Post Rebuild Issues
 

So I just had my engine rebuilt and I reinstalled it myself with some help from others. The first time I turned it over, it started up like it should, but died with only 20 seconds of run time (didn't keep foot on the gas). We couldn't get it to restart without adding oil to get some compression back as it burned off the assembly grease. I've been able to get it to stay running for no more than 10 minutes before it just dies out and doesn't restart unless I add more oil. I can keep my foot on the gas to keep it at 2-3K RPM and it just dies like the fuel pump just shut off. I don't have any CELs anymore so I can't tell why it won't stay running until I turn it off. I also have to have my foot on the clutch as even when I have it out of gear, the car wants to lurch forward. My guess is what something with the linkage is out and doesn't fully disengage the clutch. I did replace the throw out bearing and the oil in the transmission if that would change anything.

Would anybody have any ideas what could be causing my engine to stall out or why my clutch/transmission seem to want to keep my wheels moving?

Who did your rebuild?
How much did you pay?
What did they say they replaced?

Even my crap budget rebuild started and ran fine.

Regarding the transmission, you done screwed something up. The fact that the car doesn't lurch forward with the clutch pedal pushed in means the clutch is working fine. You've got an issue with the gearbox's internal linkage.

Rotors Inc.
$3,600
Don't have the exact list of things replace as I haven't got the paperwork from him yet, but a new rear iron, two housings, and Atkins kit.

Could it have anything to do with fuel or oil injectors? It seems to rev up fine, but I don't go any higher than 4K.

So the transmission never came out of the car, so my internals shouldn't be a problem. So the car is out of gear with the clutch down to start the car. Once I lift off the clutch, it feels like it wants to move the car like it was in gear.

like all engines rotarys need fuel, spark and compression to run. if you had no fuel it wouldnt start, and if you had no compression it wouldnt start. if you only had low compression it MAY start and run with you keeping ur foot on the gas, but in my experience it wont die on you so long as ur foot is giving it gas. if your fuel injectors or pump or filter arent letting enough fuel to the engine its possible it would only feed until the rpms ask for more than your pump can give. so what i would do is double check that you have fuel to ur rail. if so, make sure your fuel injectors are working properly. if those check out id then look into ur spark system. did you replace plugs and coils recently? also because they have to take the clutch off the engine during a rebuild, its possible something got out of alignment somehow. which may or may not be your transmission issue. if the clutch/flywheel is off center its possible it would catch when you let your foot off the clutch and then stall the car especially if you had a performance clutch put in.

i missed the part about it being in neutral. even with a misaligned clutch being in neutral woth the clutch out wouldnt stall the car. and the fact it runs when you have the clutch held down indicates the issue may be further down the drivetrain.

Well, based on the parts list, your engine is off to a good start...

I'd triple-check the injector wiring, ignition wiring and vacuum hoses.

Would you think that if I had one of the ignition wires swapped around that it would not start correctly and die after getting up to regular running temperatures?

It sounds like it hasn't build up compression yet. How old are thr ignition components (coils, spark plugs)?

Have you reset the ESS? (20-time brake pedal procedure, google it).

The thing about the clutch sounds weird. If you're in neutral, even with the clutch released, nothing can possibly be trying to move the car. If it tries to move in gear, then yeah your clutch pedal needs adjustment and/or the hydraulics and clutch itself may need to be examined. There is no linkage, just hydraulics.

The coils were replaced with the LS2 ones that RaceRoots sells probably less than 10k miles ago and the plugs are from September of 17 thru December 17, when ever we got our first snow in Iowa. So probably 2k if I drove it a lot. I have a brand new set ready to go in after I'm able to get about 1500 miles on it.

ESS has been reset.

The next time I go out to start it, I'm going to put the back on jack stands and see what happens when I let off the clutch. Just to verify what's going on with what I think it's doing. This could all be part of my imagination since when I let off the clutch, it sounds like it's putting load on the engine and moving it forward.

It would depend on which wires you mixed up.

What you're talking about here actually doesn't seem abnormal. I've noticed something similar but it only causes the car to creep on the coldest mornings when parked on a slight grade.

With the clutch engaged, the engine turns the main shaft. If the gear oil is thick and it's cold out, it will cause drag on the layshaft and output shaft. If you lift the rear, the wheels will actually spin but will have almost zero torque (you'll be able to stop them with your hand if you're feeling brave).

I wish when searching that I didn't read that some people have different color wires in different orders from the pic that someone posted on here somewhere.

I did change out the gear oil in both the transmission and rear diff since it wasn't going anywhere for a while and I never did it since I bought it with 39k miles. I put in Red Line 75W90 gear oil.

I've observed it with Amsoil MTG and Motorcraft XT-M5-QS.