Hi Guys,

My car smells like its running very rich. The whole car, garage and all my clothes smell like exhaust fumes. The gas gauge seems to be dropping awfully fast - however I haven't filled it up yet to know if its accurate or not.

The engine idols nicely at 750 RPM and revs well, but the car seems to lack power throughout the entire range. That may be an unfair statement since I haven't driven this car in a long time - so I might be comparing it to newer vehicles.

Tonight I'm going to clean the K&N air filter, check the spark plugs and change the oil & filter before heading off to 7 Stock North on Sunday.

Anything else I should check while I am under the hood?

1980 GS 12A, Rotary Engineering High Performance Exhaust System, K&N Air Filter, Stock Carb

 

I removed the K&N air filter and the rubber ring that seals across the bottom was completely soaked in gasoline.

I pulled the spark plugs and everything looks OK. The plugs are a light brownish color - no wetness or sooty black carbon.

Help me out guys. Just a few hours left. Any ideas at all?

 

wish i could help you out here....my experience with carbs is basically zero. The only car i have ever even driven with a carb was my dads 1957 nomad...and that doesnt even count because it was 327 with a big holly on top.

is the car drivable at least? Im sure if you bring it out tomorrow there will be lots of advice.

 

Hi Greg,

Thanks for writing back.

I drove the car about 80 km today. It is sluggish and really smells bad - but it is driveable.

I fired an email off to Sterling who specializes in carbs for RX-7's. It was a long shot - but I actually got a reply from Dennis. Kudos to these guys for taking the time to write back so quickly - and even on a Saturday night.

I've got a couple hours left tonight to mess around with it and then make a judgement call first thing tomorrow morning. Any idea where I can find a can of carb cleaner on a Saturday night?

 

at this hour...walmart? haha. either that, or break into a canadian tire. lol.

 

Are you anywhere near London? I've got a can I'm not using.

Nevermind, I just looked on Mapquest and your at least 1.5 hours away. Long way to drive for a can of carb cleaner.

 

Thanks for the offer Orion.

I still think I would like to make it to 7 Stock North.

It won't be pretty - but I think I can make it.

Maybe if rotary gods are nice to me, whatever is creating the problem will free itself up on the drive to Scarborough.

 

See you tomorrow........ ^^

 

It sounds like it may be time for a carb rebuild. Probably from the 5 years of sitting it's gummed up inside and it's pouring too much fuel out. I haven't played around with the stock carb for a while though so I'm a little rusty on exactly how they operate to tell you what the problem is for sure. A rebuild and tuning will cure it all though.

 

Well I made it 7 Stock North ... and it was worth it. I think I just needed an excuse to get my car back on the road.

The car drove better today than it did yesterday. And the car drove better on the way home than it did on the way to Scarborough.

So maybe ... just maybe running at 3500 - 4000 rpm for about 1.5 hours straight has helped to clear things up.

I'm still going to get some carb cleaner and try to get rid of the crap and varnish inside my carb. Maybe this is just the excuse I need to buy a Sterling Nikki.

 

I hope you get the carb Sorted out.Carbs are good old School Parts..Clean them inside,new needle and seat,set the float level.Bingo.(well that was when had carbs,on boingers).
My Best advice for Maintenance is Preventative,sort of...GET CAA!..if you break down,at least you can get back HOME with the car!..good luck.STYX!~

 

Yeah, take your 7's back on road again!!!