Newbie

[syebba]

Well done.
Did they just do a visual smoke test at mot?
You\'ll find the rest of the work more enjoyable on the car now it\'s road legal.

[mpk490p]

good news, always nice when they go through first time

[Marcrs]

Cheers guys, yeah, I am well pleased it passed, and like you say, I can enjoy driving it, and do the little jobs bit by bit...in time for any summer we might get
 
 
He did a visual test, then put it on the machine just to get a reading, more out of interest...9%...
 
Think I need to get the carb set up???

[Marcrs]

Took it for a drive last night, to a local club meet - it was well received, so much so that one of the guys there actually kissed it

On the way home, I took the last roundabout, not tooooo fast...and the fuel pump suddenly became very noisy???
Not quite sure what to make of it, but if you have any thoughts or suggestions, I\'m all ears

[Ian65]

The fuel pumps on 1st gens can be a bit temperamental as they age, especially if the cars been stood for a while.
It might just be the pump coming to the end of its life and need a straight replacement.
It might, however, be dragging s*** out of the bottom of the tank into the fuel lines.
It hits the fuel filter first ( next to the pump) and if this becomes blocked, the pump will strain to pull the fuel. This will obviously coincide with a misfire under power as the engine is starved of fuel.
What I\'m basically saying is check and clear out the fuel lines before 1st, before swapping the pump.
The tanks rust like mad and all that rust goes down the line. The filter won\'t catch it all .
It\'s a doddle to change the pump but they are quite pricey.
You could always pull the rubber hoses from each side of the pump ( basically disconnecting it) and switch it on ( watch out for flying fuel) and if it still makes a noise, I\'d say it\'s s******.

[mpk490p]

Filters need changing quite regularly, im chnaging my facet red top pump to a bigger mallory this weekend if you want to go for a pump upgrade? you will need a regulator too though

[David Nock (RIP)]

I\'d look at fuel filter 1st, as said above.
The noise might just be cavitation in the pump as it is after the filter therefore (as Ian) sucking like mad and getting insufficient fuel.
An easy test for the fuel filter is to go thumping down the motorway hard in 5th gear....if the car starts to misfire like it\'s out of fuel, it\'s probably a blocked fuel filter.
The filter change is easy but nasty. You should have a couple of pairs of mole grips or clamps to squidge the pipes shut. I never bother and usually get a facefull of fuel and a soggy arm to go with it!

[David Nock (RIP)]

You\'ll find the rest of the work more enjoyable on the car now it\'s road legal.

But not the fuel filter.

[syebba]

fuel filter,ive gotta do on mine,but not looking forward to it now!
I dont like crimping lines in case it causes damage,but then i dont wanna get swamped in unleaded,hmmmmmmm,it can wait!
ta stu

[Marcrs]

I have a brake pipe clamp, that should take care of one pipe

I did have one thought - the fuel gauge doesn\'t work at all, and although unlikely, it might have been low on fuel (which would make sense with what David said about insufficient fuel...) so I put a gallon in, turned on the ignition...and no pump noise. Drove it out to park it on the road while I got another car on the drive, and it got noisy again...
Think I need to investigate the filter and pump then, thanks once again for the advice guys
A pump upgrade could be an idea, especially if I find I need a new one anyway, what sort of regulator would I need to go with it?

If anyone has any tips on the fuel gauge, I\'m all ears...I think the temp gauge is a bit vague too, doesn\'t rise much, so I\'ve set the kenlowe fan to come on low too

I\'m away this weekend, and probably won\'t get to look at the rex again for a few weeks, stripping off our 323f donor car to get the GT ready for Japfest (new trailing arms, rear brakes, some welding for Garath...)  - can\'t do it all at once I suppose

happy easter all

[Ian65]

I wouldn\'t bother upgrading the pump Marc unless you have a special reason for wanting to do so.
The stock pumps are more than up to the job, it\'s usually old age, rust in the system or years of not being used that causes problems with them.
A new stock pump should last you years if the rest of the system is ok and clean.
If you do upgrade you might end up with overfueling problems and as you say, you will need a regulator to limit the pressure and will then have to set it up.
Seems a lot of work for no real benefit.

Regarding the fuel gauge, check the following:

Is the sender actually connected.... are the connections clean and making good contact....short out the sender and check the gauge is working.

[A7RXY]

Marc, I had to replace my pump ofter the car had been off the road for 11 yrs, Mazda still sell them, and I think I paid about £110 for it.
  Good luck
    Dibs

[David Nock (RIP)]

Another idea, after changing the fuel filter, would be to use premix.
That\'s a suitable mineral oil you put in with the fuel to either replace or back-up the engines own Oil Metering Pump.
I use Millers KB 2T, as do a few people and I add about 80ml of oil to 20litres or so of unleaded. That\'s about 250:1, which works with the metering pump also in action.
(people use a stronger mix if the OMP is disconected).
I use it because the engine\'s a bit old now and if the OMP packed up that would be curtains.
I\'m thinking all this because the lube effect of the oil might help the pump and save buying another.
The millers is a bit hard to find but search on here for KB 2T and you\'ll find a supplier or two.
A lot of fuel guages seem to pack up. Mine started acting up after I changed the fuel tank. Never have got to the bottom of it.

[Marcrs]

Regarding the fuel gauge, check the following:
 
Is the sender actually connected.... are the connections clean and making good contact....short out the sender and check the gauge is working.

 
I am going to sound sooooo dumb here, sorry (maybe it\'s too much chocolate...)
How do you mean short the sender? two wires that go to it, short them together, gauge should show maximum? something like that? Can I access the sender unit from inside the car, or is it a tank out job?
 
When you\'ve stopped laughing at this post, feel free to point out my stupidness :Hammer
 
 
Is it a hard job to get the fuel tank out? I was considering getting it out and having a good look at it, there is quite a prominent smell of petrol, and I\'ve seen that they can rust at the top etc - last thing I want to do is fill it up...and pour most of it down the road...:2Confused
 
My 323f GT had a hole in the filler pipe, and that smelt about the same...
 
 
 
I like the idea of a premix...takes me back to my 2 stroke motorbike days :o ...and sounds like a good preventative measure

[Ian65]

How do you mean short the sender? two wires that go to it, short them together, gauge should show maximum? something like that? Can I access the sender unit from inside the car, or is it a tank out job?
 
 
Is it a hard job to get the fuel tank out? I was considering getting it out and having a good look at it, there is quite a prominent smell of petrol, and I\'ve seen that they can rust at the top etc - last thing I want to do is fill it up...and pour most of it down the road...

Yeah, the connector plug for the sender can be reached from under the car without dropping the tank. Behind the n/s/r wheel is a black plastic tank shield. reach up between the shield and the tank from under the car and you will feel the wire and then the connector where it plugs onto the sender unit.
Unplug it and then link the 2 wires together in the plug. The gauge should read full with the ignition on.

To remove the sender from the tank, it\'s a tank out job. If you can smell petrol though, I\'d drop the tank asap and have a good look at it.
It\'s a pretty simple job to get the tank out...4 x 14mm bolts... there\'s a good thread on it here...

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=857894&highlight=gas+gauge


Most 1st gen tanks are now 24 yrs + old and they rust across their tops, out of sight.



The fuel will leak out of here if you fill the tank and the fumes will escape at all other times. The rust then gets into the fuel lines and causes havoc.

When you drop the tank, there are 3 rubber pipes that connect to the top of it. Lower the tank but before you disconnect them, label them up so you know which one goes where.

If you can smell fuel, theres a good chance that the tank is rusted through and the float arm on the sender could be rusted into position as well.