Help getting 2nd gen rx7 to start please!

Okay, let me address some of the points above...

The engine and electronics were pulled from a running and driving race car.  The front pulley (not hub) was removed to put on a different engine ina  different car (this is before I knew that they are not necessarily interchangeable).

We put the engine in a 1980 RX7 with all new wiring to all of the sensor plugs and ECU.  We do not have a circuit opening relay (fuel pump on seperate circuit). 

The car will cough and backfire with starting fluid sprayed into the AFM.   It will occasionally backfire VERY hard (hard enough to blow the plastic intake tube off the intake).

I am going to try to get a known good hub and pulley and install them on this engine.  I will also verify by looking at the flat part of the flywheel AND the make a mark with the #2 rotor while passing leading and trailing plug holes and determine the center.

With these items off the list (lets assume for a minute) what else could make the engine backfire and not want to start?

The primary coil fires both leading spark plugs at the same time.  As far as I understand, I could literally remove the trailing spark plug wires and the engine should still start and run just fine.

I will check the CAS for the proper resistances AND I will verify the wiring for the primary coil signal.

Is there an upgrade for the S4 NA starter?  Maybe this thing is just cranking too slowly....

If these items don't solve it, I will be wanting to punch something....

You're correct on both the pulley timing mark bit and the spark plug lead/trailing. At crank time and low RPM, the trailing is not really necessary. 

I would line up the CAS with the cover taken off when you manually verify "TDC" so you can verify that the sensors are in the right place.

I was going to suggest verifying that the wiring is correct since you did rewire the car (like Dusterbd13 suggested).

I've heard, although I don't have personal experience, that the difference in pullies is 20°  That'd be enough to not make it start.

Before you do anything else, does it light off if you rotate the CAS so the slot is just past the bolt hole (one way or the other)?   If so, that really indicates pulley.

We still can't get this started.  New better starter and battery.

It kinda coughs every once in awhile.

We sprayed starter fluid into the intake....  it fired through the intake and burnt the hair off my hand and eyebrows and blew the rubber hose off the intake....

HELP!

P.s. Knurled, I sent you a message or two.

This car is getting close to being ready to shakedown, and I can't get it started.  Gawwwww!

I tried setting the timing by looking at the apex seal on the rear rotor and making two marks on the pulley and splitting the difference.  I also tried to set timing by using the flat of the flywheel.  

Similar positions.  Still no start.

Anybody know where the screw on top of the manifold should be to start?  What about the idle afr screw?

Thanks guys!

Dude, isn't this the second time you've had one (a rotary) not want to start on you? How frustrating! I wish I could offer help, but instead I'll twist the knife a bit.

In reply to dculberson :

It's okay.  I am just frustrated...

I've owned 12 rotary cars.  8 of them were s4 rx7s.  I could recite the wire colors and proper pinouts for each wire to the computer...

Still can't solve this.  Didn't solve the other one either.  Sold it to furious E as a roller....

Gaghhhh!

Errrmagawd.  We got it to start.

I have no idea how or why, but the cas wires were swapped.  We did not cut the wires from the cas to the ecu.  We didn't determinate them either.

I am wondering if I grabbed the connector and ecu plug from a different rx7 harness.  

I am still confused.

The ne and g pickup signal wires were switched.  Once switched to how it is now, the car fired right up.

The Haynes manual shows these wires how we had them.  Internet pics show them how we had them.

The only place I found conflicting info was on a haltech site and a site called demystify rx7.

Figure it was worth a shot to switch them....  

It runs!  Berk yeah!

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Congrats! Nice you finally figured it out. It is so crazy how little things can make such a huge difference. Hope the rest of the final touches go smoothly.

It was really nice to actually hear this thing BRAAP for once.  We pulled the 12A out back in April and it probably only took 2 weeks to get to where we have been until today.  I was actually ready to drop the cash to go with a Megasquirt but we still would have had the same problem based on the wiring diagrams.

Proof that it is actually alive!

You can see in that video that it isn't running well. 

The starter is staying engaged and there is some timing to verify and some fueling to verify, but at least I am wearing a pink hat.