Get it Running 1979 S
 

Well, I finally started working on it. When I got it home, I noticed it had a gas leak in the fuel tank. After asking around on the site, I got it up on some jacks and got the tank dropped, I have some detailed photos and such I'll post later. Unfortunately, what I was hoping would be a simple patch is going to be a more extensive rebuilding.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9ff49d9a2.jpeg

It was a good feeling though to finally get to work on it. I've only done parts replacement on my previous, modern day cars. :)

Being that its too cold to work on the fuel tank, so I turned my attention to the carburetor. I was not able pull the choke, so I did some external cleaning of the various levers with some carb cleaner and a toothbrush and got both the choke and throttle moving. Yeah!

The previous owner had installed some computer for tracking fuel consumption
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...763db21304.jpg
I think this is related, but before i remove it, I'm just double checking with y'all before I remove it. it looks like it used to be connected to the throttle by what looks like a fan pull chain. This driving computer has a ton of wires to remove.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...583910afa7.jpghttps://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...23e30c5fe0.jpg

never seen that before. looks like someone's attempt at adding cruise control?

I agree with you Michael, now that you said it.

I don't know man, this looks EXACTLY like the kind of thing the big oil companies don't want us to know about!

Lol, it's the perpetual motion add-on

After getting a replacement gas tank and cleaning up the surface rust that I would not be able to get to with the gas tank installed, I finally was able to start it up. I pored a little oil through each secondary throttles. Turned it on, gave the fuel pump a little time to fill the bowls, and then cranked it. After 2 or 3 5-7 second cranks it caught. HAZZAH!
It ran on its own until the choke disengaged.
I cannot get it to idle without a little throttle, or holding the choke partially closed. The more I hold the choke closed, the higher the RPMs.
I see a carb rebuild in my future, but just getting it to run makes me happy.

Tonight I want to make sure the OMP is working. I read elsewhere on the site that I should be able to see it drip when it is above idle. Also ready that I could take off the omp lines and check the flow. For the moment, I'm going to put some 2 cycle in the tank.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...e4b2534b7c.jpg

An example of just how rusted out the old tank was.

Last night I could see that the OMP is working, as, before I started up, one of the tubes didnt have oil in it. once I started, it was full.
Brakes and clutch need to be bled. The car is still up on jacks, so I put it in gear, and unless I pumped the brakes, a lot, the wheels kept on a spinning. It was also hard to put it in reverse without a touch of grind.
On with the great fluid replacements.

Other stuff I did while waiting for a gas tank were replacing all the signal bulbs with LED, and replacing the turn signal flasher with one that can handle leds.
i got a replacement headlight lift assembly, as the one there does not move and was missing the connector rods.

Looks like its coming together nicely. I would remove that mileage computer and the aftermarket cruise or whatever it is.

Did you have the new tank cleaned out before install? If that pic you posted is of the new tank that's some scary stuff to be putting in the car without first having the tank boiled and sealed.

Sounds like you will want to replace the fuel filter and rebuild the carb. You'll also want to consider plugs, wires, cap rotor, belts, hoses as well as coolant, oil, diff oil and trans oil. Can never be too safe. Can't wait to see more pictures of the car!

To Brake, or not to Brake, why can't I stop
 

Moving along, I need it to stop, which it barely does.

I bled the brakes but that didnt help. I pulled the rear drums and they were a disaster. One side, the brake lining had completely separated from the metal backing. that was on the side the cylinder was leaking. The other side the cylinder was frozen.

Replaced the cylinders and pads. the Parking brake works now, yeah. Small victories. Unfortunately, it did not change the petal going all the way to the floor.

Got a new (remanufactured) master brake cylinder put it on the bench to bleed it, which is kinda hard since the bleeder kit that came with it only had two hoses, but on this first gen, it has three outputs. I held the rubber stopper in the one I could not bleed. got the bubbles out of the two, then switched one of the tubes and bled the third output.

To my dismay, the pedal does not feel anymore firm. I need to bleed the whole system again, I hope that helps, as I was hoping there would be more back pressure on the brake pedal and it not going to the floor, like my modern day cars when they are not turned on.

After bleeding, the brakes are nice and firm. Big Victory!

Just have to fix the headlight motor on the passenger side, and I think it will pass Missouri safety inspection, so I can finally get it licensed and drive it outside the neighborhood (I think the neighbors will be happy with that).

Try tapping on the small rectangular relay box under the rubber cover and clamped next to the headlight motor. You can remove the rubber and the actual metal cover has a few tabs that hold it on. Bend them down to remove the cover. Inside you'll find some contacts, like points in an ignition. File the surfaces of the contacts with a fingernail file or similar. A shot of WD-40 helps too. I suspect this may fix your headlight issue.

I'll give that a shot!

I've rebuilt the carb. It will idle now around 1000 to 1250. I took it out for a drive, and I i dont think the secondaries are opening, as i can put my foot on the floor, and it hardly accelerates beyond 4k.

The engine is running rough, I need to go through the ignition system, as I feels like its missing. If it was a boinger, I'd say one of the cylinders had a ignition issue.

To add to the list, either the alternator or external regulator has gone out. All three idiot lights are on (coolant, gen, and oil) and the tach shows completely too high. Unplugging the reg causes the tach to act normally.

I am a total noob at all of this. Just feeling my way through, with the help of all the info on this site, a haynes manual, and the FSM. It is a nice feeling when something starts working,

The car is together enough that it should pass Missouri's inspection so I can get current tags on it.

So, it is running really rich, like you can see the exhaust is a little dark. It sounds like it wants to backfire while idling. It does backfire when I give it gas and then let off. I read one post (Alternator may cause backfires) that makes me want to get my alternator fixed first.

I do notice that the bowls are completely filling up if I turn on the car and let it sit for a few seconds before starting. Once it is started, the levels (both sides) drop to just above the notch in the frame of the glass. Maybe the psi on the fuel pump is too high, now that the carb is cleaned up. Autozone lets you borrow a fuel pressure test kit, I'll definitely be taking them up on that. It is not flooding, at least not to the point that it won't start. It fires right up, which it did not do before the carb rebuild.

I tried turning both the idle speed/air adjust screw and the idle mixture screw clockwise until they stopped. It wouldnt start then, but when I turned the speed screw counter-clockwise a bit, it would start, but is still rich. How many turns from closed (I assume clockwise equals close), should these two screws be? I read that the mix should be 2 1/2
I'm hoping to not have to take the carb off again, though I'm less afraid of that now that I've done it one. Oh, since I did just do a rebuild on the carb with a rebuild kit, if I have to take it apart again immediately, do I have to get another kit? Note, i did not replace the needles or seats. I also did not make any adjustments to the floats (at least not intentionally ;)

The teeter-totter is also set, if that matters. (Secondaries dont open when rich or teeter-totter off).

If the secondaries are not opening, make sure the lower gasket is not in upside down on the carb. If it is, the gasket blocks the vacuum ports for the secondaries.

If the bowls are filling up then more than likely the floats are misadjusted and are not cutting off fuel supply to the carb like they should.

Floats don't magically go out of adjustment. Float bowl vent solenoid might be sticking / gummed up. Or the rubber tips on the needles are old and hard.

Before I rebuilt the carb, the bowls were holding at half way up the sight glass. I carefully removed the floats and the needles, placing them in labeled zip lock baggies so I would put them back in the correct sides.
I can't tell you if the needle tips were too hard, as this is my first carb job, and at the time, I was ignoring the replacement needles that came with the rebuilt kit. When you say hard, what would you compare normal too? ie a normal needle tip will feel like x.

Greatly appreciated.

New needle tips have some give, like a slightly rubbery feel. Old hard ones are just that - old and hard.

You will need to burnish the new ones on the backside of a spoon. You just rub them gently until the sharp brass edges look kinda polished. Then you will need to babysit them. Keeping an eye on the fuel levels and tap the top of the carb with the plastic handle of a screwdriver.

But all this is moot if your float bowl vent solenoid isn't clicking like it should. It opens when it receives 12V. If it remains closed, it leads to flooding every time.

Thanks!
can I use the needles that came.in the rebuild kit? Everyone says they're crud. If I do, do I replace both the needles and the seats (?) They go in?

​​​​​​can I manually test the vent solenoid? Should I be able to hear it without the engine running?

technical question, how does car know to activate that solenoid?

The new needles are ok to use if they are burnished. The inner spring, brass button and outer spring clip are usually swapped over from the OEM needle, but sometimes the new parts can be used.

NEVER use the aftermarket seats. EVER!

Yes, the solenoid will click with 12V + on the wire, but unplug it from the rats nest as I think that circuit goes to ground when the key is switched off.

It is switched on and off by the ignition key switch at the steering column. :)

Backfires during idle fixed
 

I burnished and replaced the needles. The new springs that came with the needles are a little stronger.
After putting the top back on the carb, I checked the vent and it works.
The bowls are no longer over filling, yeah.

I cleaned up the rotor in the dizzy, cleaned the points and plugs, and now it does not backfire all the time, when it does, it's muffled vs sounding like a shotgun.

It is still having issues starting around 4500 rpm with some backfiring and not a lot of power. I'm going to hold off on that for the moment, as the alternator or the external regulator has gone out. I read that that can have an impact on the secondaries.

​​​​​​I am having an issue getting the idle down to below 1000. It's about 1200. I have unfortunately fiddled with the idle speed/air adjust screw, and the idle mixture screw, so I want to reset them to factory and readjust from there. I read the idle speed should be 4 turns from close, and the mix should be 2 turns from close. My question is closed turning the both screws clockwise until they stop?

should I check for vacuum leaks first?

Hay Guys. Am I wrong in my thinking that backfiring is almost solely a timing problem? Or am I missing something?

I do need to check on the timing too. Need to pickup a timing light.

You will also need and engine analyzer, here is an ebay link to the one I use for adjusting points (Dwell) I've used it for decades works great and you can't get confused because it asks for number of cylinders and rotors. also if you have one with no rotor selection it is always # of rotors X 2, 2 rotors = 4 cylinder and so on. You may know all this but better you have the info than not. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignition-An...4AAOSwZz9a3nEk