Hi im new to this forum because i just bought my first RX-7 i love the car its a 79 with 41,000 original miles and its my baby,
however it will sputter when accelerating untill about 3,000 RPM its a 12a engine with a 4 barrel i think its the carb but how can i adjust it? Thanks!

 

it's probably needing a rebuild. has it sat for any length of time before u got it? could also be the accelerator pump is not working properly. look down the carb as u work the throttle by hand. it should squirt gas from the nozzles as soon as u move the throttle.

 

it sat for 20 years before i got it, it does squirt fuel, i was thinking its running really rich, it smells like gas really bad all the time but i cant find the mixture screws.

 

well if they're not squirting, that's ur stumbling issue. seriously need to tear it apart and clean it real good and flush out the fuel system. one of the sticky links in the 1st gen section will take u to where u can download a copy of the FSM for ur yr model. if i remember right, the base plate of the carb on the sa has 2 screws, one above the other. i think the top one is the idle speed and the bottom is mixture.

 

yea i did find those but the bottom one wont turn and i didn't want to force it, i cant really afford a rebuilt kit right now bec i have had the car for a week and got 2 speeding tickets in the last 3 days. should i try to turn it hard?

 

have you checked the plugs and wires?

 

i just did, i think i know what it is for sure now but if you could tell me if it sounds right that would help alot, it doesn't spray fuel it just drips and i think it needs new points and condensers, the accelerator pump comes in a rebuild kit right?

 

sounds right, if your dripping instead of spraying; then you got some major blockage in there. let me see what i can dig up on that question, oh and 41k is pretty awesome; i definitely want to see some pics of that bad boy.

 

yes the pump comes in the kit. and u might want to consider changing to the later(81-85) electronic dist.

 

ill have some pics soon, paint is bad cause it sat in AZ from the sun but not a spot of rust, now the distributer is messed up and the points wont seperate and i have no idea how to adjust it.

 

ok i fixed that but when it gets to about 5,500 RPM it falls flat on its face, no power it wont go any higher than that, any ideas how to adjust that, please forgive me for stupid questions im 18 and still learning, ive looked online but all other distributers are different.

 

5500 in what gear? and if u let off for a few seconds, will it wind back up again? if so, this will be a fuel level issue in the float bowls. look in the sight glass on each bowl, the level should be at least half way or a little more. if u tear that carb apart and clean it real good, u'll eliminate all carb related issues ur having.

 

every gear, even if i hold the clutch in. i am going to completely rebuild the carb and replace the distributer i think that will fix everything. any ideas on if its a good idea to turbo the 12a? obviously after i get it running perfect.

 

Carb rebuild and dizzy swap should get you right again. Also, replace the fuel filter if you haven't yet.

Don't turbo it unless you are really rich and want to "correct" the situation.



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I agree with this statement whole-heatedly. If you wanted to properly turbo your car (i.e. injected, stand alone, rebuilt, blah blah blah) you're looking at ~10k to do it. Just rebuild the carb, put in an electric dizzy, and put in a new fuel filter.

 

ok thanks guys! if i decide i absolutely need a turbo ill try and just put a j spec in it.

 

I know this is old now but it might help someone else having these issues, i rebuilt the carb and found all sorts of goodies, really surprised the car even ran before, it was very bad, That fixed every problem i mentioned on here. Put a Racing Beat air filter assembly on it which made it sound nasty, the few issues it still has are timing and ignition related. Hope it helps someone.