Maxwedge

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@GSLSEforme , Yes I've always known red-hot headers to be leaned out exhaust. So I'm going to take the carb off again and do a full rebuild. I've had this thing apart so many times now, I've dumped about 2 gallons of gas on the driveway, my garage floor and clothes. I wish I'd have just bought a new one instead of used. Seller said it had very low miles, but it's filthy in and out - - looks much dirtier than the 56k Nikki it replaced. Grrrrr. No vacuum leaks. Checked time and time again, and the RB prepped Holleys only have one vaccum port, for the timing advance (small timed nipple off front of primary metering block). The usual ports off the throttle plate are not there at all on the RB throttle plate.

t_g_farrell , The first pics I showed of the Distributor guts were a few degrees off of TDC. A post or two later I adjusted it and the Dist. Rotor lined up perfectly with L1 Plug wire post. But what about what Qingdoa is saying, to turn the divot and index mark 180 opposite? Sounds scary. I'm not home right now, so can only look at my pictures. Not sure which is the leading pickup until I can trace the wires back to coils (YG/YL). Which is the Arrow on Dist Rotor suppose to point to? I want to believe Qingdoa, but as said, I would need to turn the divot.index completely opposite of each other, not just a tooth ot two off. Worried about catastrophic failure.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

if u wish to run vac advanced, it will require a T fitting to connect to both vac pots.

Maxwedge

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Thank you rxtasy3, I see the marks now and know that the L pickup and Ignitor are towards the front of the distributor/car (opposite the advance pots). But, does the Arrow on rotor / Flat on distributor shaft point towards L or T pickup? Mine was pointing towards T pickup. This is the reference I need now to proceed. I believe Qindoa is saying to turn it around so it points at the Leading. I just want to make sure, as this puts the divot and raised marks (at the drive gear) opposite each other.

Maxwedge

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Yes, that is what I had initially but then I reread the RB instructions. They say to only use vac to the Trailing advance pot with their intake (on a non-ported motor) and cap off the L advance.

GSLSEforme

GSLSEforme

Maxwedge

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GSLSEforme I will pull and check the plug next time I go out, off the top of my head it was NGK BR8xxxxx. Definately an 8, not 7 or 9. The glowing exhaust was after correcting the coil-to-distributor wires. I am sure the carb is not flowing enough fuel at idle and causing a lean condition. I suspect that is why the seller had the idle circuit screws so far out ... trying to fix it. I am going to rebuild it today so I can rule fuel out.

Can someone please, please tell me (I've asked several times) -
When front rotor is at TDC (confirmed), which direction should the arrow on the distributor rotor be pointed? Towards the L or T pickup?

Mine was/is pointed in direction of Trailing pickup. This is with the distributor gear divot/mark lined up. Someone here told me that is wrong and it should point the opposite way, at Leading pick up. This is the only thing I need to know right now. Thank you.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

it should be pointing to the number 1 plug position on the dist cap. no reference to either pickup.

GSLSEforme

Pickup coil position is not the reference point for setting static timing... Flywheel marks,pulley/pin,and marks on dist body and shaft. Do this in this order and you will have timed your engine correctly.
Distributor rotor WILL be pointing at L1 terminal in cap. If done this way you should be able to snug down the dist holdown bolt right in center of slot(probably has marks there from being tightened previously in that position) and the car will start and run from an ignition standpoint.
For certain,checking with a timing light when running,Leading/Trailing marks will be VERY close if not spot on.

Trying to follow your thread,i thought you said car had Nikki with same problem. Did you install the RB manifold and carb,are you certain manifold is sealing properly to engine? Are you sure any unused vacuum ports are capped off on manifold.?
I think you have a couple things going on here.The ignition problem i'll bet was the coil wires being switched. I would recommend before you try to start car again after carb is installed,to disable fuel pump,pull all plugs,put them into the wire ends and lay on top of engine to ground them and use a jump starter switch or have someone crank engine for 30 seconds or so and watch that all plugs fire consistently and the color of spark is blue,orange is weak. If you have good spark at all plugs AND all the plug wires are installed correctly and timed the engine properly you can rule out ignition as a factor.
That leaves carburetion and i believe also a large vacuum leak to go with that. Not running below 2K,having choke mostly closed to run at all says to me the engine is pulling air from somewhere besides the carb and not thru it.
I would thoroughly clean that carb and gasket match,does it have a power valve plug?. Then look very closely at intake,pull it back off if you need to put eyes on it. Once running,if still problems,spritz carb cleaner all around the carb base and intake manifold. If there is a leak,when that spray finds it,the rpm will take off.

PMed you.

kutukutu1

iTrader: (5)

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Makes sense about the arrow... I guess my car has always been 180 out. Never had a drivability issue. But that brings me back to the whole wasted spark ignition and why would 180 degrees matter. Its firing at tdc or bdc no matter what.

Maybe if you are using the cap to distribute high voltage energy it makes a difference?


Back to the car at hand. 56k and you swapped carbs? For sure slap that nikki back on. Best carb for this engine bar none. Also, with the low miles it probably will work good after a quickie with some carb spray down the slow jets.

Maxwedge

iTrader: (1)

Thanks everyone who gave suggestions and help. Today it ran and drove for the first time in about a month. It ran up hills, down hills, a highway, some twisty wooded roads. It ran through 1/2 a tank of gas. And it ran better every time I stopped under a parking lot light and tweaked it.

The running problem that I bought the car with, was as tommyeflight89 pointed out - The L&T Coils were mis-wired, and it ran noticeably better once fixed. But I couldn't get it to idle under 2000 and it wouldn't run at all once the choke fully opened. Vacuum leak, as GSLSEforme suggested. But where? I couldn't find it. I looked, sprayed carb cleaner and propane, put soapy water on it looking for bubbles to get sucked in,.. nothing. Distributor good, clean plugs with blue sparks, steady 6psi of filtered pre-mixed gas. Yummy.

Then I noticed how loose the throttle plate shafts were in the carb. Especially the secondary (???). Can that be a vacuum leak source? Yes, for me it can. Put some of your kid's play doh on it and watch things smooth out! G.D. 3rd hand worn out Holley!!! They have a reamer/brass bushing kit to fix this, and I'll probably get it and resell the carb all fixed up. I already rebuilt everything else in it; I can't believe I didn't realize how loosey goosey the shafts were.

But right now, it's wearing an Edelbrock 500 and running like a cheetah with hay fever. But it's running.
https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread.../#post12321954