Reavantos

Hello everyone. I recently purchased a 85 12a rx7. this is my first rotary since i normally own DSM's and a Starion. i was comming home with it and it suddenly didnt want to make any power. (I.E wouldnt rev above 4k and couldnt really hold highway speed) then stalled and now it wont start. suggestions? Thanks in advance

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Welcome to the forum.

We have a section called the FAQ section. Frequently asked questions.
Click on that section and scroll down the list, you will find one that addresses your problem.

For now I will also ask a basic question, When you crank the engine, do you see the tach moving?

firstgen689

maybe fuel problem sounds like when i ran out of gas. maybe fuel filter or fuel pump just a start maybe

Reavantos

no the tach doesnt move. i checked meterback fuse. was blown. replaced it. tach definitely isnt moving

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Trailing ignitor is most likely the culprit. The fuel pump gets a signal thru it to operate.

Reavantos

thank you. i am forum crawling this awesome sight right now so i can find its location etc etc...

steve84GS TII

Ignition is the likely culprit,the ignitors especially are prone to failure.
Losing the trailing will cause the tach and fuel pump relay to lose power and you will eventually stall out from lack of fuel.If you happen to notice the tach go to 0 a few seconds before you start to lose power,then thats a sure sign of the trailing ignitor failing.
If the leading ignitor fails,then you will instantly lose a fair amount of power and idle quality.Losing the leading spark will effectively retard the ignition of the fuel air mix by about 20*......and we all know what happens when you retard timing.

Luckily,the leading and trailing ignitors are interchangable for easy diagnosis.They are also easy to replace with GM or aftermarket style ignitors.The 1st gen ignition system is easy and relatively cheap to upgrade,and it makes a profound difference in the way the car runs,especially if its in poor shape to begine with.Search for threads involving "direct fire"....."MSD".....2nd gen "FC coil", and "DLDISGSFGDHYTE"......or whatever the hell the acronym for that mod is!!

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

The ignitors are the thin boxes that are bolted to the dist with 2 screws. The trailing one is the one that is closest to the alternator. You can swap the leading one(one that is closest to the radiator) over to the trailing. Then you can see if it will start. It will not have alot of power but can be driven until you get a replacement.

Reavantos

Thank you everyone for your prompt help. I have owned my fair share of imports and have NEVER received the positive support i have gotten here.

cdrad51

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/electrical-car-died-wont-start-my-tach-not-working-car-84-85-a-597857/

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

^Good thing we got that archived. :-)

cdrad51

Yup.

dbragg

iTrader: (7)

id say its the trailing ignitor as stated above. damn 84-85 cars will get you every time! on my first rx7, 84 S, when mine went out i couldnt figure out what the problem was.

now, post some pics of your car.

Reavantos

so i switched the ignitors per RX& doctor and it still does the same thing. suggestions? also i know this is a big no no but i put a little gas into the card and i couldnt even get it to fart like its trying to fire. so i know i need to pull the plugs and check them as well

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

Steve, it's DLIDFIS. That's only seven letters you nut.

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

Yes, at one point it seemed a couple times every week for like a year there'd be an '84-'85 fuel pump thread.

Reavantos, clean your pulgs and try cranking the engine with them out and grounded so you can observe the spark.

Reavantos

i am going to do that tonight and i will post the results

Reavantos

plugs are clean. swapped and no spark

dbragg

iTrader: (7)

you still dont have spark? on the trailing or leading? are you sure youre getting fuel?

Reavantos

either. spark tested ALL the plugs

dbragg

iTrader: (7)

are you sure you have everything wired up properly? check your distributor cap and rotor.

Rogue_Wulff

Check the fuse in the fuse box marked "Engine".

RXnos1200

iTrader: (24)

Do you have power going to the coil with the ignition on? ^^^^ what he said.

Reavantos

been there done that, its a-ok. digging out my multimeter and seeing whats up

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

Seems kinda strange that both ignitors would die at the same time. Do you have any others you could test?