Trouble starting after rebuild. I just had my car's engine rebuilt, Runs great, idles smoothly, low temps when driving. etc . It started on the first day until I premixed Lucas 2 stroke oil into it ( i put two tiny bottles into a 60% tank) .
The car starts fine when cold after two pumps, and start fine when hot within 15 mins, but between 20 mins - 5 hours it gives me a tough time, i pump 4 times, crank and nothing, i have to crank and mash the pedal until it " burps" and starts . Its quite embarrassing.. any ideas?

 

My stock 110k mi 80 will cook the carb/gas if it sits over 1/2hr after a drive. I put the pedal to the floor and crank. She always starts, but yeah, hot start can be an issue. At least, for mine. But after 5hrs? it should have cooled enough be then for a normal cold-start (which in my case is pretty much instantly).

Not sure your prob has anything to do with the rebuild. FWIW. Presume the hot-start motor (thingy on back side of driver strut tower, with cable going across to the carb) is in place and functions?

Stu A
80GS
AZ

 

Well, I did your method and only flooded the carb so bad it leaked everywhere. Cleaned the mess up and had my dad push the pedal down, it drank the gas and a bunch of smoke came out the carb .
It seats when cold after 3 pumps just fine
It starts when hot within 15 mins of using the car just fine ( hot start)
but between 15 mins and I'd say a few hours = hard time

I'm also worried I'm going to burn my starter/ignition system out if I keep holding it for 10+ seconds . whenever I do I always wait 30 seconds in between. I never had issues before but the again, before my battery would die and my engine would smoke o bad I rarely drove the car.
Also, I have no idea what that part is, but yeah it should work if its starting within 5 mins.
Also i have an electronic starter.

 

What's an electronic starter?

 

An electronic ignition system .

Also, me and my dad nailed the issue down, the carb floods after the car is shut down when the car is on an incline facing forward or to the left ( even if its a small incline ) the top right barrel ( if you are facing the windshield) keeps leaking fule even after we shut the car. Is teh float stuck and if so how do I unstick it?

 

Yep sounds like a stuck or binding float to me. Clean it!

 

Nice catch with the float!! and yeah, keeping your foot in it on hot starts is a bit if an act of faith. Strong battery very much part of the equation!

Stu A
80GS
AZ

 

here, page 104. take off the air horn and anything holding it down. The floats and needle and seat are going to be upside down but are all being held in with two pins through the floats. Check your float level before removing everything, and when you reinstall use a little micrometer to be exact as possible, making sure to check after installing the needle, seat and float. Also you might want to buy a new gasket just in case....

http://foxed.ca/rx7manual/manuals/ma...01979-1985.pdf

 

Well i solved the issue but right after the oil cooler decided she had had enough of this earth and started leaking. This car has issues man.

 

And we are back it with the carb flooding ( the issue went away for a little bit after I whacked the carb with a ruler) . Will spraying carb cleaner do any harm? I REALLY don't want to take the carb off since iv heard tunning a carb is a PITA

 

What caused the flooding issue to begin with?? Was it a stuck float?

Tuning the carb is just the mixture screw and the idle screw, so not sure what you’ve heard there.... But if you’re afraid of tearing down the Nikki, don’t be. It’s a really easy, straight forward design. I’m rebuilding my spare one at the moment... and personally I think the carb is harder to get off than it is to rebuild!

Does your car/carburetor still have the emissions equipment? Just wondering

 

Can confirm, the carb is harder to remove/re-install than it is to rebuild. Once you get the rats nest out of the way it comes right out and you can tear it down for rebuild. Don't forget to pull the center stud the air cleaner attaches to!

 

My car is no longer smog " legal" so no. Today it flooded at a red light. I think my car gunked up after I left it sitting for a year., I'm going to run some seafoam, if the issue persists after the seafoam does it's cleaning I shall buy the rebuild kit. also my car idles at 1000 RPM in park and 800 RPM in the drive position, my car is auto so my D should be the same as your guy's park or so I have heard

 

Yes that's true with the idle speed @800 in D. I have no experience with the seafoam, seems like snake oil to me... but I'd be willing to bet the floats or the needle and seat are all gunked up! report back after the seafoam....

 

Seafoam tends to destroy carbon deposits. I'm not scared of losing compression since my car has a freshly rebuilt engine and there's no way carbon could have built up so far, it's mostly to clean the carb and fule lines ( rubber fule lines are brand spanking new)

 

Well, I sea foamed it, the car runs better, feels smoother. BUT the car also floods worst now when shut off.. I'm convinced the seat is gunked up or has something stuck under it causing it to never fully close. Are you guys sure if i take it off I won't have to tinker with it? I also have a semi-new carb in the garage , should I rebuild that one, pop it in and if it doesn't work go back to my old one?

Edit: the carb in my garage is .. weird.. I'm starting to think it came off a Rx-3 or a rotary truck haha

 

If you don't want to take the whole carb off, take off the air filter and just the air horn. The needle, seats and floats are all connected to the air horn. This will give you a good view of the float bowls, see if they are all gunked up too. Maybe even post a picture with the air horn off and we'll see how dirty it is! Check your float height with a small scale or ruler.... I don't remember the measurement off the dome, but I do know it is in the FSM or Carb Manual on foxed.ca

If you plan on taking the whole carb off, might as well get the rebuild kit and go for it! I can help, I just rebuilt both of mine...

 

How do I remove the air horn, I need visual guides, I'm horrible at following written instructions without diagrams. I can take pictures if you's like, all you have to di s tell me what screws and parts to remove, move, etc.
After this, the big project is changing my real wheel bearings..

Edit: I'm reading the carb FSM , apparently my IDLE in N should be 850 RPM.. not 1000, and my idle in D should be 750 ( its at 800).

Sheesh this is gonna be tuff

 

Here you go, you also need to remove the rod for the choke from the TOP, cause you won’t get the pin through going from the bottom

 

I did a bit of observation today. My car also leaks out the sides near the small chambers, and only the large chambers flood .. anyone knows why the carb leaks outside? I will get around to dismantling the air horn this Friday, swamped with law school work.

I also ordered a carb kit for 40$ . I have no idea why I'm so intimidated to touch the carb when Iv removed and repaired so much haha, i guess it looks scary

 

sounds like the gaskets are bad in the float bowl window, or the crush washer in the bowl access hole, or the other main body gaskets....

 

Is this the right gasket set, I ordered it already but not sure.

 

Looks good to me

 

I got the repair kit in the mail Saturday, but only got around to check it out today... I see tiny springs smaller than the part I hand make for my 1/64 scale hot wheel customs. floating around in the box.. god help me.