PaperNinjaRotor

Well seeing that RX7s are temperamental cars, the moment I need it to work it decides that it doesn't want to. So the stock gauges will randomly die, sometimes they will come back on, and when the car is in gear it makes the strangest sound at idle, but if I press the throttle it goes away, now the gauges will not come back on and when I was riding at low throttle in first it tried to turn off but I think it was just coincidence since I can't moniter my rpms, please help, I hate electrical problems

barkz

iTrader: (1)

Year, model, engine, mods? What gauges die?

PaperNinjaRotor

1988 GXL
Half bridge, emissions deleted, OMP deleted, exhaust system
And all of the stock gauges die

satch

iTrader: (1)

The meter fuse powers the gauges through the Black/Yellow wire. There are two round plugs behind the gauge cluster and the one closest to the driver's side window is the one housing the B/Y wire. The ground wire for the cluster runs to a plug of ground wires and the plug is located towards the bottom of the steering column. All of these ground wires are Black. Chances are either the B/Y wire or the ground wire is a bit loose/flimsy and needs attention.

PaperNinjaRotor

Thank you! I will check these when I get back to my car, I'm in the process of moving and I got my friend to drive me to my other house to get more stuff, and my car is at my new home, but I will definitely get those checked out I really need my car to work. Thank you so much.

PaperNinjaRotor

Okay so I'm home now and I went to look under the steering column and all for said grounds and there are so Manu wires under there I'm not sure what I'm looking for, pictures would be great, I also forgot to mention that the idiot lights are doing the same thing and they do it with each other, so they are both either on or both off

barkz

iTrader: (1)

...

PaperNinjaRotor

If you don't have anything productive to say get off the thread, wiring is not my strong suit and there are Many black wires under the gauges and all, I want to check the ground first before I pull the gauge cluster out, I'm asking for help not your bs

satch

iTrader: (1)

It's not like you're going out to the hen house and counting chickens here. With respect to the ground wires, it's not a matter of saying they are there. Of course they are there or the thing you are trying to correct would never have worked in the first place. You at least should pull the plug off of its mounting point and clean the metal contacts and apply some dielectric grease.

Secondly, the ground wire for the gauges runs through an intermediate connector before arriving at the gauge cluster. FME-01 mates the front and meter harnesses and this should also be addressed. The connector is located behind the cluster.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Fortunately for you, you don't have to "understand" wiring at this point as I'd bet you have a purely mechanical problem.
By "mechanical" I mean a physical manifestation like frayed/melted wires, cut or spliced wires, loose connector, etc. Something will look wrong.

They aren't, especially.
People often conflate "temperamental" with "poorly maintained".

PaperNinjaRotor

My car is very well maintained so you can kiss my ***, this is the first problem I've had on this specific car in I don't even know how long, like I said if you don't have anything productive get off this thread I came here asking for help that's the idea of this forum, not to talk **** to people who need help, now for those who are trying to help me, I have removed the instrument cluster and removed the 2 plug pieces and the other connector that is behind the instrument cluster, when you say clean the metal connectors, do you mean pull the individual wires off the prongs in the plugs, and what do you recommend cleaning them with, I also have the grease

clokker

iTrader: (2)

First of all, self-described "stupid kid", this is a public forum and anyone who damn well pleases can comment on whatever they damn well please.

Second of all, I did offer constructive advice, which you chose to ignore.

Thirdly and finally, by definition you DO NOT have a well maintained car or the electrical system would be working. It's an ipso facto kinda thing.

PaperNinjaRotor

No sir, "Stupid Kid" is a nickname that my buddies from college call me because of my double major in two different engineering fields, thank you very much, and you obviously don't understand what well maintained means, my car is extremely well maintained, it's a beautiful car and runs phenomenally well, but with old cars there are always issues, this just so happens to be one of those, thank you for indroducing your ignorance for this public forum, and I did follow the small constructive advice you did offer, and I can find no obvious problems, so maybe just maybe the 20+ year old gauge is dead, stuff like that happens when dealing with older cars

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Oh , I'll go spread ignorance elsewhere then.
It would have been polite to warn me about your double engineering degree, save me the effort of trying to overcome such a formidable intellect.

barkz

iTrader: (1)

Lol welcome to the Internet dude. Don't burn your bridges on this site if you actually want help. You post simple problems you are going to get simple answers, or people making fun of you for not knowing it. But with them there fancy degrees you got, you should've dun known that.... Lol with any luck your perfectly maintained car that isn't working will burst into flame.

RotaryBobby

iTrader: (4)

no need to be a dick dude. clokker was just stating a fact when he said people confuse temperamental with poorly maintained. just like when people say rotaries are unreliable. he never said you don't take care of your car. he merely suggested the possibility since none of us know you or your car. given the cars age its probable that it was not maintained as well at it needed but then again it very well could have since we don't know you personally like i said. so relax and don't bite the hand thats gonna feed you the info you need.

PaperNinjaRotor

I know man the internet has its trolls, but I am just peacefully looking for help, sorry I didn't know exactly where a ground was located, Ive never studied the cars wiring diagrams, but I make sure this car is well maintained because its my baby, so I'm not going to take kindly to someone telling me I don't take care of whats mine, I have a friend who is a wiring genius who is gonna come help me out tomorrow and I will have my instrument cluster working again. And I'm most certainly not trying to become an electrical engineer lol, I'm mechanical and software engineering.

RotaryBobby

iTrader: (4)

this will be of some help Mazda RX-7 Reference Materials

PaperNinjaRotor

Thank you for that

PaperNinjaRotor

Okay so I'm out here working again, I'm testing power at the individual prongs on the two plugs that come off the back of the gauge cluster, I could find no obvious problems with any of the wires like frays or loose connections and what not, when the key is turned on i am only getting power at two wires on the white prong which is the one closer to the passenger side of the car, these two wires are a solid light blue, and a green with a red stripe, there is a black and yellow wire, the one i assume to be the power wire on the white prong and it does not have power when the key is turned.

satch

iTrader: (1)

The B/Y wire supplying voltage to the cluster gauges is the round plug closest to the driver window and this is ME-01 (ME-02 is the one closest to the passenger side of the car but this plug does not house the B/Y wire which powers the cluster gauges). If that's the wire you are testing then that wire runs to the connector right behind the gauge cluster at FME-01 so check for voltage w/key to on at both sides of the connector.

If the front side of FME-01 does not have voltage w/key to on then proceed to the interior fuse box and make sure the 7.5 amp meter fuse is good. Also, the fuse is held into place by a pair of tangs (metal clips). W/key to on at least one side of the tangs should have voltage. If things were as they should then obviously both sides would have 12 volts w/key to on. If neither side has voltage, the the B/W wire from the ignition switch is not powering the meter fuse as it should. If the B/W wire is not powering the fuse then you need to check the two wire plug at the ignition switch for power w/key to on and if it does not have voltage then the likely cause is the switch (B/W wire is found in a plug w/a Black wire).