Starting Your Flooded Rotary
   by J.D. Paul McMillan
   jpmcmill@acs.ucalgary.ca

[The following article pairs well with How to Remedy Flooded Carbs. Note, though, that unlike the latter, this article focuses simply on getting your '7 started again after it has flooded and not what repairs are recommended to further avoid the problem. -RR]

What you have to do is this:

1. Remove the spark plugs and crank the engine for a few (say, 10) seconds to to spit out all that nasty gas that is coating your rotors and housing.

2. Dry the plugs off.

3. Squirt some oil (a tablespoon or so) into the top spark plug holes or pour some down the intake manifold (through the large barrels of the carb).

4. Crank the engine again to spread the oil around.

5. Replace the plugs.

6. Turn the key to the 'on' position to start the fuel pump and wait for 20 seconds or so (I do this every time I start the car) to build up some pressure in the fuel system.

7. Crank the engine and watch the smoke billow.

8. I have had to do this once already this winter after trying to start my car when it was a little too cold. It is now in the warmth of my garage until spring. It is so hard to bring myself to store it for the winter. I should just spring for a block heater.