Expert: Sean Halliday - 5/13/2009

Question
1985 RX7 GSL_SE ..Starts most of the time, however 1 out of eight tries will not ignite. Fuel is good, batt good, igniters replaced, coils and dist/ wires clean. Car can be started in nuetral without engaging clutch,should there not be a neutral safety switch, could this be faulty ?  

Answer
There should be a safety switch but this will not cause the no start problem.Did you do a compression test on all the cylinders?Low compression on  old or worn engines will make them hard to start.Worn rings/valves do not compress very well and the engine will struggle to fire.Compression across all cylinders should be 100psi or better,less than this will tell you it is worn.