Hello All,

My car: 1980 RX-7 12A Carb'd

Story:
I started my car up, it started fine though there was a bit of smoke. I assumed this was because last time I drove it, I only drove it around the block, so it might have flooded some.
I took the car up the street after letting it warm up; at the end of the street, I popped out of gear to wait at a stop sign and my car just died. I tried to start it again and it only would turn.
(then I had the embarrassing roll of shame back down my street )

Problem:
When I turn the key, lights come on, engine turns but there is no combustion at all.
I've tested for spark and there is none, though I have not tested the wires yet.


Things I've tested:

• My initial thought was the engine was flooded, so I pulled the spark plugs to look at them. They were soaked in gas, so I ordered new plugs and pulled the spark plugs out and left them out for a day and spun the engine by hand to get all the gas out. This didn't work. Same results
• Tried starter fluid and had no combustion at all; so I figured there must be no spark (I did a simple test to determine this was the case)
• I replaced distributor rotor and cap. This didn't fix anything
• I verified the battery is putting out 12v. It is

I don't think it could be the wires, because they wouldn't have all failed at once.

I don't think it's engine compression because even if the compression was bad, you'd think all the starter fluid would have at least got some sort of reaction.


I think coils are my most likely bet, though I still need to get a multimeter and test.

Any ideas from anyone who may have had an issue like this before or know more about the car than I do?

 

Being your is a 80 your problem is probably bad ignitors. Extremely common to go bad being the age that they are

 

Hello Iduley,

I greatly appreciate your response.
Now bare with me, because this could be a stupid question; but I've been struggling to find an answer.
I've found the appropriate RX-7 ignitors at Atkins Rotary, but they cost $90 apiece. I was researching DLIDFIS setups and the ignitors used can be purchased for $5. Is there a cheaper option for simply replacing my ignitors?
At the point that I'm spending $90-180 for new ignitors, it feels like I'd probably be better off just taking the leap and setting up DLIDFIS.

Thanks

 

That would be your choice, do some scrounging in the 1st gen technical section, and make your decision with the knowledge from there.

 

Well, I ended up deciding to go with the igniters from Atkins. I may go direct igniter sometime in the future.
After some research, all symptoms of ICM failure line right up with what I've experienced. I fully expect the ICM replacement to fix this. Thanks for the suggestion!