folks hello
my name is Gordie
all my life i have loved the look of the rx7. and those cool as hell rotary engines
best sound of any 4 , 6 or 8's out there.
i picked up a used 80 with a 12 a and it is a non winter driver so clean as can be .
i started and ran great till a few nights ago.
while sitting at a light car stumbled as if it was running out of fuel. i limped it home .
went through all fuel all of the fuel system , removed and clean carb, new plugs wires cap and rotor all to no change.
it will start but acts like it low on fuel and sounds like a piston engine that jumped it's timing.
is this the dreaded blown engine tell tails?

 

Didja clean the tank?

 

thanks man
drained the gas tank and blew out the lines with air on one end and a piece of cheese cloth on the other end . all clean no dirt.
checked the fuel pump and works great with 6 psi pressure new filter.
i was working on this this weekend and i have a strange issue i noticed after i removed the carb this morning.if i clean the prestone up it's back there in minites.
what could the cause of this be ?





[IMG][/IMG]

[/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

 

Intake manifold gasket. A common issue with these. It's probably original. Get a factory gasket and replace. Not too difficult.
It's one thing to drain the tank, another to clean it out. I put it off and when I finally did it found the fuel pickup so clogged I was amazed it ran at all.
Search 'marine clean' for a good thread on the process. It's another job that seems more daunting than it actually is. Replace all fuel lines while you're at it, and get a filter sock for the pickup. The original is no longer available, go to the parts store and look through what they have til you find one that fits.
You'll be glad you did.

 

Put an ls1 in that would be so dope.

 

thank you fella's great info and brap brap funny you mention that .
if the rotary is blown a v8 swap may be in the works.


but cookboy i hope it is just the gasket letting coolant into the motor. i will try this first. because nothing sounds as cool as a healthy rotary.
this means the world to me guys thank you really.
and see buy the pics the car is in real clean good shape . i love it

 

guys
i have some bad news the front rotor has low compression. i got a new intake gasket and still acts the same .
today i pulled the plugs and had a friend crank her over. the rear rotor has good compression coming out of the open holes but the front has very little.
so after all these hours on this leading to a blown apex seal what can you suggest
rebuild or v8 small block?

 

rebuild or 13B swap - you may be able to find a rotary to swap in easier than a V8 - put on the 12A or GSL-SE front cover and you can use the same engine mounting, same transmission, etc. Carb intake manifold for 13B or convert fuel system to fuel injection, whichever way you wanted to go.

I just left the Fredericton area last year. There's good big AutoX events at Loring AFB in northern Maine, or in Summerside. I think they're both in August.

 

thank you
i didn't know that a 13b uses the same tranny .
a local fellow has a 13b for sale .
here is another question looking at a racing beat 12a rebuild kit , why is it $1300
for a few o rings and apex seals and atkins has it for $590.
whats going on with this?
thanks
gordie

 

A lot of the rebuild kits have very different parts lists, you have to go through piece by piece. Atkins has several different levels of kit that have different parts.

Atkins Rebuild kit comparison Chart

The $550 is the rotor kit only: Just apex, corner, side seals with their springs, and front and rear seals.

Racing beat includes things like oil pan gasket, exhaust and intake gaskets, etc. which makes it a little more than the atkins kits. You usually need that stuff unless you're making your own gaskets, so take your pick.

 

smelling coolant is never good. seeing it is a different story