Hi, my car has a few problems and i need a lil help finding out whats wrong with it.

1Whenever there is a cold start up, there is a clicking noise coming from the engine or near the engine and it stops when it is warmed up or after i drive it a bit.


2. Sometimes when i crank, it starts for a few seconds then shut off.

3. My dashboard light flickers often, if the car is parked and i step on the breaks, my dashboard dims a lil and my friend says my headlights dim a bit to and when i rev it lights up more.

I really like my FC, its my first car and i dont want to have to get rid of it if i can fix it with ease or without spending a lot of money. Thank you

 

1 - It's probably the BACV. It is most likely functioning, but needs to warm up. This is why there is a coolant line that runs right along the side of it. Or it may have something to do with the alternator, hence issue #3.

2 - Do you have a thermowax? Have any emissions been removed??

3 - FC's have some finicky electrical issues. Especially with the nearly inadequate 70 AMP alternators. Perhaps the alternator/waterpump belt isn't tensioned properly. Maybe the regulator is even going out. Testing it may be very necessary.


Where in Washington are you located?

 

Well, none of those really sound like issues that should cause you to have to get rid of the car.

It's common for lights to dim when you put the car under electrical load such as wipers, defroster, a/c or heater blower motor, etc. As long as you continue to charge at least 12vdc as measured at the battery with a volt meter then you are okay. IF you are dropping below that then you may need another alternator, which is an easy job to change since it's right on top and only held on with 3 screws.

You can also check and clean your battery terminals and posts, and maybe run an extra ground or 2 from the battery post to the chassis and engine block.

The clicking noise you describe could be several things...the BAC valve will click at times on some cars...you could also have loose 5/6 port actuators that are clicking against the rods as air passes by in the intake manifold and causes the rods to pulsate. On some cars with quiet exhausts, you can actually hear the fuel injectors clicking, although I doubt this is what you are hearing because not many rx7s are quiet enough.

The start and stall is most likely that your cold idle cam needs adjusted, or that you have one or more vacuum leaks in the intake tract. This would likely be solved by someone who knows what they are doing, taking the intake off the block and going through it with all new gaskets, replacing vacuum hoses, and fuel injector grommets/orings. You'd be surprised what minor issues this kind of treatment can resolve even though it would have been difficult to diagnose those issues otherwise.

 

Thank you for all due information

 

1. Ohh the BAC, i may have to get that checked out.

2. and im not sure if i have thermalwax and i havent removed any emmissions i dont think, my car is stock other than my K&N filter in the airbox and i recently had corksport and headers installed.
I am located in Federal Way Washington Sir