Hey all, I just got my first rotary! It's a 1989 n/a fc bought it for $600 and just got it towed home. It hasn't been started in a year and a half. Put a new battery in it, put motor oil in the plug holes and put new plugs in it and put in fresh gas. Tried to start it and at first it just clicked and didn't do anything, then it started to turn over, but wouldn't catch at all. the car has a fuel pump switch and i tried turning the car over with the pump off a bunch to clear out the flood but it still wont start. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

The injectors (primary) might be clogged. But if the they are not have you checked for spark? Have you tried some starter fluid (at most 2 seconds worth) to try to start the car (helps to deflood and you could try it w/the fuel cut switch turned to the off position)

 

*UPDATE* i got it to run for about 30 seconds on starting fluid, found out my fuel pump isn't getting power, with an ohmmeter it read it 3.8 volts.. So i'm pretty sure my fuel pump is fine and i have a bad ground somewhere? the wiring for the fuel pump switch appears to run up into the factory loom and under the hood, i'm lost..

 

The relay is located under the dash and just to the right of the steering column. It's Black and Yellow has but two rows of wires, 3 on the top row and 2 on the bottom. Top right wire is Blue striped and it runs to the fuel pump as it powers the pump. You could have a poor connection between this wire and the wire that is part of the rear harness back by the pump. Or the ground coming out of the pump might be bad. Or the battery is poor and so on. You could wire the pump directly and see if this changes things (locate the connection of the rear harness as it mates the Blue striped wire to the wire coming from the pump).

 

So today I wired in a relay at the fuel pump, connected directly to the battery and still no sound or any sign of life from my fuel pump.. I'm guessing the switch in the console is actually an ignition switch. Still not sure whether switch is still causing the problem somehow? Not telling the pump when the ignition is on? I know the switch is getting 12 volts. Apologies for my lack of knowledge, i'm 19 and work at an auto parts store and live with my mom lol.






Ghetto fuel pump relay hotwire



The ignition switch powered by the cig lighter



And the ground for the switch runs up into the loom under the dash..



How she sits as of 20 minutes ago.

 

Fuel pump doesn't receive voltage w/key to on and engine off unless the fuel check connector is jumpered.

And the info in post #4 still holds for a stock wired car.

And the cigarette wire is not powerful enough to power anything of means.

 

I took out my ghetto relay and put it back to how it was. Removed the factory fuel pump relay from under the dash and tested it with some spare wires and a battery, i felt and heard it click when testing it to the battery but don't hear anything whence installed under the dash and cycling the key and turning over, also redid the ground on the pump itself.

 

The Blue wire in the relay runs to the pump so that wire is the tell all here. The wire has power w/key to start and not key to on. If you jumper the bottom two wires of the relay (that would be the solid Black wire to the Brown wire) then the Blue wire will have power w/just key to on. I would suggest you try this.

if the above does not pan out (getting the blue wire to have power when it should) you also need to check a couple of wires in the top row. Top row center position should have voltage w/key to on. Top row far left position should have voltage w/key to start.

 

I notice that the OP states the car is an 89 but the engine is an Series FOUR..

Idea: take the Air flow meter off the air box and make sure that the Flapper on the inside of the device moves freely.It should move but have a "spring" that will close it.

 

and s4 taillights, 4 lug wheels, s4 metal thermostat neck..........sure you got an 89? cause it doesn't seem like it to us

 

Just found out the car is an 88.. haha! Slowly learning more about this car every day. Bought it from a man in his sixties who'd owned the car for 12 years, and owned rotaries since the seventies! Only drove it in the summer. Body has 203K, supposedly was rebuilt at 167K. I back ordered a fuel pump from my work, won't be here for 4-6 weeks.. Still going to test everything else but I'd figure I might as well get it coming.

 

4-6 weeks! thats a long wait!

 

4-6 weeks?..it'll rust before ya drive it!
Why not hop on the CDN For Sale section and see if anyone has a used N/A pump?..
Guys convert N/A to Turbo all the time and they ditch the N/A pumps.

 

I would get that rust looked at below your pedal. It looks pretty deep.

 

*UPDATE* Finally after waiting a month for my backordered pump to come in at Lordco I tried Napa, they had the pump in stock for $100 cheaper.. Got a new strainer and fuel filter installed as well. I sucked all the gas out of the tank with a suction gun and cleaned it out with brakekleen and a shop vac as there was some dirt and debris in the tank. Going to try to start it today, hoping my injectors aren't shot..

 

Car is finally running!!! So stoked right now! Thanks all for the tips and help Need to do the brakes and insure this thing!

 

Yay team!