonly used racing carb without chokes and locked ignition timing also werent helping the starting back then...

Cranking compression shows lower on p-port since neither the exhaust nor the intake ports ever close.

At least on a bridge the rotor flank physically blocks the intake port at some point.

 

On my engine the exhaust overlap is quite ridiculous.

I think next time I get it to kick over I'm gonna burn the whole tank of gasoline. That'll seat those seals in real good.

 

mine is all new parts, with no choke, and best starting was like pump gas a couple times, crank it a couple turns. pump gas, crank. pump gas, crank, and then somewhere in there it would start.
once it starts and runs for ~30 seconds if you turn it off, it will start right up like any other 12A

it might help to dial in the idle mix and rpm and stuff when its warm. i'd suggest warm idle in the 900-1100 area. i used a 48IDA, and it really doesn't work if the idle is lower.
idle mixture is the same, as any other engine, just tune it so it runs the best.

 

Peripheral port will humble you real fast 😅 — what you’re describing is actually very common when people step into PP territory for the first time.

 

Well, I drug the car around my neighborhood today (pull starting), and after an hour or so idle/reving I did a compression test. Its got about 80 pounds average front and rear.


I get the feeling I shouldn't have used those old side seals; the gap was... excessive. I ordered a set of new ones, but while I wait for the new seals to come in I am gonna try to keep running this engine. I hope compression improves.

 

upgrading the starter, battery, and related wiring where possible might help.

the slower the cranking rpm, the worse the problem will be and vice versa.

 

I drug it behind my truck... Not gonna spin faster than that.





I'm using a VS405 starter. Its from a 1985 Toyota 4 runner. I wanna say its the high torque model. It spins fast enough.

All my electronics on the engine are mounted to the front cover (starter, alternator, distributer); so the grounds are real easy. IIRC I have an 00 wire going strait from the middle of the car to the front cover through the bolts that affix the starter motor (6" long maybe??) Positive feed is a bit longer going from the front of the passenger floor board on the positive battery post to the fuse block and strait back. I used the OEM Porsche wires for this (00 as well???) I do run a redundant ground strap to the back of the trans, but thats more of a hope and a prayer thing.

I'm using a new 1050cca battery. Can't recall the group size. Looks like something you'd put in a diesel truck.

I like to blame those damnd Atkins "power seals". I cut my side seals down because for whatever or however the side seal clearance on the power seals is tighter than the factory Mazda corner buttons. Well, when I put Mazda corner buttons back in there I was cheap and impatient and just tossed the cut side seals back in there. I KNEW that the side seal gap was a lot, and I went ahead and reassembled.

SOOOOO ITs obVIOuslY AtiKINS faULT NOt MY FauLT.