RandyTibbles

I have an 1985 RX7 gsl-se ,my idle is waaaaay off and i don't want to mess with it w/out some help, thats how a bad situation goes to *****! so,is it a sensor or an adjustment? THANKS!

2wankel

iTrader: (1)

Try spraying carb cleaner around the vacuum lines. You might have a cracked, brittle line. Engine rpm will change when you spray around the area.

RandyTibbles

thanks, i'll try that!!!!That's atleast a starting point! Come on guys....DIG DEEP!!!!!

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Does it do this when the engine is warm or only when the engine is cold? Also check the throttle cable and cruise control cable to make sure that they are not holding the throttle plates partially open.

65-289

what i was told by local people when i wanted to fix my car
Step one: Buy Haynes manual
Step Two: Read
Step three: try.
step four: Drink a beer
Five: Complaine about rotorys
six: fix problem
seven: Drive hard.

I know that doesn't help you much, but still it was funny at the time.

blazer1313

adjust your timing! Dont advance it or anything.

RotaryRyan

Step eight: spell rotaries correctly

Sorry, they say im a spelling ****......or something

65-289

yea, well... it's one of those really long days, and i still have to go to work for my graveyard shift *yawn*

bizarro

iTrader: (1)

i had that...turned out to be the tb cables

Pele

iTrader: (28)

I suggest you stop trying to match the idle to the engine... Instead, match the engine to the idle and bridge port it.

J/K

Clean the carb, loosten the throttle cable, adjust the idle and mixture screws.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

Hey, how's it going?

Well having tracked down every possible cause of an idle problem in EXISTANCE while looking for mine, I've gotten pretty good at figuring them out.

First off, has anything been done to the carburetor, vacuum lines (rat's nest) or other associated things since the car last idled normally?

If no, then you are probably looking at either a vacuum leak, something stopping the throttle from closing properly, or some sort of inner-carb problem.

The first vacuum leak to check is the large hose that goes from the Anti-Afterburn Valve to the back of the intake manifold. Because of this hose's proximity to the burning hot exhaust manifold, it's prone to drying and cracking over time causing this idle problem.

After that hose, you can use an unlit propane torch to check for idle. Warm the car up and then slowly wave the propane around vacuum lines. If you hear a change in the sound of the car, it's because the leak sucked in propane instead of air, which changed the behavior of the engine.

You can always get replacement hose and replace the rat's nest hoses, or check Carl and Pratch's tutorial on how to remove the rat's nest (found at www.mazspeed.com check the facts section). If it turns out not to be a vacuum leak, the next step I would try is to disconnect your throttle cable and manually push the throttle closed by hand. If this solves the problem, then there's a binding somewhere or your spring isn't pulling the throttle shut properly. Check and replace the spring if necessary, oil all the linkages, and double check at the front of the carb that the OMP rod isn't causing a bind either (as it gets older and rusty it can bind a bit). Check that the throttle cable has enough play to allow the linkage to shut properly.

If pushing the throttle completely closed and checking for vacuum leaks doesn't do it, then try adjusting the idle mixture and idle speed screws. The instructions for this are in your Heynes manual (everyone should have a heynes... best $20 ever spent on your car), but here in brief: The mixture screw is on the carb base, as you're looking at the carb from the driver's side, directly in the middle. This is often covered with a hard metal cap. IF this is the case, leave it alone. If there is no cap, then gently turn it all the way in, counting the turns. DO NOT torque the screw in because even the slightest torque can mess with the pin and affect flow inside the carb. 3 and a half turns out should be what it's set at. The Other screw is harder to find. It's closer to the firewall side of the carb, and controls where the trottle linkage comes to rest. It's a bitch to get at when you have your rat's nest intact and your air cleaner assembly on. This is just basically adjusted until the idle is where it should be, or if you have the carb off the car, it should be adjusted so that about 1-2mm of the dashpot's little white end is showing.

If none of the above solve the problem and the carb hasn't been removed or messed with in recent history, then the problem is probably internal to the carb and so you should take it off and send it to Rx7Carl and Sterling for a rebuild. It's worth every penny.

Jon

GavinJuice

Sorry to burst your bubble Vipernicus, but
Check out this site with many ANSWERS to idle problems on gsl-se's, it's a great page and you should read it alllllllllllllll. http://www.nellump.net/peri/epi/firs...gslseIdle.html

Pele

iTrader: (28)

Way to read...

riofrio

Throttle cable was my problem for the longest time.
Also,
Does it idle at 2000 rpms all the time? Does it change at all as the engine warms up?
Have you adjusted your TPS?
If you haven't adjusted your fast idle cam, do it too, it's covered in the Hayne's manual and it's super easy.
Let us know how it goes.