i recently replaced the clutch on my 1983 rx7 12a stock rx7. i also chnged the o-rings under the filter pedestal as it was near impossible to do with the tranny on and i had an oil leak from somewhere and thought that would be a good place to start. the car had been sitting most of the winter and was a little hard-starting after i plugged it in. it started but idled really rough somewhere around 500-600 and smelled really strong of gas at the exhaust. i got the clutch put in and it works great now but...it was very hard starting and bogging out after i got it back together. i couldnt let it idle or it would stall... so i went for a drive around the block. its backfiring alot when i let off the pedal and has very little power up hills and even on flats. problem is...i got it back home and now it idles around 5000 and wont come back down...i just bought this car last summer and it was running well except for backfiring and my oil leak when i parked it...

please help, i want to drive it off a cliff.

 

check or replace the fuel filter..may need to clean the old
gas that has been sitting in the carb...maybe new plugs too..

 

5k idle!!? Your carb is gummed up, shoot some carb cleaner in it while it's running, and on and around it while it's not. The 5k has to be a stuck throttle butterfly, so straighten that out and lube the linkage after you clean it.

 

ok...i'll change the plugs and filter and also do some cleaning.

next question is... i started it up and let it warm up to running temperature tonight. noticed some pretty thick smoke from underneath that i thought was just oil or brake fluid from bleeding the clutch burning off of the exhaust. when i looked underneath to check...the midpipe was RED HOT... in broad daylight? is this normal??

 

Plugged Cat Convertor?

 

yep, clogged cat.

 

some info, http://mrmazda.members.atlantic.net/cfaqtext.html

 

i went out tonight to try and clean the carb. sprayed a whole can of carb cleaner in there with no effect...orther than that now i have a nice shiny carb. i asked my father to come and have a look as he is a certified mechanic and teaches automotives. doesn't have much experience with rotaries however except for owning a couple of rx-4's way way back and he had some bad experience with those. thinks it might be a solenoid on the carb. am going to pick up a haynes manual tomorrow and see if its anything we can do at home. question is if my catalytic converter is clogged up will that cause my engine to idle high. (its at about 4000 and it wont come back down). also when its running it seems to really, pop..pop..pop, like its flirting with backfiring and when i shut it off i usually get a big bang, like a shotgun or louder. dad says car is running to rich for it to be backfiring that loudly.

the cat didnt seem to glow red as much tonight after the carb cleaner

please help if you know your stuff...i really dont want to get ripped off at the dealership.