So on my way to my new job today in my beloved car (1981 RX7 GS) i drove past my desired road. so i took a right at the light and....it acted as if it was out of gas...bogging and wanting to stall and such. No throttle reponse whatsoever.

So i pulled off the road onto the small margin and inspected the running quality.

I went to listen to the exhaust...it sounded as if there was a little more backfiring in it than usual...maybe because i had been driving...spiritedly.

Then i went to listen to the engine...of course...it was bogging so it sounded like it was groaning in pain. I felt bad for it haha. Just kidding.

I turned it off and inspected the following things, as i had no tools with me to start taking things off:

1. All vacuum lines (removed Rat's nest) and they were all in good condition and no noticeable tears or anything of that sort.

2. Made sure all ignition wires were tight and pushed together properly. I wanted to see if i got spark but i need another person there to crank it. =[

3. I checked the oil...it was on the low mark. Went and got oil for the beast. FAILURE still.

the symptoms are:

It starts and idles at my regular idle of 1400 rpms...yes i know....very high. And then when i barely tap the gas it bogs slightlty and wavers up a couple hundred rpms and keeps wavering up until either:

1. Just drops to about 100 rpms and dies or goes to 800ish RPMs; or

2. it pushes past the wavering and spins up all the way to nine thousand no problem.

I'm suspecting a couple things:

Ignition problems - Coils most likely or fouled plugs?
Fuel problem - Jets on carb are plugged up? Fuel pump is dying? =/ I need to check the fuel filter....
What else could it be...

If i broke an apex sal it wouldn't even run correct?

Any ideas Gurus and doctors?

 

Doctors...help me please.

 

*tear* she's dead...

 

It doesn't sound like a broken apex seal. I would open the secondaries manually and see if it revs better. If so, then you probably have a piece of trash in one of the main primary jets.

 

Check your spark. Most likely, you lost your leading ignition.

If that checks out, then check for blockage on primary jets. Good luck...

 

Alright thanks for the feedback.

how do i check the primaries?

Take off the air horn and pull them out? Or is it a much more involved process?

 

Yep.....waiting for someone...anyone to drop me a line here. -_-

I would really like to get this thing road ready asap. it's my DD. =/

 

I would guess it's not an ignition problem. I would say a vauum leak or a carb problem. Seems that the car has a dead spot. If it revs to 9k normally after the dead spot, then I would say the ignition is fine.

Get some carb cleaner and spray it around the manifold and carb while it's idling. If the idle lowers then you have a leak. As far as the carb goes, I would check the accelerator pump, and also pull the top off and check the floats and needle valve action. Spray some cleaner in there, try to break up any possible debree.

Good luck

 

How do i check the floats and needle valve action?

Sorry i haven't brushed up on carbs...i only know how to adjust mixture and idle haha. Carb noob. o_O

 

Oha nd it's not just one dead spot...it's a wavy rev all the way up to around 4000 rpm or so? And then i'll floor it and it will either rev all the way up and beyond haha or it will splutter and puke it's dissapoitnment all over me. <(O.O)>

 

Okay, then......First things first is to check your spark and make sure you are good. Pull out all your plugs. Attatch them to the wires and ground them to the engine or alternator. I have always used a big piece of ducktape to tape them to the top of the alternator. The plugs get their ground from the outside so make sure they have good contact. Make sure they are secure for your fan is there. Have a friend give it a crank and watch for a good spark on all 4 plugs.

Now, for your carb. Take off the top of the carb. You will see the floats and the needle valves. Clean the valves and the bowls thoroughly with carb cleaner. Adjust the floats per the FSM specs (FSM SPECS ONLY!, Haynes manual specs are wrong).

Accelorator pump check - Take off your air cleaner and look down the bores of the carb. Work the linkage like you were giving the car gas. You should see a nice steady streem of fuel injected into each side of the primary bores. This is your accelorator pump working.

If all other systems are a go then I would highly recommend rebuilding your carb. It's easy and well worth the effort. I did mine in a few hours. First time I had ever done it and was amazed of the results.

I would highly recommend looking through a FSM or a Haynes Manual.

 

Thanks XLR8, i'll do those things today and i hope i can at least get it home so it's not impounded.

If the Accelerator pump is not working...would i just clean it with carb cleaner? And what's a good rebuild kit? i read a thread on it and Carl had said a brand but i can't quite remember what is was...

 

Oh and how much do you get paid in the AF? I don't mean to be nosy but i am going to join sometime and i want to make sure i'll make enough to support a project of some sort...FD perhaps. =]]]]

 

To check spark: if you have an old spark plug laying around, it makes things much easier. Just plug it into either one of the leading (lower) spark plug wires, then lay the plug on the strut tower. Crank it over and watch for spark.

To check the carb, just remove the air cleaner and see how the fuel squirts into the primary (smaller) barrels on the carb as you work the throttle linkage (with engine idling). If it has a good solid spray, then you're in good shape. If it's more like a dribble, then you have a clogged jet.

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FLOATS!!!! THERE IS LESS THAN ONE CHANCE IN A THOUSAND THAT THEY ARE INCORRECT, UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN MONKEYING AROUND WITH THEM ALREADY!

Post back with your results...

 

Will do.

Say my jets are clogged? I would really like to get it out of the streets here. Vegas is...not so good for cars to be laying around un sheltered.

Would carb cleaner work temporarily or do i have to pull the jets out and put them in some cleaning solution?

 

Bump. waiting for an answer

 

http://www.airforce.com/careers/paychart/index.php

It's not bad but the true benefits are: training, experience, and paid tuition. Healthcare and living expenses are mostly paid for. I almost bought an FD a few months ago. I decided against it. As long as you don't have alot of bills then it's possible to do as an Airman (E4 or below).

If you would like some more information or advice then feel free to PM me. Don't always take what recruiters say to heart. It's good to hear the whole picture.

As far as a rebuilt kit.....I can't remember the part number but the right one is from Autozone. Do a search on "Autozone carb kit" and you will find the thead that has it.

Good luck.

 

If it turns out to be a clogged jet, then you can address the issue without resorting to a full rebuild. Here's how:

Above each of the glass windows on the bowls, you will see two brass "bolts". Remove each of these, and you will be able to look in and see the jets. The primary jets are on the driver's side of the carb. Reach in with a flat bladed screw driver, and loosen (but don't remove) the problem jets. Now, reach in with a wooden toothpick, and finish the removal of the jets. The toothpick prevents the jet from falling out inside the carb.

Clean the crud out of the jets, being careful not to damage them. Replacement is simply the reverse of removal.

Did you check for spark yet? I'm still betting on loss of leading ignition at this point...

 

This is a good thread thanks for all the info guy's! Im a carb noob myself!

 

what side of town r u in?? I'm in vegas..I live in summerlin on durango and vegas.

 

Kentetsu: Thanks so much for all the input. I'm going to head over there before work and see if there's spark on the leading and trailing. I'll also check the accelerator pump/jets and check for clogging.

Twinkletoes: The car is located off of lamb blvd and...Carey i believe. I live in north Vegas though and am very scared for her. My stereo and racing seats are probably gone...=/

PM me your number and maybe we could check it out.

 

ya, thats really far from where I am.

 

My car came back from the dead....with me doing virtually nothing to it! I sprayed carb cleaner around the carb...tested the coils and spark...turned her over and BAM!!! It's running just as good, or better than before!!! This make me so happy. Now....time to start saving for the Turbo II swap. =D

My car = 110 hp @ 2200lbs
My Car + Turbo II engine = 225 hp @ 2350lbs
Difference = *whiplash*

I must have a gaurdian angel.

 

Thats sweet man. Hope it doesn't happen again. Maybe had a stuck float or something

 

I dunno, Perhaps that's all it was. The jets...do pulse correct? At idle they pulse. and WOT they spray like mad..of course.