In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Amen for the big stuff, but there are plenty of tiny holes where a toothpick is too big. I've never had any trouble poking with the wires and a little soak or spray cleaner. You'd have to really try to do harm with a poking probing force, you're not trying to file out the holes. If you doubt your mechanical empathy, don't do it. Ultrasonic cleaners are so cheap now, though, that may be the winning ticket.
In reply to BrianC72gt (Forum Supporter) :
One of the reasons I'm strongly leaning towards an ultrasonic cleaner is that this carb has a bunch of unobtanium parts in it that RB created specifically for the rotary applications. Gentlest possible cleaning method is likely what I want and need.
In reply to BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks! The video was a fun way to experience the skate.
Side note: your accent and hair length/color is shockingly similar to my cousin's who hails from and lives in northern Germany. Possibly close in age as well? He's 45. Seeing you in the video made me miss him. Haven't seen him in a few years.
In reply to clutchsmoke :
Thanks.
I'm a few years older than your cousin. I was born and grew up at the Southern end of Germany, but have a lot of family in the North. Never really had that much of a "Southern German" accent either, more a Northern German one.
Right, one of the issues I really need to address before I drive the car again is that the horn button tends to fly out of the steering wheel at just about every opportunity. The little hooks at the bottom of the three prongs that hold in the button are worn, and even gently heating up the plastic to bend the prongs a tad outward didn't help.
This nine hole steering wheel fitment seems to be fairly common, does anybody have a suggestion where to find a high quality replacement steering wheel or has a better idea on how to fix this horn button?
I bought a set of Ronal wheels and the previous owner told me that one of the center caps wouldn't stay on, so he used a little Fun-Tac and said it worked perfectly.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
Electrical tape or a zip tie applied to the horn button and then the wheel installed with the bolts.
9-holes is an odd arrangement. I wonder if another adapter could be used to allow a more common fitment?
Nine hole wheel mounting is Moto Lita brand, and their horn buttons are notorious for this failure. I would take the wheel off the adapter and drill 3) 1/16" holes perpendicular to the column axis through the adapter and the horn push outer ring, and install 3 short roll pins or thread and use miniature grubb screws. Fussy job, but good permanent fix.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
This sounds like an interesting solution to the problem, but I'm a little confused as to what the purpose of the roll pins and grub screws is. Is that to given the prongs on the actual moving part of the horn something to hold on to?
In reply to BoxheadTim :
Basically yes. The screws/roll pins need to pass through slots in the tabs if the moving part is escaping the outer ring. If using screws they need to be loctited into the hub, an it is imperative than no Loctite contacts any plastic part, there is a chemical incompatability that causes the plastic to disintegrate pretty quick, so roll pins is the preference.
Never heard of these until this thread, neat little car!
Video to come, but with the BRZ finally out of the shop I was able to dig out the Rollerskate, take care of the long overdue oil change and check it over to get it ready for inspection.
Replaced the horn button with a large Moto Lita one - the original Maxton one is a tad bigger, but the Moto Lita one fits well into the hub so it looks like it should've been there. A smaller adapter wire, and we have a working horn without it going SPROING every time I hit the horn and the button flies off...
I might also have figured out the brake judder. The front wheel bearings had a little play in it, so I regreased them temporarily and adjusted the play out.
Definitely need to take it out for a spin and beat on it like it owes me money, because the idle was a little uneven and I hope this can be fixed with an Italian tuneup. Or a bridgeport 13B, of course.
Aaaaah, the sound of a rotary at full song...
Just came back from taking it for a spin. First time my wife rode in it as well, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Looks like everything is set for the inspection tomorrow, too, so we'll hopefully be legal for another year's worth of road use no matter what the day is (antique plates in WV restrict you to midday Friday to midday Monday use).
Brake judder is better but still present, so I better check the runout on the rotors. I suspect that the pads are also still the originals so maybe some semi-performance pads like R4s or similar might be a good idea anyway.
Right, time to see if I managed to get some half decent footage of me fettling the car. I really need to get better at checking the footage.
Good news, the Rollerskate now has a fresh inspection. Driving there and back unfortunately showed that I haven't fully solved the clutch problem. Either there is still some air in the system, or something else isn't quite right but either way the pedal dropped to the floor once and it still feels like the clutch doesn't fully separate. But hey, it's drivable and a gearbox from the 70s that just needs a bit more mechanical sympathy.
Forgot to mention - when hot starting it at the inspection station, the engine caught so quickly I barely could let go of the key in time. Based on past experience with rotaries, I think I've got a decent condition engine and hopefully will be able to keep it that way while feeding it good oil and a decent amount of Idemitsu premix.
It's been a while, but between the other projects and a battery that started setting fire to the charger, not much has happened with the Maxton.
I finally overcame my analysis paralysis when it came to batteries, went berk it and ordered a new one that should have enough oomph to crank it:
I leave it as an exercise for the reader to work out which of the two is the new battery 
.
I've also got the aluminum mount for it coming - allegedly, according to an Amazon seller - so I don't have the battery bouncing around the trunk like the one I took out.
Next steps, sort out the front brake pulsing, figure out where the issue with the speedo is (Internet sez, likely a bad speedo but repairable - need to confirm) and figure out why the clutch is playing up again and feels like it wants bleeding again.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
If it is using RX-7 hydraulics, the master cylinders seem to last about two years before they fail. From what I can figure, the bore rusts and this abrades the seal.
This is one place where an aluminum master would be superior, but I do not think there are any drop in replacements otherwise the RX-7 community would be flocking to it.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
It's using an SA/FB slave, but the master cylinder is a Girling that's part of the pedal assembly. I may have to take a closer look at the Girling master as it feels like something is letting air in there.
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