my car will barely drive and when i go past 4 rpm the engine sputters and it sounds like some "clanking" and the backfire sound...i was told that it might be an air/fuel mixture problem...this guy drove my car and adjusted the screw near the air intake and on top of the engine and the car worked great for about another 5 minutes and i tried to do it but it's only getting worse....as a matter of fact, as of today i think it's officially not running...it starts just fine but i tried to take it out for a drive and it started sputtering and died out...tried to start it and drive home but it kept sputtering and dying out when i stepped on the gas...its an 85 gsl se 5-spd

 

is that a picture of your car on your default pic? i was thinking fuel filter but reading your post again it probably isnt

 

Make sure the fuel pump is running, check your fuel pressure if it is, and put a new fuel filter in either way. Its cheap, and a good place to start. Not to mention a good thing to replace either way.

As for "this guy" changing screws on the GSL-SE, thats a no-go unless they know what they're doing with these cars. It could have been anything, and for some of those screws, you need special test lights hooked up when adjusting them. You going to need to tell us which screw specifically he was adjusting, pictures would help as well.

~T.J.

 

Did you buy the car like this or did it all of a sudden start doing it?

A few more things to check for though:

Spark plugs if they're bad it will make the car spit and sputter. cheap enough to replace anyways
Do you still have the catalytic converters? Maybe they're part of the problem also
Fuel injectors starting to stick. Try using seafoam in your gas tank to clean them.
Make sure all your grounds are clean

I do hope though that the clancking noise isn't a blown seal though. That will make things harder to get to 7k also. Does it do it while standing still or just while trying to drive it. But just a quick check on that if you have a compression tester you can do it while you're looking at the plugs. If not leave one of the plugs out of each rotor and have someone turn over the engine (make sure you turn off your fuel pump before doing this) and see if you can hear 3 even puffs from both rotors.


Thats all ontop of my head now

 

yeah thats my car...i'm going to change the fuel filter as soon as i have time tomorrow

 

about the spark plugs, the leading and trailing are different lengths right?...becuz i think the guy who sold me the car used wrong spark plugs...i think he used 1 trailing and 3 leading (or vice-versa) becuz there is only one that is shorter than the rest of them, i bought a spark plug socket but it only fits the shorter one and i cant find a way to remove it due to my fear of stripping the bolt....he took out all 3 cats but i still have them....i will also try the seafoam.. thank you...and this happened about 5 days after i bought the car...seems sketchy but i really don't think he ripped me off

 

yeah thats my car...i'm going to change the fuel filter as soon as i have time tomorrow

 

"this guy" was on old guy that worked in an autozone...he sed he previously owned 3 rx7s..here are the pics...i recently found a haynes manual and will get to the fuel pump...sorry i also forgot to mention that this is my first "tuner" car...here are the pics

 

The leading and trailing should be different heat ranges. I can't remember them ontop of my head but if you go to any part store or search it on here you should be able to find the number. I only buy the NGK plugs. Another thing to maybe look into is getting some new Sparkplug wires. I have the 2nd gen ignition but i bought some new Bosch wires for it and they were only 24 bucks or something like that for the 4 of them.

Also one more thing that can be bought for cheap enought that could be replaced is the 02 sensor. If that hasn't been changed in over 23 years now, I'm sure its due for a new one. That can give false reading to the ECU and make it preform bad. Not to mention could also give you a better mpg.

 

In the first picture the screw circled i belive is a fuel enrichning screw and the other on the manny is an idle circuitry screw. Ive never messed with the enrichening screw as i think reading your not suppose too.

 

i've got a video of my problem....check it out guys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F5y8P_8jeM

where or how can i get these screws retuned =X

 

a

 

hm that does sound very weird .... almost sound like detonation actually but maybe someone else can chime in?

 

Get NGK BUR7EQ plugs at your local parts store. BUR9EQ for trailing if you want, but 4 7s work fine. While you are there get a new cap and rotor for your distributor. Be sure to get the plug wires on correctly.
Leading = lower plugs
Trailing = top plugs.

On the bottom left of your 2nd pic, the TPS (throttle position sensor) is unplugged. Plug in the two white plugs near the radiator hose..

 

good eye on the tps connection

 

But I'm wrong. The TPS is plugged in. Looks like that's the Air Control Valve plug that's disconnected. Has the air pump and ACV been removed?

BTW the first screw is the mixture and the second is the air bleed screw (idle adjustment).

 

chk your filter air and fuel, and also make sure the your 5-6 ports are working and not stuck close. mine was the same way when i got my SE and i did a full tune up on it if you dont have K&N airfilter pm my i still have mine from when i did my engine swap, only 5000 miles on it. the tps is pluged in!

 

the seller told me he took out all 3 cats and had the 5th and 6th ports always opened.....you had the same problem and they fixed it with a tune up?

 

so i changed one of the spark plugs today...and it ran just fine for a while...got to redline through 1, 2, and 3 rpm so thats progress....but i drove it home and it died during idle....i start it up and the engine, it runs for a bit then starts to slightly shake....stutter...and eventually die....the same problem comes back...i really think i need to retune those screws.....any idea how?

 

You should probably replace all your sprak plgus. Also one more thing too what color are the spark plugs. if they're full of carbon (running too rich it might be stumbling the engine)

 

when i removed one of the spark plugs...it was real black....if its "running too rich" how do i solve it...and is 8 dollars a plug too much?

 

so i bought new spark plugs, wires, and a fuel filter.....i replaced the fuel filter and the old one was pretty much filled with "sand".....the previous owner sed he never changed the fuel filter....after changing the filter...i decided to remove my gas tank in order to clean it because there was a lot of bits and particles in there......i dont know if it'll fix my car or not and i cant find out yet because i have to take it to a place to clear out the tank first..and i dont know if i'll be able to put the tank back on for another couple of days..do you think this would work?..

 

Absolutely start there, Widz. When I was redoing my RX7 from the ground up, I started with the gas tank. Take it out and have it steam cleaned. Shouldnt cost you more then 80-100 bucks. With a new fuel filter and cleaned tank, you can remove those from your list of possible culprits. Simply narrowing the list makes this job a tonne easier.

After that, get all new spark plugs and a new air filter. That way, you can rule out ignition and air.

From there, we can look at mechanical issues for you. But, start there mate.

 

Hey Bro. I just went through this my my Rex. I have an '84 GS. Mechanics all around have told me it's the Cat and thermal reactors. Because the rotary is fairly inefficient, unburned fuels goes through the cats, which eats them up over time. For a quick check, jack up the car, detach the exhaust hangars, unbolt the exhaust pipe at the engine (Or as close as you can reach) and let her rip. That fixed the problem for me. If that works, you've now narrowed it down to three things. Your exhaust pipe is plugged, your Cat is fried, or your thermal reactors (You should have two) are blown up. It could be a combo of the three.

Oh, and I just watched your youtube video. That noise you are experiencing at decel, that's the anti backfire valve. Mine does that too. From what I've been told, it's just annoying. It doesn't harm anything. The two problems you are having (Noise and sputtering) have separate solutions.

-Chance