My friend just got an 87 Rx7 for free.The only problem is that it doesn't run.  It turns over, and fires, and gas is getting to the engine, but it doesn't start, so anyone have any suggestion.  It has around 100K miles, and it was female driven........So any suggestions, tips, or whatever is appreciated.

have your friend IM me, i can probably fix it.  that a common problem w/ rx7s that are not driven hard.  carbon builds up and the apex seals get stuck.  its pretty easy to fix.  my screen name is: hurleyboi514.  ill help you out!
Ken

Another common problem is that they break.

Ken, if the apex seals were stuck wouldnt it not turn over?


My theory : one of the rotors has low compression. It probably gets flooded because of that. * Are the plugs wet? * Run a compression test . *do a &quot; feeler test. &quot; *pull all 4 plugs out of the eingine, be sure to disconect the igintors so you dont make a external combustion engine. Have ur friend crank the engine over. I will bet that the air you feel pumping out of the rear rotor houseing wont be as strong feeling as the front. *Do a compression test to confirm my assumptions, and i HIGHLY suggest get a piston engine * *<img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (COsborne @ Feb. 09 2002,12:35)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Another common problem is that they break.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Yea, similar to piston engines.
Rotary engines are more reliable than piston engines.
3 major moving parts compared to the piston engine, which at it's simpliest (I4 SOHC) has 40 major moving parts. &nbsp;Not to mention the rotary is much much more efficient and lightweight. &nbsp;Each of the three faces of the rotor is always working on one part of the cycle—in one complete revolution of the rotor, there will be three combustion stokes.
However rotaries typically consume more fuel than a piston engine because the thermodynamic efficiency of the engine is reduced by the long combustion-chamber shape and low compression ratio... not to mention twin turbos <img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

Try the ATF test <img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

How many 300,000 mile RX7s have you seen?

cool, thanks man, i'll let my friend know your IM.

Rotaries rock!! *there have been some w/ over 200,000 miles. *the guy that made my stickers for High Tach had a 1st gen w/ over 215,000 ORIGINAL miles on the engine! *and i know ive seen numerous posts on Rx7Club refering to high milage rotaries. *almost none of them are turbo though, thats a whole different monster. *i dont see a whole lot of piston engines get that high. *we have two cars that had to get new engines around 180-190,000 miles. *one was a old school V8, and the other a GM I-4. *the NA rotary is quite reliable if properly taken care of, just as much as a piston engine. *now about the apex seals being stuck, yes, they do get stuck. *thats what was wrong w/ mine. *it turned over, had some compression, but would not stay running. *so i put ATF (ATF = automatic transmission fluid, cleans and acts as a detergent) and that loosened the carbon from the seals. *it still would not turn over all the way and was flooding though. *so i did the ATF trick again (inserted in the spark plug holes) and then pull started it. *it ran very well, and it was a great engine. *then my oil seals started to go out (oil was probably not changed as frequently as it should have been by previous owner(s)) so i pulled the engine for a rebuild, but have bought a TII instead. *life is grand...

There is no way you can argue there is a higher percentage of rx7 engines over 300,000 miles than piston engines...

300,000 miles means driving it like a panzy
How many people with rotaries do you know drive like that? &nbsp;Most of them are driving enthusiasts

That hachi roku has almost 300,000 and he redlines it everytime he drives it

i think it'd be pretty close if it were an even chance. &nbsp;for example: X/Y &nbsp;if X were the # of cars (rotary or piston) over 300k miles, and Y was the number of total cars built (rotary or piston). &nbsp;i think that would be pretty instresting it find out. &nbsp;id like to know myself...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (HighTachPrez @ Feb. 09 2002,05:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Rotary engines are more reliable than piston engines.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
lol *Funny.. What engine is your car on ? *3rd? And uh... *Its got like what, 60k miles on the chassis ? * Wow.. *more relaible alright. *Rotarys may only have 3 main moving parts, but they spin faster then hell, which in the end means more wear, and over heat it the slightest bit, and man, it wont hurt it.. what am I thinking.. Its real reliable.

With turbos they make awesome power, yes, but there is no torque, sounds like a weed eater on crack, and is extremely expensive.

J/W but how much $$ is your your car Clint ? *Divide it into Mods, and Fixes please. Theres pleanty of other cars that could be just as fast as yours, for a fraction of the money. *IE, an MX6, or even some civic HB's...........

why argue the obvious?

such insight josh &nbsp;<img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Stegall @ Feb. 10 2002,4:09)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Rotarys may only have 3 main moving parts, but they spin faster then hell, which in the end means more wear, and over heat it the slightest bit, and man, it wont hurt it.. what am I thinking.. Its real reliable.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Since the rotors spin at one-third the speed of the output shaft, the main moving parts of the engine move slower than the parts in a piston engine.

The first rotary engine built by Felix Wankel could spin at 25,000rpms.... but in order to change the spark plugs the engine had to be taken apart, bummer <img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

The manufacturing costs can be higher, mostly because the number of these engines produced is not as high as the number of piston engines. &nbsp;Also resulting in high repair bills &nbsp;<img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

That slow and the seals still go bad so often?! &nbsp;Must be a baaaad design &nbsp;<img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

Must be doing something right. &nbsp;The first rotary car (NSU) got car of the year, also the 93 RX-7 during its age. &nbsp;The 4rotor 787 winning Le Mans.. remaining the first, and only japanese car to win the famous race. &nbsp;Also, currently a 3rotor holds the fastest import 1/4 drag time of 7.33 seconds.

Not to mention when rotaries are entered in major races, they have major restrictions to make the race &quot;fair&quot;. &nbsp;Simply put, there is no engine that puts out as much power/weight ratio than any engine as the rotary does.

thats not the point...the point is that they wear prematurely
If I thought the engines didnt have potential while they run I wouldnt be buying one

I don't like them..

yes allen, im sure we've all caught on to that! &nbsp;<img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

i'm a rotor head w/o a rotary...:( &nbsp;i wish i did. trade in the ol' tibby in for a TII, and a get a triple-rotor and be hella fast

so um.....why won't it start?

ok, its probably got carbon in the apex seals. &nbsp;heres a link: try this (http://www.rx7.com/tech/unflood-fc.html)
my cell # is 680-3090, give me a call if you want more help... &nbsp;im ken by the way...

Roll it off a cliff.

thanks i'll give my friend your #

do the atf treatment .. by adding 3 onces of atf in each leading pulg hole. .then pull the car at about 30 mph then let the clutch out SLOWLY

He got the directions wrong...

Here is the corrected version:


1) Place .65L of Sulfuric acid in each leading plug hole
2) Tow to 130 MPH
3) SLOWLY plant into tree

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (COsborne @ Feb. 09 2002,10:28)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">How many 300,000 mile RX7s have you seen?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
4

Actually, it has been driven pretty hard too, not abused, driven hard. &nbsp;There IS a diffrence. &nbsp;And those are people I know personally.

As for fixing this engine, send me an email n1xrr-mm@charter.net or give me a call 864-325-7594 and I'll get you fixed up. &nbsp;Its really not that hard...and Ken, at this point, ATF won't help too much. &nbsp;If its a blown engine(always a posibility) then a rebuild or used/new engine may be in order. &nbsp;Is it an auto or manual? &nbsp;I'll buy the car if he doesn't want it!

Michael

chris.. your directions.. might help if he just wanted to get rid of the car... by the way i pulled a 9.57 and 9.62 out at greer tongiht in my 7 before my u-joint went out on my third run <img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

chris.. your directions.. might help if he just wanted to get rid of the car... by the way i pulled a 9.57 and 9.62 out at greer tongiht in my 7 before my u-joint went out on my third run <img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

awesome...we're all gonna tear greer up next week <img src="http://www.spartanburgracing.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

well i would hope to be back in town by next thursday with a new ujoint in... adn i will be down there.. with my toy.... by the way my boy has a NOS kit.. adn he is not using it.. shoudl i put it on the 7?

yall are comin to my hometown next week?....tight, ill be there too, we gonna run my friends stang, hopefully

what type of stang... and what year?

did that kid that made this post ever get that car runing .. or is it still sitting here?