TimWilbers

iTrader: (1)

That would be me.
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati...ssues-1099050/

I did all the coil/wire swaps and no help.
Leading igniter was intermittent and it would cut rpm's in half.
Swapping proved it was failing and had to jump the fuel-pump relay to test.
Got a used igniter. It tested OK, but it too was intermittent and finally died completely.
On my 84 GSL the trailing igniter also triggers the tachometer. I could drive the car with the intermittent igniter in the trailing and jumpered the relay. I could tell when the igniter went out because the tach hit 0.
Got two more used igniters by posting in the Clasifieds
1st Generation RX-7 (1979-1985) Parts - RX7Club.com

In the end I had two intermittent igniters, one finally died outright. Bought one used and it was intermittent. Bought two more and they were solid.

Issues solved.

7th Cavalry

Went to junk yard this morning, pulled the only 2 igniters, (hopeful but ready for disappointment). Installed n tried it. Cranked fine for a whole second, almost caught. Then the crank speed slowed way down. Like a dead battery. Put it on a charger/starter, still way slow, n slowing. Unhooked battery n left it on charger. I'll try again after work. Would a bad igniters cause an issue like this? I've got n optima red top, maybe 1yr old. It should have been close to full charge.

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

Ensure you have fuel and spark. Then pull this with another car and pop the clutch to get started.

TimWilbers

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like you just drained the battery from trying so long and never charging it.

Do you have a timing light?
You don't need a fancy one. I used mine from when I bought my 1974 Rx3.
Hook up the timing light but put the inductive lead on the leading and then the trailing wires from the coils to the dizzy. Crank the engine and see if the light flashes. If it does for for both leading and trailing, then your igniters and coils are passing electricity. You may also want to test each of the dizzy to spark plug wires this way as well. Isolate the components to verify each is working.

If any of the tests fail, check the connections for corrosion and clean as needed. These are not new cars.
If the leading or trailing fails, swap the coils. If the failure switches, replace the coil.
If the failure stays with the leading or trailing, switch the igniters.
You mentioned plastic crumbs in the rotor. That does not sound right. Check the dizzy for anything that does not look correct.

Are you sure the fuel pump is working?

TimWilbers

iTrader: (1)

Dead battery at work.
Asked coworker if he had jumper cables.
He reminded me it was a standard transmission.
He pushed from the rear, I pushed at the drivers door.
Jumped in, popped the clutch and zoom.


Every evening after trying something different, I would put the trickle charger back on to prep for the next time.

Yes, I drained the battery more than once to the point it was cranking real slow.
And it was a brand new battery.

The suggestion to me was to keep eliminating the systems and I'll find the issue. Took some time, but turned out to be true.

Runs great now.

7th Cavalry

Car is @ home on charger. Took my truck. Will tinker about with it tonight. I'll post more when I know more

LongDuck

Mjm4jc - don't sweat it, as I could have done a better job describing it! The other night when I replied, I walked out to the garage in the middle of the night to confirm before I posted.

TimWilbers - thanks for posting here with your experience from before, as it seems to be the same issue for OP here, i.e., a bad trailing ignitor.

Once the battery is charged up, swap ignitors and see what happens. Doublecheck that you moved the ECU Trigger wire back to where it belongs - on the negative side of the Trailing Coil. Let us know what happens,

mjm4jc

Gosh, I love this forum!!!!!

I belong to a subaru forum, a chrysler forum, and a toyota forum, and you would not believe the difference in knowledge and expertise compared to this forum. This forum is so filled with wisdom that many times I don't want to post for fear of making a fool of myself, lol!

As an RX7 owner, I know am so blessed to belong this forum. ok enough of that mushy stuff, lol!

As LongDuck has said, please inform us what you end up of finding.

7th Cavalry

Got home to a fully charged battery. Hooked it up,tried it. Still cranking really slow. Unhooked battery, put it back on charger. 20 min later back to full charge. Put original igniters back on, tried again. Same result. Battery checks as good. All wire's r n stock locations. Put battery back on charger. Turned lights off,,locked door n went to bed. Gonna take a day or so away from it. Do some home work. I'll go back @ it Mon. Ty to all that have posted. I've learned alot @ least.

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

slow cranking = battery cables

7th Cavalry

Took a few days away from it. Went back @ it today, with some good igniters. Bingo, she fired right up. Slow cranking issue was due to the capacitor, for my stereo. Some time during my struggle the pos. connection became loose. So every time I hooked up the battery, it sucked the life out of it. Thanks to all who helped. I did learn alot this go round😆

mjm4jc

Glad you got it fixed bro. I also learned a lot following this thread. For one, you can't rule out a bad ignitor even if you replace it----or replace it even twice, lol! Second, having another issue may not at all be related to the original problem (slow start), and third----LongDuck knows his stuff!

Hope you are enjoying driving around in your fully-functional FB!