FD from hell

Here's the story, I bought an FD that had just had a small fire in the engine which I hear is pretty common around 60k to 80k miles. I've replaced the complete wiring system, ecu, fuel injectors, hoses, solenoids and other things that were affected by the fire. It still doesn't run, I've had it for over two years. It's pretty F#@!ing frustrating.:angryfire All I can do is read about other peoples FDs and I can't even get mine started. It's been way to long for me not to be able to get it started. I've taken it to the dealer twice, first time they said it was going to be 5000 to fix it and the second time I took it in they said it was just going to be 14000 for parts alone because they found new things. That pissed me off real good and decided not to take it to them which is pretty much what I've read everybody advising. "Don't take it to the dealer." Either way, summer is right around the corner (again) and I really want to get it up and running. Anybody have any ideas of what I can do to get it running.:1zhelp:

You gotta be more specific. Exactly why isn't it starting? Does it crank? Are you getting spark, fuel and air?

It sounds like it wants to start but it doesn't crank over.

you need to become friends with a mechanic ;) my mom was dating one guy that loves mazdas and toyotas, and he does all her work for a packet of cigerettes and some beer

I've heard otherwise, not to let your basic mechanic get hands on these types of cars because of the simple fact that most mechanics don't really know how to work on rotory engines

well he did say the guy loves mazdas, so I'm guessing he knows rotarys since the rx-7 is like the flagship sportscar for mazda... just a hunch :)

is it turning slow or fast?

It's cranking like I hear most cars crank right before they turn on but it just doesn't. It doesn't sound like a lazy powerless crank, it's normal.

Perhaps it's flooded, although I do not know if FD's are prone to flooding. Did you also check the compression?

I didn't check the compresion on it. My friend changed the spark plugs and said pretty much what you said that it flooded. If it floods, is it because of the ECU, timing or what? Thanks for the replys by the way.

This sounds like a detonation problem. Perhaps it was run to rich/lean and the plugs are fouled. Also, check and make sure your battery, alternator, and starter are all in good condition. It may sound like im giving all the obvious tips but sometimes its the smallest things that cause the biggest problems. Rotary motors are very touchy. One wrong move and boom you're forking out an arm and a leg for seals, housings, rotors, etc...

Bottom line is check the compression. If it's flooded pull the fuel injection fuse and crank it for 20 seconds. Put the fuse back and see if it starts. I know this technique works on FC's, maybe it's the same on the FD

how much did it cost you to repair what was lost in the fire? just curious cuz I'm looking into buy a FD that caught on fire, depending on how much it is to fix

I bought pretty much everything from the dealer except the fuel injectors and the ECU. I spent about 2K. The fuel injectors would have been another 1200 from the dealer and I forget what price they told me on the ECU. That was a small fire though, it was turned off pretty quickly.

just curious, is the car a 93? shouldn't the dealership cover some of the damage done to the car due to the recall on teh cooling system?

I thought the recall was on the fuel lines for those model/year cars. Either way, they were taken care of before the fire.

http://www.rx7.org/public/3RD.html

check out recall #22 it states the cooling/coolant issue.

26 is the fuel lines... that's a lot of fire issues in one car... i didn't think it was both.

Call Chris Ott at Rotary Performance. www.rx7.com

I t sounds like your pulsation dampner went on the fuel rail. Make sure you replaced it it is what caused the fire.

Dealership will not cover that.

Tip - Join Mazdaspeed and tell them you plan on racing it in SoloII. You can get parts for 1/2 to 1/3 the price a mechanic could get parts for at the dealership.

http://www.mazdamotorsports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Home?storeId=10001&langId=-1

Once you have established the fuel rails are air tight and not leaking. Try push starting it (assuming its a manual) have someone tow you around with it in gear. Use a long tow cable.

you might have to get that engine that has been sitting for 2 years spinning pretty fast to loosen things up and get her to build some compression and fire.

Also pull one spark plug from each rotor housing (i.e. both tops or both bottoms) and squirt some Magic Marvel Mystery oil in each housing. Let it site for a few hours and try to start it.

Good luck...

If this server does go down you can find me at
www.nopistons.com.

-Jim

Recall #26 means take it in and get it serviced before it catches on fire.
Not after.

He could however get the pulsatin dapeners looked at and replaced for free if they are leaking under that recall.

Thanks for all the tips so far.