I have a carbed RX, 1985 with a problem that I don't know how to fix. Let me preface my post with the fact taht I know very little about cars in general and rotaries and carburetors specifically. I've searched all the posts but I haven't seen anyone with exactly the same problem. What happens is this:

The car starts and idles fine, and drives fine. However, every so often the engine just starts gasping for something stumbling and losing power. It doesn't stall. It usually happens when the car is on the freeway or going up a hill. Then, if I let the RPMs drop down to idle (by pushing the clutch in or putting it in neutral), it recovers and drives normally for a while. It's not a continuous problem, so from what I've gathered from the forum is that that means it's probably not the Apex seals. I bought a new fuel filter, but I don't know how to test the fuel pump. What else could it be? Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Side note: I also made sure all the plug and dizzy wires were uncrossed per forum advice that I saw, but that made no difference. Also I took it for a 20 minute drive when it was cold out at night, including a long stretch on the freeway, and it never happened the whole trip. The next day when it was warmer it happened a lot. Could just be coincidence though I guess.

 

do you have the stock carburetor? has it ever been rebuilt?
your problem could be from the fuel overheating during the day.
Vapor locking at the fuel pump or at the engine.

 

Try getting on it a little bit and see if it happens more. If so, it could be your fuel pump going out. That is what happened to mine. Play with it a bit but stay near home just in case it craps out completely so you dont get stranded or make sure you have a cell on you.

 

Yes, carb is stock. I don't think it has ever been rebuilt, but I don't really know for sure, since I just rescued the car out of the junkyard last week. I think the car was sitting for about 12 years since the last registration sticker on the plates say 1992.
If the fuel is overheating or I'm getting vaporlock, how do i correct it? I'll test the fuel pump asap per the factory manual, hopefully tomorrow.

 

well, since the car hasnt ran for so long I would definately rebuild the carb anyways. Only costs about 30 bucks and some time. If you havent done it before take pics or write down all the steps so you remember where it all goes. Also check the FAQ and read up on all the nift things you can do to it.

 

Old gas can cause some interesting things, especially if its been sitting. I would be surprised if that nice new filter you just bought isnt trashed already pumping that grimy, thick, gooey, nasty, gas thats been in the tank forever through it.

~T.J.

 

I have to agree on checking your fuel filter again before you continue. Last year I bought an 84 GSL that had been sitting for a year or two. Eventhough I drained the gas tank via the drain plug and put on a new filter, it still had solids left in the tank and clogged the filter within a few miles. I put another filter on and got the same results. I finally wound up swapping gas tanks rather then trying to flush it out.

 

Sitting cars have LOTS of problems, I know this one firsthand.

Any car sitting for longer than a year has some of it's gas start to turn into a varnish-like substance.

My advice would be to have the tank professionally flushed, to get rid of the crap in it. Your carburetor is probably gummed up with the stuff now too, a rebuild couldn't hurt.

The gas tank is easy to drop, just follow the instructions in your heynes manual, but instead of leaving the filler hose connected to the car, it's easier to unscrew it and drop it with the tank. Take the tank to a place that works with gas tanks (I took mine to "Mr. Gas Tank") and they'll flush it for cheap. I had a new fuel level sender that I bought installed, and the tank flushed for $50CDN, which is pretty good.

If you don't feel confidant rebuilding a carb yourself (which I don't even feel comfy doing yet), then you should talk to Rx7Carl or Sterling. They have two different rebuilds they do. the "stock" rebuild and the "Sterling Carb" which is where they modify it for performance. One is more expensive than the other, and will never pass emissions, but it's up to you to decide which one suits your needs more.

Jon

 

Rebuilding the carb is not as hard as everyone says. It just looks scarry because of all the little pieces. Think of it as a puzzle, it has about a million little parts, they all go togeather, and you get to see how it goes togeather as you are taking it apart!!!

 

well I took my first step into the world of carbs, I rebuilt the carb on my VW bug just to get my feet wet. It was simple enough, so the nikki is next.

 

drop gas tank and then sit fuel pump in suitable container of gas and mmo and have somone give it some right foot love for a while then use a whole can of carb cleaner on the carb while flooring it also try decarbonizing the motor dont be to afraid to revv the **** outa it as long as you have a good clean filter you can have as many filters as you like i have 2 one new underneath and one under the hood also but a Haynes manual well worth it if you arent the best Mech.

 

I'm having the same problem with a 85 gsl-se (EGI)

I think the problem is the coils(I have two).. havn't gotten a chance to test them, but the problem happens a lot when the car is warm/hot/in traffic and not so much otherwise.