Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Good to hear the starter is easy to change, though i am used to working on my lifted truck, it is easy to get under it without jacking it up, this car on the other hand, even jacked up is not easy.

Do you have a link on how/where to hook up the fuel cut switch? I do need to do that, though if i am going to do it i am going to hide it as an anti theft device as well.

And that is a good point about the ECU, i have 2 of them. 1 is mounted to the car and the other is just laying there. Not sure which is hooked up but they have pretty much worked the same when i have switched them.

Just need to get a new starter tomorrow and see if i can get this running right! then i have to face inspection.....that should be fun.

I did see the other day when i was under the car that the PO had the 2 pre-cats removed. don't know how that will effect the inspection.

toplessFC3Sman

iTrader: (1)

Depending on what went on the starter, you can all electrical/mechanical parts from the NA and Turbo starters, its just the outer housing thats different.

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

I am not sure what went, all i know is it had been sounding pretty bad for awhile then all of the sudden it cuts from it's normal cranking to a real slow cranking and i smell eletrical burning. So i looked under the hood to try to find it and it was coming from the starter.

I am just going ot get a new one from pepboys later today. I have never had good luck with used starters. Plus they have a liftime waranty, so if i fry it again cranking it like this, i can just geta new one...

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Ok, what would cause the battery cables to get hot? REAL hot.

Last night when my starter went the battery cables got hot. I didn't think much of it and just figured it was due to the blown starter but even with the new one, they are getting REAL hot, like i can get just a hint of burning smell hot.

Needless to say i am letting it all cool down. but although i never felt the calbes before i know i never smelled them. Is this normal after a lot of cranking on these cars or is something messed up?

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Ok, finally got it unflooded and started. Though it still idles at 1500 for some reason that is now totally beyond me. It did seem to run a lot better than before and was pretty smooth.

Though the idle did seem a tad rough in that is would have a little mini back fire every now and then. As well as this funny sound from the engine i had not heard before.

I did some seafoam (which was interesting getting it in there, what vacume hose do ya'll use?) and the sound from the engine seems to go away/get quiter. It also seemed to run a little better as well.

Here are some videos of the idle and the sound from the engine? does that sound normal?

http://www.pballandmore.com/video/100_1772.MOV
http://www.pballandmore.com/video/100_1773.MOV
http://www.pballandmore.com/video/100_1774.MOV

I did take it on the highway for the first time and it worked quite nicely. It has quite a bit of power except for a little lag 3800 - ~50000rpm. It is better now then it used to be, not sure if the injector cleaner and sea-foam i put int he gas did that or the sea-foam in the engine. But it is better, just not perfect.



ONCE AGAIN! THANK YOU EVERYONE! I COULD NOT HAVE GOT THIS FAR WITHOUT YA'LL!!

toplessFC3Sman

iTrader: (1)

That sounds pretty normal to me. If you're doing a lot of cranking, the wires will get pretty hot. If you had a short, you'd probably have a blown fuse, so chances are its just from the cranking. The lag at 3800 rpm is a pretty common problem with these cars, and is almost always caused by inadequate grounding. Just search for 3800 hesitation.

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Well it's good to hear that sounds normal. Though the videos don't show the little pops coming from the exhaust here and there.

I did search for the 3800 rpm lag as i had seen another threads saing to search for it but just come up with 1000 threads, 99% of which are not what i need.

Would you happen to know of a good thread with lots of good info?

beefhole

iTrader: (29)

^Or the 3800RPM lag is from the actuators sticking because the car was rarely taken above that RPM.

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

I assume you mean the actuators for the aux ports? That is possible, i was planning on testing those later today anyways.

MmSadda

iTrader: (2)

^probably a good choice

I'm not doing 4 pages of backread to figure this out on my own; You've done a full tune-up, right? Because it's amazing how much hesitation at 3800 can be caused by something so simple as that.

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Ok, then here is a long story-Short version to get everyone caught up.

UPDATE FOR THOSE JUST JOINING THREAD!


Ok, I got the car, did a lot of the basics, fluids and all that good stuff.

After that and some minor things got it started on carb cleaner but could not get the fuel system to work. Ended up finding out the pump was bad and the relay to turn it on had been spliced into the PO's alarm. So i fixed both of those and with a little more work got it running.

Then ran into the high idle problem which i am still fighting. Will not idle below 1500 no matter what. No idea where the air is coming from, no vacume leaks, checked that many times. Bac might not be working but it does close. Found thermowax to be bad and disabled it, helped the idle but still idles at 1500.

Have had EPIC flooding issues everytime the car sits. I think the leaky injectors are to blame, last night i shut it down by unplugging the fuel pump and getting the pressure out of the system. So we will see today if it starts right up.

Did a poors mans compression test when i first got the car and both rotors sounded great. But did it again the other day when it was flooded and the front rotor soundsed like it had a bad apex. I did some seafoam and it seemed to help some, might do it again.

Got an 86 RX7 for $250 without an engine or tranny. Going to use it for parts.

Power steering doesn't work except for hard right and then it is not everytime. I think it is a computer issue and i am going to try to replace the computer with one out of the 86 and se if it helps. Since the power steering works hard right i know the pump is working. And yes, i have bled it.

AC not working, compressure kicks in but no cooling. must be low on freon, wich means i now have to convert to 134a which will be a joy.

3800RPM lag, it was worse before i did the sea-foam in the tank and engine. Though it is still there.

Completed a complete tune up, plugs, wires, all hoses, fuel filter, air filter, radiator fluid/flush, oil, tranny, (waiting on diff until i see if the 86 has an LSD since it was a GXL) and all that other good stuff.

That pretty much bring you up to date. If cutting the fuel pump fixes the hard cold starting then it is pretty much driveable except for little things here and there that the 86 will fix most and then getting the engine working a little better so i can pass emmisions.

MmSadda

iTrader: (2)

Okay, not intending to sound like a dick by formatting this... it's just how I work.

-Techron will probably get you further than carb cleaner. Idk if fuel injector cleanr and carb cleaner are similar, but techron has always done me well in the past.

-What's seafoam?

-Install a kill switch on the car. My engine builder just up and did this for me when he rebuilt my engine; I dunno how difficult it is, but it would definitely help with the flooding issues.

-moving the power steering computer over is a good way to start; it's cheap, and easy.

-if I'm reading right, and you're saying the 86 you picked up IS a GXL, then I can already tell you for a fact it DOES have an LSD, unless someone changed it out . I highly doubt someone installed a different differential on it. You should be good on that one

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

The Techron for what? you mean when i was getting it started? that was just the the first start, i don't need it now. Or are you talking about something else?

Seafoam is an engine cleaner that suppsedly will clean out the junk of an engine. You are supposed to put it in the gas, oil and in the PCV valve. I never do it in the oil though, just the gas and intake, though the RX7 doesn't have a PCV so finding a line to put it in is not easy. Since it looked like i might have a sticking apex i figured it would not hurt and it did seem to help.

I plan on installing a kill switch, i just need to find a good write-up on it and i want to make sure that will really fix the problem, i should know later today if it would work.

And yes the 86 does appear to be a GXL (remember , i saw my first RX7 less than a month ago so i am just going by what i see). BUT it had a TII swap done to it before the PO took the engine out. so i am not sure what is in the back end. I assume it is some kind of LSD, i just don't know which kind or if it is any good. I am going to jack it up and test it here pretty soon.

MmSadda

iTrader: (2)

REgarding the fuel injector cleaner- I meant for trying to clean your fuel system, and it was just a general statement; obviously you're beyond that now.

Thanks for the info on seafoam

The kill switch is invaluable, even if it doesn't solve that problem. It at least gives you an easy out each time you encounter that issue..... I'd do that before anything else in that respect

I was assuming you knew the 86 was a GXL; I'll look in the FAQ, but I believe there's a way to determine what it is by the VIN number. Or you could just jack it up; that's a good idea.

By the way, it's nice to see a new guy here ask intelligent questions, and go about things in a good way

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Yeah, I am one of those few people that actually reads the FAQ's and knows how to use a search button. Plus i have been around cars all my life so i know all the basics. The rotary is just a totally new beast that i am having to learn as i go, and i have the guys on here to thank for my catching on so fast and getting it running.

Otherwise i would be SO lost.

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Ok, i am now 100% completely and totally lost.

First the good, it started first try after turning off the fuel pump to kill it last night.

now the bad. So i tested my aux ports and found the rear rotrs to be working but the front to not. So i took a screw driven and tried to pop the front one lose but i just bent it a little.opened a tad possibly.

So i start it and it seems to run fine, so i let it warn up then i shut it off and replace the spark plugs, i restart it and it just doesn't want to work quite right.

So yesterday the car worked great, it ran good and had power except for the 3800rpm lag. So i am going to take it to the car wash today and don't get no more then a block before i relize something is wrong. It gets to 3500rpm and just stops, if i can get it past about 4500 it will then go on but not with much power. It gets worse and worse until finally it would not even stay running and i had to push it the last block home.

I have NO idea what happend, just last night it was working fine except for the lag, and today it won't run at all?

Would having the front aux port a little open do that??? or changing the plugs out with the right NGK plugs?

I am lost, and just when i thought i had it working!

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Now i offically feel totally stupid.

I found the problem........................................... .I ran out of gas

Yes, that is right i just ran out of gas. after checking everything over again i on a whim checked the tank and sure enough, empty. So i refilled it and it started right up. In my defense, my gas gauge is broken so i could not know i had gone though 5 gallons of gas just idling.

Yes, i offiaclly feel foolish.

So i got it running and went to the car wash and cleaned everything up, it looks pretty nice. not bad at all for a $500 car. I will start getting all the little things done tomorrow. The power steering also worked hard left a few times as well. So not sure what is going on with it. Need to try the other computer.

sharingan 19

iTrader: (16)

Lmao, that reminds me of a scene from a movie. Glad it wasn't a real problem.

toplessFC3Sman

iTrader: (1)

I ran out of gas recently when trying to stretch it to my "preferred" gas station (cheapest BP in the area) and had to coast in to one on the side of the road, and the car was doing all sorts of weird stuttering and fuel-starvation-type stuff. I didnt really have an excuse though... my gas gauge works fine.

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

What movie? And yes, i am also glad it was not a real problem. Other than little things now, it is pretty much drivable as soon as i get the fuel cut switch installed.

I have that happen once as well, except in my case i was going up hill and it dies about 100 feet from the station. And starts rolling back down hill.

Well lucky for me a few guys in a truck hop out and help me push it up to the station, otherwise i would have ended up at the bottom of that long hill. These were the days before cell phones, so i would have been screwed.

Jazzie604

do you have a fuel pressure guage? it sounds like you may have a fuel injector that is leaking and causing the car to flood on cold start. you may have some other problem that is causing too much fuel to be injected initially, but just holding the gas pedal to the floor before cranking for the first time should get you past that problem.

sharingan 19

iTrader: (16)

A movie w/ Jackie Chan where he's a tow truck driver that used to race for Mitsubishi. He works w/ the cops to catch this international criminal that drives an R32.

Except for the gratuitous waste of perfectly good cars in the finally race, it was pretty entertaining. (and FC sat pole position in the final race btw )

Now a lil more on topic...my gas gauge works, but the low fuel light never comes on (despite having run out a couple times) that's a shittly lesson to learn the hard way lol.l

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

No fuel pressure gauge, at this point it is bone stock. Though i have found the flooding problems to be leaky injectors. I am going to install a fuel cut switch to fix that problem.

LOL, I bet. I drove a car like that. When my truck says it is empty you usually have about 50+ miles left or a little more. so i was driving a friends car and the gas light came on, i didn't think much of it out of habit, well no less then 10 miles later it is dead.


Well today got out there and started moving parts from the 86 to my 87. Got all the trunk done, looks like a brand new car after switching the carpets and giving them a good cleaning!

Also got the S5 tails transfered, i really like the new look.

Going to start on the front of the interior tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

I also found that the 86 has S5 mirriors! But how would i use them? It doesn't look like they are wired in on the 86, just there. Though the wires from them are attached to something.

I have heard you can retrofit the S5 mirriors into the s4, how do you do that? I really like how they look. plus i need a new pass side mirrior anyways.

I just keep finding more goodies in that car, found a lot of little parts in the bins.

sharingan 19

iTrader: (16)

Edited Sounds like the project is rollin right along, that parts car seems like a gold mine

Texas_Ace

iTrader: (18)

Yeah, the parts car really is a gold mine. all sorts of parts on it that i am finding i could use. Like i just relized i can take the fuel tank level sensor from it and put it on my car hopfully fixing my gas gauge.

And the interior of my car now looks virtually new after a lot of cleaning and swaping carpet back and forth.