MSD Do I keep it

[Erik the Awful]

Does the engine turn over smoothly? If so, put some fresh oil and coolant in it and try bumpstarting it in second gear at over 25 mph. You'd be surprised how many of these cars got junked because the apex seals carboned up and got stuck. They'd show zero compression and people would think they needed a $3000 engine rebuild. Bumpstarting over 25mph slings the seals back out. If the bumpstart gets it running, shoot a couple shots of ATF into each rotor through the spark plug hole, spin the crank once, shoot some more ATF, spin it again, shoot a little more, and then let it sit overnight. The next day, crank the engine with the plugs out (and no fuel delivery) until the ATF is out and then bumpstart it again. Keep the revs at about 2000 rpm for a few minutes until all the ATF burns away. It'll smoke out every mosquito within a square mile, but you'll be good for another couple years.

 

[Schurkey]

Does the engine turn over smoothly? If so, put some fresh oil and coolant in it and try bumpstarting it in second gear at over 25 mph.

I appreciate any Wankel wisdom. However, I don't have a CAR, I have a core engine. No transmission, no second gear.

I don't even have all of the ignition system. I do have the four-barrel carburetor.

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Given that these are set up so the starter motor bolts to the bellhousing, even cranking it with the starter is an issue.

 

[rebelyell]

FWIW, Spartanburg SC's Roger Mandeville 82nd b'day next week; still knows a thing or two about rotary power.

 

[Erik the Awful]

@Schurkey If only you were closer. I have two spare transmissions and a pile of spare ignition parts, along with a pile of good clutches and starters.

It looks like you have most of what you need for the ignition, though. Take the leading ignitor off the distributor and wire an MSD in it's place. HOWEVER! Cross up the green and purple wire from the distributor's magnetic pickup with the purple and green on the MSD. Get your hands on a second-gen RX-7 coil. They have two output terminals. Put one plug wire from each terminal directly onto the leading (lower) spark plugs. Boom! Wasted spark. Your leading spark plugs will fire at the same time, all the time, and it will run cleaner. You'll still want to run the secondary ignition through the ignitor on the distributor or you'll lose about 10% of your power. The trailing ignition is 8* behind the leading, and if you run wasted spark on it, you can spark on the overlap.

A Miata transmission should bolt in place, and they might be a bit easier to find. The early '80s Ford/Mazda trucks also have a transmission that will bolt up. A RWD 626, 929, or MPV *might* bolt up.

 

[Schurkey]

I would like to hear that thing run. I was figuring on stuffing an MSD or two in place of the original ignition amplifiers, and obtaining a bellhousing and starter, (Got a spare second-gen RX7 coil, and a bellhousing to hold one of your spare starter motors???) 'cause otherwise I'm reduced to fabricating something to crank the engine with, or pull-starting it with a rope wrapped around the flywheel like a friggin' outboard motor.

OTOH, I've got a serious lack of ambition. I've owned the thing for close to ten years, and I've done nothing with it so far except look at it. It's parked in the barn with most of my other core engines...which similarly were going to get pulled apart, cleaned, reassembled, and generally "played with".

What I need more than anything is for someone to show up at my house every day and kick my ass until I do something productive. My nephews are good at that--but they're only here for a few days each summer. Last time they were here, we shuffled all the cores around, moved three SBC and a 472 Caddy out of my shop so I have room to walk around, and chainsawed a shitload of firewood.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Got a spare second-gen RX7 coil, and a bellhousing to hold one of your spare starter motors?

I might have a spare second gen coil somewhere. The bellhousings aren't removable on the early smooth-case transmissions. I don't think the Turbo II transmissions had a removable bellhousing either. Supposedly some of the later transmissions did.

Last time they were here, we shuffled all the cores around, moved three SBC and a 472 Caddy out of my shop so I have room to walk around, and chainsawed a shitload of firewood.

Are you sure you aren't hanging out in my shop? I have a couple SBCs and a 472 in the corner, and a pile of firewood that needs chainsawing. I've been going out for an hour of yard or shop work every evening to try and keep my motivation up. I did spend six hours yesterday working on the Jag.