Disappointed in my new 7 :(
05-16-11, 01:50 PM
#26
+1 on the varnished fuel. Modern blends start to go bad in under 6 months. Always use StaBil or somethign similar over winter to keep the fuel in tact.
It's possible that the gas tank has started to rust a bit rom that bad fuel. When I got my last stock GSL-SE (with the factory 13B), it also bogged and intermittantly ran poorly. Well, there's a screen in front of the fuel pump that would plug with particulate matter.... which was the fuel tank itself coming apart. Eventually the tanak had to be re-coated.
Not sure if the 12A has a similar screen, but it is worth a check to see if it is partially plugged.
It's possible that the gas tank has started to rust a bit rom that bad fuel. When I got my last stock GSL-SE (with the factory 13B), it also bogged and intermittantly ran poorly. Well, there's a screen in front of the fuel pump that would plug with particulate matter.... which was the fuel tank itself coming apart. Eventually the tanak had to be re-coated.
Not sure if the 12A has a similar screen, but it is worth a check to see if it is partially plugged.
05-16-11, 03:27 PM
#27
hey like evryone is saying its not super fast, but the handling makes up for it, make sure you clean out everything, full tune up spark plugs and such, rebuild the carb and take of all th erestrictions mentioned before and this car will make you fall in love with it. i raced mine with a street port and a 4 puck racing clutch at thomestead speedway and a maserati was right on my tail but could not pass me because even though he had 3 times the power i had, i exited the corners much faster than him so by the time he caught up again we were at the next corner (if the straightaways were longer then yes he would have smoked me for sure) they are fun cars, not hp monsters.
05-16-11, 09:10 PM
#29
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I think the car is also out of time. I adjusted it a little bit, but couldn't see exactly what I was doing because it was dark outside but I took it down the road and it had quite a bit more power. It got the tires to chirp going into 3rd gear. In the morning I will be going out there with a timing light and actually trying to adjust it the right way.
08-09-11, 11:18 PM
#31
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I did get this car running actually. It is still having problems but I have not had money to work on it until well today. I ordered a distributor cap and rotor to see if that helps if not I will be replacing the coils, if that doesn't solve the problem then I know the ignition isn't my problem since all of it will be new. After that I will be replacing every hose I can find weather good or bad lol and if that doesn't work then it will be another attempt at rebuilding my carburetor, its got to be 1 of the 3 causing this problem.
08-10-11, 06:49 AM
#33
If your distributor cap and rotor (and plugs) look worn it's a good idea to replace them.
However replacing anything else without first checking your spark to see if you have a problem could be an expensive error. Coils almost never go bad, for example, and even an old set of plug wires will usually do the job pretty well.
More often ignition problems are caused by a bad igniter or one or more weak electrical connections in the system. These most likely will still be there after you install those expensive new coils, raising your frustration level.
Check your leading and trailing spark plugs to be sure you are getting spark. If so, you know ignition is not the problem. If one or both are weak, work your way back until you find the failing component.
Also Dave's suggestion of posting pictures and better a video of the situation will make it more clear what you are dealing with.
Good luck!
However replacing anything else without first checking your spark to see if you have a problem could be an expensive error. Coils almost never go bad, for example, and even an old set of plug wires will usually do the job pretty well.
More often ignition problems are caused by a bad igniter or one or more weak electrical connections in the system. These most likely will still be there after you install those expensive new coils, raising your frustration level.
Check your leading and trailing spark plugs to be sure you are getting spark. If so, you know ignition is not the problem. If one or both are weak, work your way back until you find the failing component.
Also Dave's suggestion of posting pictures and better a video of the situation will make it more clear what you are dealing with.
Good luck!
08-10-11, 10:27 AM
#34
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I did have my second rotor leading plug on my 81 not firing most of the time couldnt figure out where the powerloss was coming from fr a very long time new plugs wires and igniters fixed the problem drove like a whole new car
08-10-11, 10:38 AM
#35
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Okay I will post new pics as soon as I can, I have replaced the plugs and wires on the car already in earlier posts I was told the ignitors should be good. I am getting spark in both leading and trailing plugs but I am just curious to know if it is strong enough. Even driving down the road when I let off the gas it feels like it is missing now. I have noticed it now that I am driving it more than 50 feet. I will also attempt to put up a new video here shortly with my gfs camera so hopefully it will be a little better quality than my cell phone.
08-11-11, 09:52 AM
#36
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Okay, for right now I still have no vids yet to show, I can't figure out to how to make 1 on gfs camera so she will have to show me. But for today I will be trying to see if the regulator is adjusted correctly, and using soapy water to see if I can find a vacuum leak. I have tried about 4 bottles of carb cleaner and engine degreaser with no success but I have been told the soapy water helps a lot more because it bubbles up where a leak is at. If I find out anything I will let everyone know.
08-11-11, 10:31 AM
#37
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Well car 2 me 0. After about an hour of spraying every connector and every hose I could find, I once again had no results on a vacuum leak. So I moved towards the fuel pump regulator, I jacked the car up and looked under it and thought to myself, where is the regulator? lol. I see he put a universal micro fuel pump on it and see the battery and ground going up but I am not finding a regulator anywhere.
08-11-11, 12:53 PM
#39
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I found out the regulator was located at the auto parts store :p I also got a gauge to fit on it also so after I can get all the fittings to stop leaking I will come back with my results
08-11-11, 08:57 PM
#40
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sounds like your secondaries are not working at all or the spring loaded deal on back of the carb if somebody can show a picture here 
that makes a big change when not working.
that makes a big change when not working.
08-11-11, 09:10 PM
#41
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yeah... I changed my fuel pump because it happened to go out on me today, put the regulator on and gauge set it to 2 psi and adjusted the carb, it runs in much lower rpm now and more smoothly but still hesitates lol, so I am thinking fuel may be out of the question, I have spark in leading and trailing, I have spent who knows how many hours checking for a vacuum leak with no results, so I am out of ideas unless it is something connected to the carburetor or I rebuilt it wrong. Got my friend working on it today who is a mechanic and after about 6 hours he even ran out of ideas. I may just have to buy another rebuild kit for the carb and have someone who knows more about carbs rebuild it other than trying to do it myself.
08-11-11, 10:57 PM
#43
yeah... I changed my fuel pump because it happened to go out on me today, put the regulator on and gauge set it to 2 psi and adjusted the carb, it runs in much lower rpm now and more smoothly but still hesitates lol, so I am thinking fuel may be out of the question, I have spark in leading and trailing, I have spent who knows how many hours checking for a vacuum leak with no results, so I am out of ideas unless it is something connected to the carburetor or I rebuilt it wrong. Got my friend working on it today who is a mechanic and after about 6 hours he even ran out of ideas. I may just have to buy another rebuild kit for the carb and have someone who knows more about carbs rebuild it other than trying to do it myself.
08-11-11, 11:08 PM
#44
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My charcoal canister? I can stick my grill in the back but might not be a great idea while driving, if you don't mean that then I have no idea what the charcoal canister even is lol. Now Hec is correct about a weak spring, I can push down on 1 of the springs and it actually dropped my rpm from 1500 to about 800 and it didn't want to go to normal position but I got that fixed and it made no difference in the hesitation. Right now I am happy that I got the car driving semi normal, it isn't quick but it is pretty much stock and old but it went from not even able to spin tires in gravel to being able to spin tires off the line and shifting into 2nd which is a start. But it drives okay until I let off the gas then it feels as if it jumps a little and it still hesitates if it gets floored from idle, and it is currently idling at around 600 rpm. Tomorrow if I can find something else to fiddle with then I will be out there working on it again to pass time. I enjoy working on this thing but I enjoy seeing more improvement and I am slowly getting there plus the more I do to this and the more progress I make the more I love this thing. I have yet to start out with a car that barely runs or doesn't run at all and build it myself to make it run like new or better, and I want this to be my first one.
08-12-11, 06:00 PM
#46
My charcoal canister? I can stick my grill in the back but might not be a great idea while driving, if you don't mean that then I have no idea what the charcoal canister even is lol. Now Hec is correct about a weak spring, I can push down on 1 of the springs and it actually dropped my rpm from 1500 to about 800 and it didn't want to go to normal position but I got that fixed and it made no difference in the hesitation. Right now I am happy that I got the car driving semi normal, it isn't quick but it is pretty much stock and old but it went from not even able to spin tires in gravel to being able to spin tires off the line and shifting into 2nd which is a start. But it drives okay until I let off the gas then it feels as if it jumps a little and it still hesitates if it gets floored from idle, and it is currently idling at around 600 rpm. Tomorrow if I can find something else to fiddle with then I will be out there working on it again to pass time. I enjoy working on this thing but I enjoy seeing more improvement and I am slowly getting there plus the more I do to this and the more progress I make the more I love this thing. I have yet to start out with a car that barely runs or doesn't run at all and build it myself to make it run like new or better, and I want this to be my first one.
Really though... charcoal canister is a... well... charcoal colored canister... it sits next to the passenger side shock tower and has two lines running to it. It's there to absorb gas fumes that vent from the carb for emissions purposes. In other words, dead weight. Try unhooking the lines and see if that effects anything.
Next order of business... umm, don't stomp the gas at idle. I don't know any car that appreciates that. Every car has to be driven a certain way to perform at its best. Push down the accelerator in the same way you would let out the clutch from a stop - nice and easy. Don't bother putting the pedal to the floor below 4000 RPM. If you're doing this then you are in the wrong gear.
Last, your accel pump is the (other) reason for that stumble when you hit the gas. Info on how to test it is in the thread hya: https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/how-test-nikki-fuel-jets-without-rx-7-a-964299/
08-12-11, 10:57 PM
#47
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Thread Starter
Okay lizard I will check that out, and I think I know what you mean is that the thing that has a giant hose connecting to the air cleaner? If it is then I have driven with that on and off and made no difference in well anything that I have noticed. And it isn't always just mashing the gas even slowly letting up on it you hear it stuttering and sometimes effects take off if you don't watch it and ease up on the clutch slower than I would think you should need to. But I will check out that link and see whats going on with the accel pump tomorrow and put it on my list of things to do, thanks a lot. I will come back with my results as soon as I can.
08-12-11, 11:00 PM
#48
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Thread Starter
Just to be sure to test the accel pump I just have to put some gas in the bowl and open the primary butterflies? I don't have a compressor to use to test the jets and everything lol.
08-12-11, 11:43 PM
#49
love the braaaap
Seems like you have covered quite a bit of the fuel and ignition systems, but there are two things I haven't seen reports of yet.
First, check your fuel bowl levels on the carb. There are two rectangular sight glasses on the carb, one toward the front of the engine and one to the rear. They can only be seen with the air cleaner assembly off the carb. Take a rag and wipe them off real good, then with the key on, engine not running, and a flashlight in hand, check the fuel level in your fuel bowls. It should be pretty clear where the level is, and it should be about halfway up the sight glass. If this is too high or too low the engine will not run correctly under part to full throttle and in extreme cases, won't even idle properly.
Second, get yourself a cheap timing light and confirm your timing. The engine will still run even if the timing is 30+ degrees out. I know from personal experience this is possible. At this much advance or retard on the timing, the engine will not have the full power and will stumble and hesitate. Make sure your timing is at least close to the proper marks.
Other things to note:
-Primary and/or secondary jets clogged
-Idle circuit clogged (within the carb)
-Secondaries not opening (already mentioned, i know)
Probably the best thing to do is to pull the carb off and just rebuild it. The kit is not all that expensive and it could save you a lot of time trying to troubleshoot other problems that may have no effect on anything. Given it had old gas in it, something is likely to be clogged, and those clogs just don't clear up with time. Rebuilding the Nikki carb can be a bit intimidating at first, but as long as you document and keep track of parts very carefully, its not all that hard. Use a tackle box to store small parts with lables on them, take pictures of each part as you disassemble it, and make notes of how things go back together. Of course, make sure you clean all the parts extremely well.
First, check your fuel bowl levels on the carb. There are two rectangular sight glasses on the carb, one toward the front of the engine and one to the rear. They can only be seen with the air cleaner assembly off the carb. Take a rag and wipe them off real good, then with the key on, engine not running, and a flashlight in hand, check the fuel level in your fuel bowls. It should be pretty clear where the level is, and it should be about halfway up the sight glass. If this is too high or too low the engine will not run correctly under part to full throttle and in extreme cases, won't even idle properly.
Second, get yourself a cheap timing light and confirm your timing. The engine will still run even if the timing is 30+ degrees out. I know from personal experience this is possible. At this much advance or retard on the timing, the engine will not have the full power and will stumble and hesitate. Make sure your timing is at least close to the proper marks.
Other things to note:
-Primary and/or secondary jets clogged
-Idle circuit clogged (within the carb)
-Secondaries not opening (already mentioned, i know)
Probably the best thing to do is to pull the carb off and just rebuild it. The kit is not all that expensive and it could save you a lot of time trying to troubleshoot other problems that may have no effect on anything. Given it had old gas in it, something is likely to be clogged, and those clogs just don't clear up with time. Rebuilding the Nikki carb can be a bit intimidating at first, but as long as you document and keep track of parts very carefully, its not all that hard. Use a tackle box to store small parts with lables on them, take pictures of each part as you disassemble it, and make notes of how things go back together. Of course, make sure you clean all the parts extremely well.