hi all,

I'm new to the forum and to RX-7's. I bought my 1982 FB in June, I think it is a GSL-GS (does that sound right?), and I love it... but (theres always a butt isnt there?) my high beams only work in the pull back position, not if I push the switch forward. How hard/where can I find out how to remove my combo switch and clean the terminals? Also the cruise control doesnt work at all, where do I begin to check to find the problem with that? So far all I have done for the car is a full tune up, and a cat back custom exhaust (nothing too great, flowmaster exhaust, 2 1/4" pipe from cat to exhaust and dual out) thanks for the help I hope.

truly,

John

 

Well, first off, welcome to the boards and to the club. I think you'll find that the 1st Gen forum is a wealth of knowledge and is frequented by people who go out of their way help one another with the 'Known Issues' that we run into with these early series cars.

On your car's problems;

1) the Lighting control combo switches are part of the complete combo assembly that's underneath the steering wheel on the column. This can be accessed by removing the 4-5 cross-head screws that go from the bottom to top of the steering column surround. Once you have these out, the top and bottom halves can pull away, exposing the combo box. Removal of the steering wheel will allow for removal of the combo box, and a suitable socket wrench and a lot of muscle will be required to get the wheel free. Rock from side to side and pull toward you at the 3' and 9' O clock positions - it will pop off sooner or later. The switch mechanism for the brights may need to be cleaned off, or the spring detent replaced to hold it in the forward position. Be careful of the turn signal 'cancel' wheel and switches, as these are prone to breakage due to brittle plastic and age. Also, be sure to lube everything up again on reinstallation.

2) Cruise Control (CC) - first, open the hood and make sure that you have the CC module installed correctly. It is on the passenger side of the engine compartment, just behind the strut tower. A black canister connects to a spiral winding cable which then goes to the primary throttle rod on the Throttle Body (TB). Check vacuum connections here and ensure that it's all intact. There is a computer control module located behind and under your driver's side storage 'bin', so your next step would be to pull the bin out and look to be sure that all wiring is intact. Check your fuses FIRST to be sure that everything's got power, of course.

Give these a shot, and then reply back. Welcome aboard,