So, my hard starting issues have gotten increasingly worse as of late..and everything was new but the plugs. I sorta wished I had checked them before. I found 4 trailing plugs...installed in the car. I'm totally mind fucked. How does that even happen?

The good news is it still starts like ****, but it idles excellent now...and I now know sorta what it's supposed to feel like.

I'm so pissed, yet so perplexed at the same time..

 

Haha that is very odd. How long have you owned the car? Was this your first time changing the plugs on it? Maybe the previous owner just took it to a shop which obviously didn't know much about rotaries so they just threw some trailing plugs on it.

Also, when was the last time you changed the starter? And have you gotten the upgraded starter from the S2 models?

 

The upgraded starter is not the one from the S2 cars. It was available back in late 2004 or early 2005.

For the OP: if the car still starts hard (and it has the upgraded starter, good battery, coils etc.) then you may want to check the compression...

 

This ^

 

It likely idles from the new plugs...not the trailing in the leading problem.

The car fires the trailing plugs first at idle anyway

Trailing plugs are a bit cooler so would foul easier...but other than that they are only just slightly shorter. Better 4 trailing than 4 leading plus...which are too long for the Trailing holes

 

At least nothing major happened.

 

It'll be one year in February that I've owned the car. Yes, this was my first time changing the plugs. I think it was the dealer I bought it from that did this. The starter was replaced at 17k or so miles according to Mazda.

That's what I'm thinking. Engine number 3 time.