Really dissapointed.. timing.. vacuum leak?
 

1983 rx7

I bought this car about 7 months ago now and it was never intended to be a DD.
However my headgasket blew on my other car a month ago and my "Ill put a few parts on a month turned into, I need it now).
I owned an 84 in 2006 and rebuilt everything but never had to touch the engine or carb.,..
So far new things.... to get it up to standards.

New corner lens, New headlight motor, New Choke, New spark plugs, wires, coil, rotor, cap. New fuel pump (carter 3-5 to 4psi), Rebuilt carb, New (used) gas tank, New shocks, New air filter, new brakes, new wheel bearings, New clutch slave, New slave, New master cylinder, New shocks, New fuel filters, New fuel lines, New starter, New Battery.

Im desperately needing help. I don't know the compression numbers, just that it has compression.

Symptoms on original carb. No secondaries, no choke, ran rich, completely stripped.
Almost finish paying off the car and the owner tells me it's suddenly running rough.

It went from running rich (flooding) to running lean completely. You would have to pump it 6 times to start it for a second.

Took off original carb, got one from a friend. He rebuilt it and it ran fine but I had old gas in it. I got it running right and it was again running lean, to the point of if you hit the gas it would go up, and come down stumbling to die and go back to running lean, backfiringing and that spuddering sound. Constantly. Sometimes you could crank it up and it would fix it for a few seconds.

Now This is where pulled the carb and ordered a new fuel pump.

Friend pulled off top of carb and cleaned out real good, said not much but a little trash.

Put new fuel pump on, and carb, Running lean, won't idle below 2000rpm, spuddering backfiring.


Now I turn the idle screw all the way to the left and the idle goes up to like 5000rpm? The idle screw wont seem to do anything anymore.

Checked timing and timing was on the other half of the pully If I tried to richen it it would go to a certain point but was never close to the marks.

I pulled the distributor tonight and tried where I saw somone on here, they aligned the two marks on the distributor and aligned the timing mark on the pully then stabbed it.


I tried this, however I just cant figure it out.



Im so confused, my head hurts, tonight before I took out the distributor I took it around the block with the choke on, and when I turned the car off my exhaust manifold was completely red,

help me please... help.

I also have to add that the tach on the dash isnt working 95% of the time. Is that a bad grounding issue? It's a new coil...

Red headers? Me thinks timming...


Do you have all of the OE vacuum lines? Could be vacuum leaking; however I don't think that would lean you out to the point of red headers.




Good way to find a vacuum leak is with a can of either at idle. Or WD-40; WD-40 is safer but less exciting.

I thought that too, so I turned on timing light and this is when I got the throttle down to 1000 for a couple of seconds. The mark is


\ \ <--timing marks | <--- needle just way off.
I thought it jumped a tooth. So I took out the distributor but I messed up. I tried aligning the mark to mark, and re stabbing it but it almost doesnt feel right, like the motor is wanting to spend backwards. After doing that a couple of times it was too late, cops came so I'll have to wait untill sunday during the daytime again. "neighboors said I was revving engine"..... smh, I wish I had stock muffler. Have some bosal on there and its to loud.

you need to get front rotor on top dead center . Take out front leading plug get it up on compression then line up pulley mark with pointer.. line up dizzy with marks on gear and stab the dizzy ( hold onto the dizzy rotor so it doesn't turn when you stab it or it could turn and be off .Once dizzy is stabbed Line up the dizzy spur with the leading pickup (front )and snug hold down bolt a tad . that should do it.Reving up the little engine won't make it run better all your doing is pissing off the neighbor .

I'm not revving it up. It dies constantly trying to warm it up, :(

Has the front pulley ever been removed? the 12A pulley can be installed in multiple positions since the 4 bolts are not indexed and you can restab the distributor as many times as you like but if its wrong you will never get it to run well. There are ways to check it but its been years since I've seen this issue and can't remember.

The tack not working all the time could be the trailing timing not working correctly. the car will run without the trailing ignition though. Are you sure the coils are hooked up correctly Leading coil to leading and trailing to trailing? if its wrong the timing could be way off also.

My thoughts:

1. Check for spark on both leading and trailing.
2. Confirm dizzy position by top dead center method in Archives.
3. Gasket wrong on carb.

Have you ever checked the timing before you had this issue? If not, then the pulley is probably on wrong (see #2 above).

Best advice I have for you is to use scientific methods to determine your issues. Don't hop all around trying all different things, or you may cause problems in addition to those you are trying to solve.

Best of luck. :)



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Ok, I've got the video uploading, but its going to take an hour.
I've searched archives but all of the links are broken on the threads.

So far what we've got.


I set the distributor directly on the leading mark while turning it over.

at 3000 RPM. the light is again directly on the Leading mark still.



Which way should the timing mark be. Where should the timing mark be when at 3000 rpm.

If it's directly on the leading mark at 3000 rpm, could that be running lean. Header was glowing again.

The only way we can get it to idle is to put a towel on top of the carb, and block the airflow.

Also, Which way should the idle screw be turned to lower the idle.

Thanks! -nick-

RX-7 GSL. 12a 1983 high idle - YouTube


youll have to excuse the car alarms..... Somone pressed a button, trying to turn one off we pressed another button... but its apple so I can't edit it out :/