Mine acted like that (flooding?) just once ( about 2500 miles ...now have
6000 on it). Engine had already started normally in the garage and I was
backing out of my driveway. I was half way down to the street (about 30-40
feet) when it stalled...may have been when I was releasing the clutch too
quickly <G>.
Trying to restart produced classic flooding symptoms...occasional firing,
but no continuous running...then after a few seconds of trying, just
spinning...then smell of raw gas.
So, I left it there and took the RX-7 for the day's chores. Tried starting
it at lunch time, but same thing...fired, ran a "stroke" or two, then quit.
Then just spin with occasional firing, then just spin and the smell of raw
gas.
Stopped at the dealer late that afternoon. They said to give their towing
company a call when I got back home and he'd bring it in.
It was late enough in the day, I decided to leave it sit until the next
morning, when, with one last try, it started hard, but started, and spewed
oil smoke (bluish) as it warmed up. Drove it to the dealer where the
computer just said that it had misfired (check engine light had come on
during one of the restart attempts) ...which I'm sure was from the starting
attempts, and was not the initial cause. They could not find nothing else
wrong, and apparently others have not yet reported any similar problems. Bob
(the service manager) knows me well, and would definitely tell me if there
was.
At any rate, it's been starting fine since then...despite the temperature
getting down to below 15 degrees these recent mornings.
Still have heard nothing about the intermittent steering/braking situation.
BTW...the '87 RX-7 is still running great! 145,000 miles! been driving it
to avoid running the 8 around on the salted roads (had a foot of snow here
in the last couple of weeks.)
Harley
Raw fuel is probably accumulating in the bottom of the rotor housings
as it can no longer be swept out the exhaust port in the side exhaust
RX8 engine.
An oil pan heater will solve this problem. Heating the oil in the RX8
will heat the lower rotor housing vaporizing the accumulated raw fuel.
This probably happens when you start it up and move it for only
a few seconds and then shut off the engine. This is mentioned in
the manual as a no no. You are supposed to let it warm
up before you shut it off as I recall.
Paul Lamar
In the mean time if you want to try something buy one of these
four inch thick 1500 watt Pelonis room heaters and place it under the
oil pan. It will not shut off when mounted horizontally under the oil pan.
Should heat the whole engine in about an hour.
Model HB-211 0307
http://www.pelonis.com/
Paul Lamar
I have been thinking about this some more and it is a very very interesting
problem. Unlike a piston engine all the fuel that goes in the side port
rotary stays in the side port rotary or is burned. When you flood a piston
engine the excess fuel leaks down past the piston rings into the oil
sump. No such thing can happened in the RX8 motor. As much as half a pint of
fuel can accumulate in the rotor housing if you keep cranking the engine
without it starting. No way will the engine ever start unless that excess fuel
is removed. Just like a lighted match dropped in a tank of gas the mixture
is far far too rich to ignite. It takes 10 to 14 pounds of air mixed with one
pound of fuel to ignite. 14 pounds of air is one heck of a lot of volume
of air.
I have no idea how Mazda is going to solve this problem but they better do it
quick.
Paul Lamar
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