Hi all,

Could someone help me out?

Yesturday, I was cruising in town in my 85 GS and noticed the idle started bouncing up and down along with some loss of power at higher RPM. After an evening of poking around I did not solve the problem and it is getting worse now...

1) Car does not idle and shakes bad at low RPM.
2) Flooding, heavy fuel smell makes my eyes teary
3) Lots of weak backfires
4) Sounds more and more like lawn mower when reving
4) Starts but with some effort
5) Engine Revs easily and all the way up 6000
6) Have sparks but not strong, plugs(2 month old) look wet and black color
7) Did the Gheto compression check, seems ok

I have read many many posts on this forum, but I am an idiot on cars, and fail to extend the knowledge.

Anyone have any ideas? This is the second motor for this car, I hate to part with the Rotary.

Regards

Xiaonan

 

It sounds like it's gagging on fuel.

What are the levels at in the sight glasses on the sides of the carb?

There is a solenoid bolt pluged into the drivers side of the carb, just under the oil input lines, dead center.
It has a single black & white wire coming off it.
Theis is the float bowl solenoid, and must be hooked up to positive 12 volts that switches on when the car is running.
It allows the carb to vent.
What you describe could be from this.

You could also simply need a rebuild, but trouble shoot it first.

There's lots of info links in the FAQ sticky.

 

Hmm, that sounds awfully similar to what I'm experiencing...

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=291095

 

Hi Stirling, good to hear your reply

I have long wanted a modified carb from you...

I have no real skills working in the garage, but let me follow your advise and diagnose it. I would like to make sure the problem, if it's the carb, I'd be very glad to have a rebuild/mod from you

Xiaonan

 

I don't know if his carb will fix all that.....but a Sterling car WILL get you more chicks.

 

Hi, cdrad51

Is your car running ok now? I have read your story and seems like we are having perhaps similar problem. I swear the symptoms on my car just like a broken rotor since I blew one before... but the Gheto compression check turned out ok and the engine revs high and quick. I have a feeling it isn't the motor, but don't know the details.

 

No my car is not running. I know what you mean, as I just had the engine rebuilt due to blowing a rotor. I was driving the car for about 6 weeks only on one rotor, so I definitely got a hang of the feeling... and yes when this engine started to fail my first thought was "f*ck! I blew a rotor again", due to the similarity of symptoms, but also did the ghetto compression test and was getting 3 wooshes, and did a compression test with a conventional tester and got 70 psi on each rotor.

It is very possible that whatever is wrong is the same for your car and mine. I'm going to check the float bowl solenoid when I get home, and take it from there. I'm not an expert either so I'm sort of hunting frogs in the dark. If everything else fails I'm having a couple of experts coming over this weekend to troubleshoot it.

 

Keep me posted about your progress, you are lucky, that you are in California, I am in St Cloud, MN do not have many sources for support for a rotary, and this month happen to be the busiest month for me

 

Yeah man, I'll keep you posted. You do the same.

 

Stupid question what is a getto compression test and how do you do it????

 

How did you measure the 70, was that accumilitive pressure using a regular pressure gauge?
Seams low

 

that's right.

 

Anyone know where to get a compresson test around St. Cloud MN? I hate the Mazda dealer in Town.

 

remove trailing spark plugs, disconnect wires from leading ones, crank the engine, listen for whooshes. 3 even whooshes = there is hope. 2 wooshes = sorry. 1 woosh = so sorry.

 

Do you mean the tach needle was bouncing?

I think you just need to remove the nuts on your coils and wire brush everything.

 

Yes the Tech was up and down along with the rough idle, this happened while I was driving on the road. I played with the mixture screw last time, and it wouldn't idle now and shakes bad at low RPMs. Could the coil cause flooding as well? Thanks!

 

Well a screwed up ignition (I'll put money on that one) might cause the presence of extra fuel.
Maybe even cause that float bowl solenoid to keep intermittently closing (I don't know- I remove the guts, so it's been a long time since I've had one hooked up. Can't remember where that circuit goes to).

Fix the ignition problem first. I think you'll find the other one disappears, but even so, you can't very diagnose another problem if the thing is misfiring anyway, right?
Betcha all ya have to do is wire brush ALL your contacts.
The two square bits on the outside of the dizzy are the ignitors. Remove those as well (PITA), and brush 'em up.
You should be good to go.
Let us know.

 

She is running!!!

Thanks everyone for your support!!!

This is a 20 year old car, and the previous owner did not keep up maintainence on the wiring and hose...

I spent sometime this afternoon, cleaned contacts for ignition, fixed torn throtle cable, and especially, I found a big hole on the big hose (I think) coming out of the AAV to the intake(?).

Earlier this week, I was not able to hear very good in the garage. I took the car outside and noticed the "hissss" right away... I also played with the mixture, idle and timing, the car sounds (louder) and drives so different now (vibrate a little but more torqe somehow).

Thanks again!!!

Xiaonan