Old Rex

Alright, here's my sitch...

I bought this 1982 RX-7 from a local stealership to use as a work car, and to modify it a bit. It has 83000 gentle miles on it and the body looks good. It ran well in the test drive, although it seemed slow for a sports car. I chalked it up to the fact that my last car was a seriously modified Honda del Sol, and that this car has an automatic transmission. No problem. I bought it.

I filled the tank and hit the tripometer, trying to get an idea of gas mileage. I used my utmost self control, driving like an old woman until the tank was close to dry. Time to fill up and do the math....


15.8 MPG!?!?!?!? Mostly Highway too!! This wasn't going to work, not with as little guts as this car was showing...

I kept an open mind either way, convincing myself that the car was cheap, and that I was sure I could find some hidden power somewhere. I started replacing possible problem areas. I put in a new air cleaner (The cheap kind, until I look at more serious options), new Plug wires and new plugs. My local shop was out of the NGK's, so I got the autolites. I noticed that they look a lot different, but hey, both looked weird to a guy who's used to working on conventional engines anyway. Popped 'em in and it runs well. A little bit better, but still disappointing. Decided to get some new belts and radiator hoses. Haven't put the belts on because I haven't had the time. I put on the upper radiator hose, spilling a ton of anti in the process, but filled her up and was on my way to work the next morning. On my way to work, the car stalled at a light. Hmm. Fired it up again and drove off. Stalled at the next light. Fired it up again and got to work and popped the hood. Found the problem. The blue thingy broke.

Alright, so I don't know what they are called, but there are about five of them on the passenger side of the engine, each one color coded with vacuum lines going in and out and around them. One of them is black with a blue dot, and the top "nipple" busted at the base.

Fixed it up with a little superglue and JB Weld and I was home with a rough idle but no stalling. Idecided to start replacing the vacuum lines. 7 1/2 feet of hose later I am close to finished and I fire it up. Runs fine with the choke on. Stalls with it off.

Now I have absolutely no power. Semi's are accelerating faster than me with a full load, and my fuel mileage has dropped to 14 MPG, mostly because I need to keep the choke on to keep the car running. All vacuum lines are accounted for, and most are new. I have a feeling that this car sat for quite some time, and is seeing more action now than it has in years.

Bottom line, I'm a conventional engine, fuel injection guy who feels like a 5 year old working on the space shuttle when I look at this engine. I need help.

If someone could offer suggestions, I'd be greatful. I don't know how this car is supposed to perform, as it may have been running like shee-ite to begin with, and now it's worse. I'm only on my third tank of gas! Have I done something? I am in Cleveland, and could stand to talk to another Clevelander, or have someone look at it. I am at a loss...

Someone prove to me that these are worth the trouble!! I want to give this car a chance, but it's not looking good!

Thanks
brandon

peejay

Well to start, congrats on your new ride!

OK, down to business... 83000 lightly driven miles? That's a warning bell. Babying a rotary is the fastest way to KILL one. They carbon up internally and this can cause seals to stick. Go to www.mazspeed.com in the "Facts" section and click on ATF - this is probably the FIRST thing you should do.

The second thing you should do is ditch those spark plugs and get the correct ones! Rotaries are very spark-plug sensitive. Also expect to change them frequently, about every 5-10,000mi.

Oh yeah, it also sounds like you made a massive vacuum leak. Those solenoids on the rack ARE fragile, aren't they? And no, you can't JB Weld 'em together. I have a ton of spares if you want one. Changing all the hoses might have cracked other solenoids too... but at least you know for sure that the HOSES are okay.

And finally... 16mpg is about right for an automatic, stock 1st-gen. I was getting 18-19 with mine when it was stock, and I have the benefit of a 5-speed. Headers help, the MSD direct fire ignition DEFNINITELY helps. I'm getting about 25 city/highway now!

Old Rex

YES! I'll take one. Since you are in Cleveland, can I pick it up? Can you maybe take a look at my car? Anyway, email me..... AvianMan@aol.com ....I couldn't find your email anywhere.

Pele

iTrader: (28)

After replacing that solenoid, I suggest looking for other vacuum leaks. Use a can of WD-40, carb cleaner, or some people like to use an unlit propane torch. Just shoot some on the vacuum hoses, especially where they join to something.

The ATF treatment is simple, there are two ways you can do it.

The lazy way:

Dump two capfuls down each barrel of the carb. Turn engine over without actually starting it. Keep teh pedal floored so that the throttle lets all the ATF go in. (Disconnect the ignition coil primary wires.) Let it set for 24 hours so that the ATF has a chance to soak into and break down carbon inside the engine.

The better way:

Remove one spark plug per rotor (top pair or bottom pair, which ever is easier for you), Use a turkey baster or something similar to shoot about a capful of ATF into in the spark plug hole. Use a ratchet to crank the engine over ONE full rotation. (Or you can bump the starter, very quickly.) Shoot some more ATF in. Turn again and shoot again. Repeat for the other rotor. This gets ATF on all three sides of the rotors. (They turn one third of a rotation for every shaft rotation.) Replace the spark plug and let everything sit for 24 hours.

After letting it stew, make sure you are away from people, animals, houses, etc. Push it away if you have to. Fire her up. Get stoned off the smoke and fumes. Le tit warm up, drive around, making sure to shift at high RPM to get all the crud and ATF out of your engine.

Now go change your spark plugs because the ATF fouls them. It's also suggested you change your oil. (Non-synthetic. Castrol GTX 20w50 + one quart Marvel's Mystery Oil is reccomended.)

Speaking of Marvel's Mystery Oil, that can be used, and infact is a better alternative to ATF in the ATF treatment. (I'm lazy, so I'll jsut say MMO from now on.) MMO comes in a bright red bottle. It's good to add a quart to your oil and some to your fuel as well. Lots of people here praise MMO.

If you'd like an explanation of the reason behind the ATF treatment and the operation of the Wankel, I can provide diagrams and whatnot. You've got a rather unique car there. It should provide you great fun when it's running properly. Good luck.

Old Rex

Alrighty. Got the ATF fluid, some Castrol GTX 20W-50. (The guy at the auto place referred to it as "honey") and ordered some NGK plugs. Got a K&N oil filter as well.

Question: What does spraying carb cleaner on the connections for the hoses do? Does it allow you to see leaks? I don't understand...


Thank you everyone for all your help in the matter....


Brandon

vic'srx-7

I will second the atf treatment. I haven't used MMO but feel confident as many people on this site use it with good success.
When you spreay the WD-40 around the vacumm lines you will notice the idle smooth out if you find a vacuum leak as the wd-40 is drawn into the engine. This is a tried and true method.
Have faith my car didn't run when I bought it but I did the atf trick and it runs almost as good as new with 126,000 miles on
it.

Vic

onedotone

I have an 83 GSL. I happened to be working on the air control valve (ACV) this past week. It is part of the emissons control system. The air control valve is located above the exhaust manifold and is attached to the engine with three bolts. I repaired the ACV and reinstalled it, but I guess the gasket on it was letting the vacuum signal leak, so I experienced the same symptoms as you (engine wouldn't not run unless choke was pulled out). I checked the gasket and reinstalled the ACV and it runs fine now.

1.1

Good article on the rotary engine...
http://www.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

Pele

iTrader: (28)

Any engine, whether piston, rotary, jet, or rocket, needs the correct ammount of fuel and air to run properly.

When you have a vacuum leak, you add extra air into the mix, causing a lean condition and hindering performance. When you spray the flmammable liquid near the vacuum leak, it sucks that in and changes the mixture, so the engine will usually speed up.

Old Rex

That makes sense. I'll do the ATF first, then check for leaks.
I'll post here when I know more.

Hey peejay...I need that solenoid! Please shoot me an email!


Thanks!


Brandon