Kristelalicia

Hey, I'm brand new and this is my first post. I guess I'll start with stats, I have an 86 (2nd gen) Rx-7 GXL. My car has always had an irratic idle when warm, bouncing from 500-1700 rpm, but it was never a problem and it never stalled. Then I took it to a shop to get the back bumper painted, and when I went to pick it up (10days ago) it wouldn't start and the engine was badly flooded. I told them to fix it and took off in the rental. They called a few hours later to say that they had fixed it, and when I got there it started up fine, but as soon as I took the car out of gear it would try to stall. I figured it was just my TPS acting up and didn't worry too much. Then four days ago the throttle stopped working right. I would be driving and all of a sudden I would have to floor the gas to get it to even maintain speed and you could smell it flooding. So I drove down to a buddy's parts shop and tested my Ignition coil... T2 wasn't firing. I replaced T1 and T2. It didn't fix it obviously, cause it started acting up later that night. The next day I went back and I replacedthe other two starter coils, tested all four for spark, and changed the TPS sensor. It sounded like everything was fine when I idled it, so I left. I got halfway up a hill when the car started to lose power fast, it was chugging, and all of a sudden a new Pinging/rattling sound started coming from under the hood whenever I would his the throttle rapidly. The strange part is that I can rev the car up to 7,000rpm and it doesn't make this noise unless the throttle is rapidly given pressure. Anyways, I limped the car back to the shop this morning and changed the throttle body. Now the car is jerking when i makes the pinging/rattling noise, and it still tries to stall when in neutral, but the car doesn't lose power... I just have to accelerate slowly and be very light on the gas.

Also, about a week ago I changed the fuel filter.

Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with my car??? I'm lost here. Thanks, Kristel

zeromage428

Check for compression...always a #1 thing to do when u hear things making funny noises under the hood

Kristelalicia

Compression is fine. I'm thinking that it is a fuel pump problem and/or a timing problem. Any thoughts/comments?

CarmonColvin

One problem is that it sounds like you let a paint shop do mechanical work on your car. They are painters, not mechanics.

When you say it originally had an eratic idle when warm.. Are you talking about a truly eratic or a rymthic revving from 500-1700 rpm?

It sounds like the shop hot started the car and flooded it (ie: started it, let it run for just a few minutes (moving it from paint booth to buffing booth, etc.) and then shut it down).

The first thing you should do is find out what they did to "fix it". Whaever they did may be the cause of your current problems.

Kristelalicia

I'd really love to find out what they did to the car, but the manager is a total con artist. He lied to me from the get-go, telling me that no one had driven it at all, that they pushed it everywhere, and that he had no idea why it wouldn't start. As he was saying this one of his shop guys walked over within earshot, and when the manager walked away, the shop guy said "WTF is he talking about... it's not like its some big suprise. your car hasn't started since the day after he drove it." I started asking him some questions about what had really happened, and he told me that the very first day that the car was there the manager had been driving it and 'no one knows why' but the next day they couldn't get it to fire up and that they tried to start it while pumping the fuel for over an hour. I almost lost it and I told the manager that I know he was lying to us and that I was not picking up my car in that condition and that he should call me when the car was running. When I went back, to pick up the car, told him that the paint job was unacceptable -- it was already bubbling. And he told me that he didn't care and that he never wanted to see my car again. If I call and try to ask him what he did, he's either going to hang up on me or lie again.
Anyways, I am really thinking it's the fuel pump... Cause I took it out and tested it and it's not very powerful at all, and when I turn the ignition to "on" without trying to start it, it doesn't pressurize.
Does anyone know if that would explain the problems? Cause that sound is definitely detonation, so I'm thinking that the a/f mix is lean cause of the weak fuel pump.
Any feedback helps!

CarmonColvin

The fuel system will not pressurize with just the key turning on. You have to set the jumper in the engine bay to force the pump on. There should be a link in the faq on how to do that. Normally the fuel pump will not come on until there is air going into the AFM (thus the engine turning).

It is possible the idiot over revved the engine and tossed a seal. Are you sure the compression is still good on all 6 chambers?

It sounds like you need a lawyer but the car is probably not worth it.

Sent Seven

Was/is your car blowing any amount of smoke front the exhaust? Coupled with the cost of the paint job, and what you paid for the car (including the repairs since leaving the shop), it may be worth getting a lawyer... It might also be a good idea to get a tape recorder and go back to "talk" with him, and the other employees about his joy ride.

Kristelalicia

I think you guys are right and that I should probablty talk to a lawyer. I'm not sure what I will be able to do though, cause I didn't have to pay for this paint job. The whole reason the car was in the shop was because the first time it went in, the paint bubbled like crazy within a month of getting it back from them. AND they tore my driver seat (leather) the first time, and drained the battery playing my stereo, and left my tank empty. Then they denied it. I talked to the VP of the company and he said he'd 'look into it' but that they would fix the paint right away. Also, the other day, when I went up the big hill and my car started dying, My friend had to push me up it in his Lincoln continental cause my e-brake wasn't holding, and it was to sketch of a hill to trust 1st gear to keep it from rolling backward downhill. So now that brand new paint job is toast. I am going to talk to someone about it. By the way, I just got back from picking up a new fuel pump.... gonna test that out and I'll let you guys know how it goes!

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Have you changed your plugs yet? Not only do stock plugs wear quickly and foul easily, but being flooded with gas fouls them with a quickness. You could have one trying to foul off and on, resulting in a no spark or poor spark condition that's intermittent with varying load. Change your plugs and report back.

Kristelalicia

So... new fuel pump, same problems. Does anyone have any clue what the problem is? I am going to check the timing in the morning, but if its not the timing, my next guess is electrical. Does anyone know what sensor could be causeing this? Electrical problems are not my forte, lol, I usually blow things up.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

change the plugs, as RotaryResurrection suggested. do that first.
then, go through and turn the engine (with the starter) with the plugs out for about 20 to 30 seconds.

check the injectors. one (or more) of them may be sticking or stuck open ...

Kristelalicia

I checked the spark plugs. They are all sparking fine. I didn't check the fuel injectors but I will when I get home. What ever is happening, it's definitely running rich. I put it on a snapon diagnosic, and it came back with a code 05 - according to the manual, that is a O2 sensor - feedback system problem. Now I'm thinking that's probably it, but then again, every fail attemt thus far was what I thought the problem was, lol. So again, any thoughts or feedback on this are totally appreciated! Thanks, Kristel

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Fouled plugs can and will spark in atmosphere, but may not spark so well under a few hundred psi of compression/combustion pressure. Once again, change the plugs, don't just look at them.

The 02 sensor will not really affect how the car runs at alll...the EFI on these cars is somewhat crude, and the 02 sensor is only looked at under cruise conditions. Anything over about 1/3 throttle and the 02 is overlooked completely. The airflow meter is the ecu's main method for fuel calculation.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

these are great conditions for running rich if your engine is running and your plugs are crap!

Touya

Call a laywer, get statements from the workers at the shop, file a complaint with the main company head/office, tell them you have proof one of their managers is doing this. If your laywer can find some legal ways to get you some $$$ without costing you an arm and a leg then tell them your sueing them. Chances are if they are a corp company they will fire the guy, settle out of court, and that will be it.

You got shafted, but we have laws for a reason, and using the law as your weapon in this kind of caseis your best bet. Threaten suits first, then if all else fails file them. Don't be hot headed about it, best thing is just have your laywer contact them, he knows the game better than you do anyway, and thats what you pay him for.

Kristelalicia

hey guys, so new spark plugs didn't do the trick, and I changed the O2 sensor. I've worked out tons of bugs in the car now, and regained tons of HP, but I'm still getting that 'pebble in a tin can sound' and the car still jerks a bit when I accelerate too much. Does anyone know about the EGR valve? Someone mentioned to me that it might be the problem.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Has the timing been checked/set on this car? The EGR valve should have no effect on how the car runs...it is solely there for emissions purposes, and even if it's clogged up or not working the worst thing that'll happen is that your emissions may go up a bit as measured at the pipe.

How are your battery terminals and block ground connections? Poor grounds can cause mild to severe hesitations on these cars...I commonly run additional ground and charging wires to certain sensitive points, as seen at www.rotaryresurrection.com ---> tech ---> ground wire how to. You might consider checking (with an ohmmeter, for resistance to ground) the small ground wire on top of the block, under the intake, which is important for injector pulse clarity and ecu grounding. Also new battery terminals installed on freshly cleaned battery posts and additional grounds leading directly to negative terminal can be helpful.

Kristelalicia

The timing has been checked, and the batteries terminals have been cleaned the cables have had new post-attacher things put on them.. sorry I forget the name for it.

Sent Seven

Could it be your transmission? My friend's GXL made all sorts of horrible "tin can" sounds a for few weeks before it died on him. This could be a likely scenario, especially if the stupid **** took your car out and wasn't able to drive stick shift very well. He may have revved the hell out of your car and shifted poorly enough to break something.

The other thing that the "tin can" sound could be is a fragment off one of your apex seals, rattling around inside the rotor housing. I know you said you did a compression test... but was it you, or a shop? If it was a shop, try to find another one and have them do a test again... make sure they know what they're doing.

Sent Seven

And check for vacum leaks using some carb cleaner, if you haven't already. This is something that could cause unpleasant noises and hesitations.