The sub throttle return. It's not connected at all. it looked like it was flipped over, but when i flipped it over so it was on the top of the pivot nut, but all that did was make the pedal stupid hard to push. was that right?

also, what is the accelerator arm connected to? mine has nothing on it.... same with the hot start assembly, it's just kind of sitting there.

my secondaries still don't seem to be working right either, but i can flip them open by hand when it's idling, and it'll kill the motor. normal?

also - (lol) when i REALLY give it some gas in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gear, it makes pinging sounds. I'm pretty sure she's timed right......would that be the secondaries barely opening?

 

Pinging is an indication of a lean condition, if timing is right. That, coupled with your statement about opening our secondaries by hand at idle making for a stall, makes me think you have issues with fuel delivery to the secondaries.

Set up properly, the sub-return should make the pedal easier to push; it makes the pedal harder to push if it's tripped (which is only supposed to happen if the main return string breaks).

Pix of your current condition would make it easier to see what may be wrong.

 

allrighty, i'll take a bunch of pics in a few and post them here.

 

so - first off sorry for double posting. second, i can't seem to find my camera, but i got it somewhat fixed. I'll use my phone tomorrow morning if i cant find my camera by then.

apparently the sub throttle return wasn't flipped upside down, what the PO did was remove the bar part from the mount up top. upon looking at it, i thought he had flipped it upside down. i pulled the bar back up and set it correctly. i just need to adjust it.(maybe, I don't know) but i can drive over freakin' 60 now. i would have never guessed that it was stopping me.

I'm still pinging, but not as much. I adjusted the timing and i still ping - but i started getting curious and I can pull the two bottom plug wires off and it doesn't run any different - even if i pull both at the same time. if I pull one of the top ones, it tries to die(the two bottom ones are reconnected). is this normal or are my two bottom plugs dead? i did pull them and investigate - they look okay but they're the crummy 4 armed plugs which i'll be replacing with normal ones. i don't like spark plugs with more than one arm at the top.

Still don't think my secondaries are opening up quite properly - but as soon as i get it to stop pinging i'll investigate that more.

 

4-armed plugs are the desired config for rotaries. Specifically, NGKs.

If disconnection your bottom (leading) plugs makes no difference with behavior, they are likely not firing, possibly due to a bad ignitor. Test them for spark (connect a spare plug into the sire, ground the outside electrode somewhere safe, and crank the engine, look for spark)

If not sparking, diagnose your leading ignition system.

 

Pulling the top plug wires should make little if any noticeable difference in idle speed or smoothness. Pulling either lower plug wire should make a very noticeable difference, often killing the engine. Recheck your plug wire order and make sure you have the T wires on the correct top plug and the L wires on the lower plugs. (T1 is the top front plug, L2 is the lower rear plug, for example.) Then check the cap and rotor for wear and bent contacts.

4 pronged plugs are the normal plugs for a rotary. Stay away from the cheaper single prong Autolite plugs. ND, Nippon Denso, is also an OEM factory recommended plug.

The secondaries are vacuum operated and will only open under load. The will not open free revving.

 

Didn't know 4 armed plugs were the norm for rotaries, that's good to know, lol. i'll make sure to buy them, then.

the plug wires are right - i put them back on correctly to get rid of the weird 2nd/3rd gen ignition the PO had set up. I'll double check to make sure they're firing correctly.

Is it possible the coils are wired backwards? not on the distributor, but the coils themselves? like the coil on the left should have the two wires from the coil on the right? hell maybe even on the distributor?

 

It is possible to miswire the coils, sure. It's also possible but harder to swap wiring on the ignitors at the distributor. There's sadly about no end to things that can be done wrong.

Common causes for loss of one side of the ignition system (leading or trailing) are, in no particular order:
Damaged distributor rotor or cap
Failed coil-to-cap high-tension lead
Failed ignitor
Failed coil
Failed magnetic pickup inside distributor
Improper/failed wiring

 

well, I'm still pinging when i try to step on it and get somewhere fast, but if i cruise it drives fine. after hooking the throttle sub-return back up, it goes a little faster than 60 now, but not much. hopefully I'll have some free time tomorrow to mess with it,