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Brett_Murphy
Brett_Murphy UltimaDork
12/30/18 3:33 p.m.
BirgerBuilder said:

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

It's blowing air out of the spark plug holes and making nice little chuff chuff sounds, is there anything else I should know?

 

The exhaust is where you want to listen. You should have six chuffs that all sound evenly... chuffy.

You can also inspect the apex seals through the exhaust ports if you've got good eyes or a bore scope.

bigfranks84
bigfranks84 Reader
12/30/18 4:55 p.m.

In reply to BirgerBuilder :

Looks like a bosch 044 style pump that takes a banjo fitting. 

 

I went this route. Part # fk-87415

Ebay 

Bosch 044 fittings

Amazon

Banjo fitting

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
12/31/18 4:16 p.m.

Thanks for the tips guys, As of right now I think I'm gonna wait for the stock pump to come in. 

And now that I have sufficiently buried the exhaust ports, I think I'm just gonna plug on, fingers crossed. 

Found the right sized belts and hoses to finish up putting all of the stock parts back in place. (AC excluded)

So then I moved on to the fuel tank debacle.

I wanted to get the fuel sender/ pump assembly out of the car so I could de-rust/ repair it. I attempted to remove these three wires first and subsequently broke 2 out of three of them.  

Ugg, this thing looks like it was pulled up from the depths along with a gold doubloon. 

Well after breaking everything, then googling the cost of a whole new unit($250- used) I finally figured out that there is a plug on the other side hidden under the carpet. Damn-it.

The bolt connections twisted off fairly easily because they are brass. So I pondered how I was gonna fix this little E36 M3-show for a while... 

Then I realized that those little crimp connectors are also made of brass or copper at least.

Soldering with a torch is something I only knew how to do in theory so I was happy to have made it work on the second try. 

Using a new skill is always my favorite part of the day! 

All bead blasted and checked with the volt meter and nothing has been shorted out.

Time to drop the fuel tank.

Made a little easier because I did get those JIS screw drivers, purchased by the in-laws so a day off to visit them wasn't a total waste! lol

Nihon ni Kaimas desu yo!

When I went to carry the tank outside, I tipped it on it's side first.

Genie? is that you!?!? 

The rust was...not insignificant. 

That all came out of the tank. Fortunately I think most of it was the surround for the fuel pump, as far as I can tell there are no holes.

As of now, it's soaking in a hot bath of marine-clean so, time will tell.

bigfranks84
bigfranks84 Reader
12/31/18 5:39 p.m.

I was wondering why you just wouldn't buy a new tank.  Then I saw the money they want for them.  Apparently rx7 parts are made of gold

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
1/1/19 7:51 a.m.
bigfranks84 said:

I was wondering why you just wouldn't buy a new tank.  Then I saw the money they want for them.  Apparently rx7 parts are made of gold

second generation RX-7s seem to be in the Goldilocks zone of aftermarket parts where just enough people want them to make all of the used parts super expensive but not enough people want them for anyone to manufacture new ones...

Which is a real shame since when I went to shake the rust loose inside the fuel tank last night all of the cleaning solution landed on my foot. There is more than one hole in the side and it's leaking along the seam as well. So it seems to be beyond saving. 

Any body got a tank laying around? 

Don49
Don49 Dork
1/1/19 10:22 a.m.

I have a tank from an 88. It looks to be in decent shape and I am 12 miles west of Gettysburg. Call me if you're interested. seven 1 7 two 53 five 077

Brett_Murphy
Brett_Murphy UltimaDork
1/2/19 9:57 p.m.
BirgerBuilder said:

 

 

Soldering with a torch is something I only knew how to do in theory so I was happy to have made it work on the second try. 

 

 

Made a little easier because I did get those JIS screw drivers, purchased by the in-laws so a day off to visit them wasn't a total waste! lol

Good job on the soldering.

JIS screwdrivers were life-changing when I was seriously into RX-7s.

Thank you for reminding me how expensive FC parts have become. The glory days of going into a U-Pull and seeing 5-10 of them there are long gone. I must say, though, if I see an S4 Sport model  in stock condition for a reasonable price, I'd be tempted to buy it.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
1/7/19 2:53 p.m.

Well, I clearly didn't get it running before the end of the year. I keep getting distracted from my distraction. 

Now that I'm back to regular work it may be slow going. 

I was able to run up and see Don49 and his awesome SCCA prepped RX-7, and got this, and a bonus box of parts. 

I haven't even opened it up yet but it is in WAY better shape than the other tank. I already ordered a replacement pump, so fingers crossed, I can clean it out and go.

So what else has been distracting me?

I need to build a handrail for the outside of the garage so I can close out the county permits. Of course I decided to do it the hard way...

By welding up 14 of these lil buggers.

I still have to get them all on the rail, weld on the plate for the rest of the bracket and find a nice way to space them out from the siding, that doesn't cost 13$ a piece... 

Oh well, I'll just ignore that problem and wrench on this instead!

Man I have a pretty bad case of the Automotive ADD. 

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
1/10/19 3:15 p.m.

I had about 3 hours of free time today so I took a look inside the new-to-me fuel tank.

The JIS Impact screwdrivers worked pretty darn well and I only had two screws I couldn't get out.

But after I converted them to flat-heads, they came out too.

And...

Hoo boy, I'll call that an improvement all right. Also, this later model tank has baffles inside where the old one did not. 

All I did after that, was dump the rest of the fuel, add some clean petrol, slosh it around and dump that too. 

There's a tiny bit of gunk left in it but that's what fuel filters are for. 

Also, look at the pump/ sender unit!

It looks nearly new, I had bought a replacement pump already, but I think I have more confidence in this one than the $12 part I ordered off of Ebay. 

I did replace the screen though. 

Alright, just about ready to go, while it's out, I do want to address this though...

A lot of the edges are rusted like this and that may have been what originally made the old tank fail as well. I think some POR-15 may be in order. 

 

 

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
1/14/19 2:17 p.m.

I got the Fuel tank cleaned up and painted, ready to go.

Then I went to reinstall it...

Hmm. No cap and a lot of rust. I'm thinking that's what ruined the whole fuel system in the first place. 

Well, luckily I got a complete, filler and cap included with the tank!
 

Much improved, there is a center section between the tank and the filler though that I didn't get a replacement for and it's not looking too hot. 

So I sand blasted it and used some fuel tank sealer. 

Way better. According to the can I have 96 hours to kill...

So I helped my Brother finish replacing the Clutch on his 944. Again, I've gotten real bad at taking enough pictures...

Anyway, I'm clearly way past my deadline to get this thing running, but fingers crossed, the last part that I ordered will be here soon and I can fire this thing up next week. 

 

 

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/7/19 1:55 p.m.

Well, slow going Because I have been working on Crinkles, the house, TIG Welders...

My Brother dragged this beast home (To my house) a while ago, and it was only set up for stick welding. 

I finally finished building the cooler and pedal, hooking up the lines and he got a bottle of pure argon for it. 

 It now works pretty darn well but needs to be cleaned up and the cooler needs a box around it. 

Also, I'm gonna need a lot more practice...

Anyway, back to the ReX.

Tank has been done for a few weeks and I figured I'd re-install it real quick. 

Well, after two tries I got the filler hose lined up and installed.

After that, I just needed to pop the tank back in...

Jeebus Berklying Rice, was that a job. I wrestled with the tank for a good 30 minutes trying to get the filler tube on there. After I got it on, I couldn't get the tank straps around. Thinking that something was in the way I uninstalled, reinstalled the tank. Got the same result again, before realizing that this tank was BIGGER than the old one. I started making measurements so I could cut and weld the straps longer before realizing, "Hey, didn't I get more tank straps in that box 'o' parts he gave me?"

Sure enough, Correctly sized tank straps. The third time installing the filler neck went slightly faster since I had found a system and I declared victory. 3 hours in to my 20 minute job.

I promptly forgot to take a picture of the finished install and called it a day.

Well, I now have a battery and a tank. Next, I plan to flush the fuel lines a bit then spin the motor a while. After that? Smoke?  

 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/7/19 3:37 p.m.

Couple of things...

 

That has to be an 89 or later tank.  They are bigger.  18.4 gallons versus 16.5 iirc.

 

Also, even the early tanks had that baffle.  I'm guessing that was the what is now in the bucket of rust!

Agent98
Agent98 Reader
2/8/19 10:42 a.m.

Guess:

A barbed fitting where you clamp a rubber 3/8" fuel line?

Suggestion:

summit plastic fuel cell.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/8/19 1:53 p.m.
wvumtnbkr said:

Couple of things...

 

That has to be an 89 or later tank.  They are bigger.  18.4 gallons versus 16.5 iirc.

 

Also, even the early tanks had that baffle.  I'm guessing that was the what is now in the bucket of rust!

If the old tank did have a baffle, that thing was vaporized like Marvin the Martin shot it. lol

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/8/19 2:26 p.m.

So This morning I dumped some fuel in the tank, Doesn't leak! And hooked up the battery.

The headlights immediately popped up and hit me in the elbow, scaring the crap out of me. 

You can also see a coffee can in there, which is supposed to be catching fuel from the lines. 

I turned the ignition and nothing happened, It didn't sound like the fuel pump was running and after futzing with it a while, I moved on to cranking the engine. 

It spun nicely and after checking the engine bay again, there was fuel on the floor. In all my wisdom, I assumed that it had been shot out of the spark plug holes. I also then realized that I had unhooked the return line since there was clearly fuel coming out but not from the hose I had disconnected. 

After that, I said, well, I already pumped fuel into the engine, I may as well try and start it. 

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffacebook%2Fvideos%2F10218031064546561%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=281

After that, I stopped trying because I noticed a funny sound, I came over to the engine bay and the fuel filter was shooting a stream of fuel 3 feet across the engine bay and into the oil cooler. 

So I said, you know what, that might be where the fuel is coming from. HA!

You can see the paint bubbles from rust on it, I'm willing to bet, some water got inside there...

I had a fresh one laying around so I swapped it out. And went and got a (way too small) fire extinguisher. 

After swapping the filter I was feeling pretty jazzed that it was going to work this time since I got a good cough already... 

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffacebook%2Fvideos%2F10218031109987697%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=281

However, it sputtered a little more and that's it... 

I thought maybe I 'flooded it' (I know you can't really flood a fuel injection engine) so I unhooked the Fuel pump and turned it a bit more. It actually sounded more like it was gonna start than before. I hooked the  pump up and tried again with no change. 

Seems to cough a bit, then just turn and turn each time. I'm thinking the injectors are fouled especially if the fuel system was getting water in it. 

What do ya'll think? 

 

 

Vigo
Vigo UltimaDork
2/8/19 3:08 p.m.
 

I see that HTR200 tire and...this happens.

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/8/19 4:23 p.m.

In reply to BirgerBuilder :

Rotaries can sure as E36 M3 get flooded!  Especially if they sat for awhile.

 

Don't play with timing if it was not messed with!

 

Google rx7 deflooding procedure and try it again.

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/8/19 4:24 p.m.

I would also create a fuel pump shutoff switch.  You can Google that too.  It's pretty common.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/8/19 5:38 p.m.

In reply to Vigo :

Wow, you know the brand of tire from that picture? 

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/8/19 5:40 p.m.
wvumtnbkr said:

In reply to BirgerBuilder :

Rotaries can sure as E36 M3 get flooded!  Especially if they sat for awhile.

 

Don't play with timing if it was not messed with!

 

Google rx7 deflooding procedure and try it again.

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Ya learn sumthing new everyday. I had already removed the distributor years ago and just put it back a few weeks ago in hopefully the correct centered location. Looks like I should break out the timing light to be sure. 

I'll try removing the CAS to keep the injectors from firing but if one is stuck open then it can apparently get, REAL flooded so I hope it's not that. 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/8/19 7:26 p.m.

Ohhh, if you took out the cas, it will most likely need to be put back correctly.  If the wheel spins while it was out, it will not be timed right.  There is  no distributor.  Just the cas.

 

If you unplug the cas you won't have spark either....

 

Remove cas, put engine at yellow line on main pulley lined up with timing pointer.  Line up dots on bottom of cas (gear and casting).  Take cover off cas and make sure it doesn't move when you reinstall it.

 

Google rx7 cas timing if that wasn't clear enough.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/8/19 8:33 p.m.

I followed the Googled tutorial for installing the CAS, and I'm fairly certain it is correct. I will check it with the timing light anyway. 

Just now, I pulled the plug on the fuel pump and cranked it at wide open throttle. The first 10 seconds a lot of smoke/ vapor came out the tail pipe, after that nothing so hopefully it's cleared out now. 

It's getting cold out there and I have work in the morning so I'll have to pack it up for now. I will try and start it again soon and if it's a no go, I have injectors from the other motor to swap in. 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/9/19 5:59 a.m.

I doubt this is a fuel injector problem.

 

More likely a lack of compression from sitting.  Put a little oil down the spark plug holes and try to start it.  The oil helps increase compression.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/9/19 6:58 p.m.

Well, Blew all the gas out again, pulled the spark plugs again, added oil to the chambers, again, flooded it again, blew all the gas out again, didn't burn down the garage, but came close, there was a lot of fue vapor in the air and I had a kerosene heater running, stupid. 

Opened the door to the freezing air, let all the smoke and vapor go, tried it again, and...

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffacebook%2Fvideos%2F10218043689102167%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=281

Hell yeah. 

Started out really encouraging and sure seems like it's getting good compression. 

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffacebook%2Fvideos%2F10218043695422325%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=281

Only issue is, shortly after this video, the engine bogged and died. After that it wouldn't idle at all and will only stay running if I hold the throttle down. 

Seems like I have this exact issue, So I will be hunting down vacuum leaks, most likely. 

But hey, SMOKE WAS ACHEIVED. 

 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/9/19 8:21 p.m.

Yusss!

 

You are well on your way to earning the magic Doritos badge.

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