Bought the car about 7 months back and couldnt do any work to it due to money restrictions. Now I have a bit of cash to spend on it. Heres my problem:

I start it up and warm it up for 5-10 minutes. After the choke releases by itself, it shuts off. I start it again and rev it a little and when I stop rev'ing, the rpm goes down then dies immediately.
I think it may have to do with the carburetor but I'm not sure. Should I just buy a new or used carb or could I have it rebuilt and have the same result?
Although I'm not sure if its the carb either, it could be a vaccum leak. can anyone give me a list of ALL the places it could have a vaccum leak at and how to check them? Thank you soo much, after I get this demon running I'm gonna keep it stock and restore the interior and make this baby shine :P

 

if its been sitting may wanna change the gas in the tank..and also..the fuel filter...

 

yeah change all your filters and fluids ... atleast gas. as far as vacuum leaks go, just get some carb cleaner, it works a lot better and faster than wd-40, you can really see a huge difference with the carb cleaner, and just start spraying around intake manifold, and hoses and around the carb and you'll definitely hear the engine rev up if you have a vacuum leak.

 

i've already changed the usual stuff.
oil + filter, dist. rotor and cap, battery, air filter. spark plugs

 

adjust the idle screw then look around the top of the engine at all the vac lines and listen for sucking thats what i did and my car does good now

 

STOP!!!! Don't adjust anything yet. Check this hose. It's most likely the offender. You'll have to pull the hose off to see the huge crack on the bottom elbow. This will cause these EXACT symptoms. New hose, no adjustments, go drive, be safe.

 

Do NOT mess with the carb unless you are CERTAIN you have a carb problem, AND you have actually disassembled one before. So many tyro mechanics wander off into the woods after they get the work started and become hopelessly entangled in carb problems. And they can never tell if they have the problem solved because they never knew it was the carb in the first place.

If you bought this car in California then a fuel problem is unlikely after an idle period. We don't have the same condensation problems that other states have, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. You may want to add a quart of alcohol to your tank to help soak up water condensation.

Most engine problems are due to ignition. You are fortunate that the engine is running, because that means you can check the ignition timing: do it!

What kind of plugs did you put in? If there's one subject that RX-7 owners know frontwards and backwards it's Spark Plugs!

Re-check the tightness of your high-tension spark wires. I've been working on cars for a couple centuries (or was that millenia?) and I STILL had a too loose spark wire that drove me nuts for a couple days before I stopped ASSUMING it was sufficiently well seated.

When your car is running, does the engine behave well? Does it have good power? Does it spit and miss? Have you tried driving a similar RX-7 to see how they compare?

In CA you should be close to other RX-7 owners, no matter where, and they are very helpful.

 

ok ill try that hose and then try the carb cleaner spray to check all the hoses for vaccum leaks. i'll post when i've done that and tell you the results.

 

ok i checked that hose, i sprayed a bit of carb cleaner around the hoses, i May have found a small leak but not sure, it shut off and i didnt have a second person to hold the throttle while I sprayed to check because the choke came off.
i remembered that the people at the ghetto smog shop had adjusted my fuel & idle screws so that may be one of the reasons its not running right as well.
when i was running it just now, the exhaust smelled real bad and lots of backfire, so i think my fuel is too high, and its misfiring too, so im gonna get it timed, then follow that carb adjusting guide in the FAQ after I make sure I have no vaccum leaks and see how it runs then.
Also, I was looking on black dragon auto and found that there were two parts to the cats? Do i need to buy both to make it pass, or is there one part that actually helps the smog emmisions?

 

bump. anyone know how the cat system works on the 83 rx7 and what brand would be the best and mose inexpensive?

 

Start it up, and let it idle until it dies. Immediately shut off the ignition, and look into the float bowl windows on the carb (one on front, one on back). What level is the fuel at? It should be halfway. If there is no fuel present, then you have a bad fuel pump or a blockage. Clogged fuel filter is usually the culprit.



.

 

Adjusted your fuel and idle screws? WTF? I'd find out from someone on the forum what the proper settings are for the screws so you can put them back to factory settings, and go from there. I purchased a stock FB last November, and I had that problem with it not wanting to idle. It was the hose running from the Anti-Afterburn Valve #2 to the intake manifold (the one that is highlighted above, picture below). It is a very very hard leak to find, as it's a very tight fit for anyone that has normal sized hands. I had to put mine up on my Grandpa's hoist so I could find the leak. You can't get carb cleaner to it very easily, even if you have the car on a hoist. Run your hand the entire length of the hose, and check on the bottom of the hose where it turns to go into the intake manifold. There will most likely be a large hole there, and you'll have to replace the hose. It's cheap, and not difficult to do, and should fix your problem.

 

Alright, thanks for the help guys! I really love the community here, so helpful and unlike the ricers that around here. I'm gonna get on that in a bit, check the float levels first and then i'm gonna replace my fuel filter for sure, I bought one and never got around to replacing it because I thought I would have to drop the gas tank to get to it. Ill check that hose from the anti afterburn valve as well. Thanks guys!

EDIT: Wait I did check that hose already, it was fine, pulled it off and looked for cracks and ways for it to leak and it was fine, even put the dirty thing to my lips and checked pressure by putting the end of it on my hand. So hopefully its just a matter of resetting the fuel / idle screws back to their original places and putting that new fuel filter on.