I inherited a 1982 RX7 that has been sitting unmoved but garaged for nearly ten years. The last time I started it (1999), she would blow a fair amount of smoke on idle, then a moderate amount of smoke while driving.

I recently decided to put the little lady back on the road. I gave her new rubber, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor. She begrudgingly started and did not smoke too badly - at first. After idling for a minute, I had to keep the engine running by keeping a bit of juice flowing to the engine. I decided to take it for a spin down the block.

I could not get above about 15 mph and the longer I drove (less than 45 seconds), the more smoke poured out of the pipes. It became a freakin smoke screen and frankly it began to really freak me out. I flipped the car around, cut the engine and coasted back into the driveway. No longer had I pulled in to the drive when I smelled an overwhelming aroma of gas. I got out of the car and saw a large pool of gas on the pavement. As I am by no means a 'qualified' engine mechanic, it was time to bring in a flatbed.

I had it carried over to a local small-town garage. After a few days, the shop owner tells me gas was flooding into the engine and out the tailpipe. He is worried this might have damaged the engine beyond repair. He is NOT a rotary engine specialist, but has suggested several options.

1. Start with either rebuilding or replacing the current carb (their shop has not rebuilt one in years)
2. He is concerned about the state of the engine guts and core - buy a used engine from a junk dealer
3. He does not think the rotary engines can be rebuilt. Judging by what I have read on the internet about the engines in the 82 non-turbos, it sounds like this might be the case

So, I need some specialized assistance on this one.

1. Do you think it is reasonable to start by rebuilding or replacing the carb? If a replacement, with what? Do you happen to know what carb comes stock on that model? I don't want something complex or high performance, just a good quality and reliable street performer
2. with gas shooting straight through the engine, does it sound like damage might have occurred that would require an engine replacement? Is there a good source for used first generation engines that have warranties?
3. Can the first generation engine be rebuilt successfully - should it be rebuilt or is throwing away good money? I have read that engine core is 'fragile'.
4. Any other suggestions not covered above?

If I have to ship my engine off to have it rebuilt, please keep in mind the car is currently in a shop in SC, so while I would be happy to work with any reputable rebuilders, ones located in the Southeast would be preferred.

I really like my RX7 and hope a reasonable solution can be found to get her back on the road.

Many thanks for your advice.

 

One of the things when you store any automobile is to either put a fuel stabilizer in the tank or drain the tank.

Did you do either?

If not you need to drain the tank and replace the fuel filter.
Lets dispense with all the talk about having to rebuild the engine at this point and deal with the immediate needs.

The carburetor internals are more than likely gummed up and the needle seat is sticking causing it not to shut off the fuel when the bowls are full.


You can either download a copy of the carburetor FSM per my signature link and see if you want to rebuild the carb yourself or pay someone to do it. It is not cheap to have those carbs rebuilt.

There is an alternative.
Sometimes you can get the needle seat to settle by tapping on the fuel inlets at the top of the carb while the fuel pump is on (only have to turn the key to the on position to have the fuel pump come on for your year) with the end of a screwdriver or other soft tool. A lot of times the seat will correct it's self and then it will shut off the fuel correctly.

If you can get it to seat correctly then the engine will not flood. At that point you could get some additive called Seafoam (available at most Napa auto parts) and run it through the fuel system with about a 1/4 tank or less.

That is to help clean out the internals of the carburetor. I have done this many times with cars that sat and did not have to take apart nor rebuild the carb.

Another alternative if the needle seat won't correct it's self is to just remove the top half of the carb and remove and clean the basic components.

You can see how to do this by viewing the carburetor manual.

 

Tons of fourm members rebuild their engines...

You'd have to be worried about warpage or cracks in teh rotors and housings and so on.. but it should be rebuildable if not too badly damaged.

Probably your cat's gone from the fuel dumping...

Tee carb should be rebuilt...or as Doc said at least cleaned...

I'd say that you could save her!

 

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/intake-carb-rebuild-kit-buy-where-651277/

And another related thread for you.

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/engine-bringing-rx7-back-life-246167/

Also would benefit you to read the FAQ forum also.
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/1st-gen-rx-7-faq-page-237777/

Don't have to worry about the catalytic converter. If this had happened for an extended period of time and been dumping fuel then it could compromise the converter but not in this instance.

 

Oh, I misread it. Good Catch Doc.

I thought this had been going on a while x.x

 

I did not dump the fuel before storing, but did ask my mechanic to replace the fuel filter.

Will start with a carb rebuild as suggested.

Many thanks for the suggestions.

 

Go to the SE section and post a request for help in or around your area. I know theres quite a few rotor heads around there that should be able to help you out.

The car has sat long enough with fuel in it that you should do the following:

1. Drain the tank.
2. Change the filter (may need to do this a few times)
3. Blow out the hard lines with compressed air, including the return line.
4. Replace all the hoses you can.
5. Completely rebuild the carburator.
6. Spin the engine with the plugs out and no sparks to completely dry it out.

After doing all of this do like doc said and put some gas in along with some seafoam and try starting it up. Hopefully it will run much better.

 

Even after all of the above work has been done, there is a good chance that the engine will still not start. This is due to flooding, which is tricky to overcome with a rotary engine. Most engines that go to the shop simply because they are flooded are diagnosed as a blown motor due to the low compression readings (which are normal when flooded).

There are a couple of tricks to unflooding a rotary, the best of which (in my opinion) is to dump about an ounce of Seafoam down the carb before starting. They'll usually fire right up if you do that.

 

TG, great suggestion. I didn't see the SE forum. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Ernst with RX7 World is located just a few miles down the road from where my RX7 is currently in shop. So, I am transferring my baby over to him so that he can have a go at it. This forum has been incredibly helpful. Fantastic resource. Many thanks to all for the education and guidance.

Bill