berfles

I shouldn't say I know nothing, but I sure wouldn't be able to do any in depth repairs on what some would say is easy. I've been reading the stickies in this forum for about a week, getting to know what to look for in a 3rd gen RX-7 and what needs replacing from the get go, but I guess I'm just wondering if it's possible to be book smart and still have a reliable car without having mechanical experience. I've loved these cars since as far as I can remember but I don't want to finally get one if I can't maintain it. I know the basics likke how to change the oil and other fluids.

I do know people who are good with cars, my dad is one, but none of them have ever worked with rotaries.

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I was going to post it in the Lounge but came here instead.

rx slim

If you're not afraid to learn, don't shy away from the car because of its reputation. The forum is a great place to learn. . .but be aware that you (or an expensive rotary shop) will be spending time working on the car in the future. . .there's no way around it.

berfles

Yeah, I'm not afraid to learn if it means I'll be able to own this car. While my friends went to technical school for automotive in High School I was going for computers and still am in college. I basically taught myself everything I know about computers, so hopefully I can do the same with cars.

I'm just afraid of trying to do something and screwing it up, then spending tons of money to replace the part. That's why I never learned how to work on cars by myself yet and why I was hoping being book smart would get me started.

The good thing is there is a fairly good rotary shop around me that could get me out of trouble if I ever get into it, so long as my pockets are deep enough.

KeloidJonesJr.

iTrader: (8)

Cop a manual.

berfles

I've been looking at the tech manual topic in this forum, will that do or do you mean one of the published ones?

Basically if I follow the post by jimlab here: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...threadid=27094

and I replace those parts, add the others, and just make sure I pay attention to what's going on, it doesn't seem like I'll have many huge problems unless it's just bad luck, granted the car is in good shape to begin with, right?

EndlessCorners

iTrader: (4)

I didn't really get into cars until my senior year of high school, before then I was all computers. The only mental skills that carried over were being methodical and paying attention to details.

My recommendation is to bite off a smaller chunk and get an easier car to start working on. As you work on cars you figure out techniques to get at hard to reach stuff, everything on an FD is hard to reach.

As homosexual as they are, Miata's are pretty good to learn wrenching and driving on. If you drive on that has some light tuning it feels like a mini FD, with half the power, braking and cornering force. Just something to consider...

viper_u27

yeah, but why get something youre not going to be happy with...well at least i wouldnt be with a miata. i think the broad majority of us that have this car have gone through a learning process. experience is a great learning mechanism...

the only thing i could tell you is dont be cheap and try to cut corners...if youre going to do something as a mod, do it right. i think youll be fine.

my .02

HKNY

iTrader: (2)

personally i would not own an FD or a similar car if i didnt learn with 5 or 6 other cars before my FD. There are easier cars to learn on than the FD. Labor costs add up very fast so make sure you know what your getting in to before hand. That being said if you really want one go for it, but you cant say nobody told you otherwise.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

I wouldn't recommend an FD to anyone still in school.

Graduate, get a job, then think about a cool car like an FD.

berfles

I am graduating from college this year, and will only buy an RX-7 when I get a career that pays well enough to support the initial cost as well as maintenance.

I have a 91 Ford Probe right now that runs great, so I have some experience with cars, just not rotaries and not enough that I'd be able to work on it alone.

dubulup

the FD is nothing but a toy.

I agree with this statement

Buzzardsluck

Thats the most useful post I think Ive ever seen you make.


When I bought mine I knew NOTHING about cars and intended to learn about cars working on the FD, the knowledge of this forum is the reason I bought the FD. I will say without the help of my now good friend, fixing the FD would of taken much longer. After pulling and reinstalling the engine and a few other things I feel pretty compentent in working on my car without fear.

I remember when I installed the boost gauge by myself (first mod I did) I was really worried about messing something up .

rynberg

I knew little about actually working on cars when I first bought my FD. IMO, there is nothing wrong with this IF, you have a good local shop and can afford to pay them to fix things when they go wrong.

I can tell you one thing that is pretty much a dirty little secret here: a percentage of owners here work on their cars who shouldn't....I'm not going to list the percentage I think it is, as I would probably be tarred and feathered. IMO, there is nothing wrong with taking the car to an expert if all you are going to do is half-*** something.

berfles

Yeah, from what I hear this shop is pretty good and only works with rotaries. My sister's husband is a Honda nut and tunes his car all the time and I guess he knows the guy or something.

My dad went to school for auto related things and worked on the old muscle cars when he was younger. I'm sure between the three of us we can do most things, but yeah, if things go wrong I'll make sure I have money saved up to take it somewhere.

ferragame

iTrader: (1)

Where are you located in PA? I'm in Reading and would be glad to help you out with at least the basics. Depending on location, KD Rotary is a great shop and is located in PA. But then again, Dave's waiting list at KD for any major work is I think Aug - Nov now.

rynberg

Basic things are just like any other car pretty much -- suspension, brakes, cooling system. It is only the engine and turbo control system that are different and potentially complex to work on.

berfles

That's what I was hoping. I think I'd be ok, if something engine related or turbo related goes wrong I'll take it somewhere, anything else we can do I'm sure. I also don't want to cut any corners with the car itself either so I'll have a reasonably high price that I'm willing to pay. I should be able to get a good starter.

Thanks for the opinions, I'll keep reading around the forum. That's how I taught computers to myself so maybe this'll stick with me as well.

BlouZbee

iTrader: (7)

im located in PA as well, (just north of reading BTW ferragame)

i also taught myself to work on PCs and i now make a living at it. the FD was my first project car, i had no prior car experience and ive done every reliability mod by myself with just the FSM and this great forum. at first i was nervous just doing a coolant flush, but tonight i finished up tracking down a coolant leak(i think) from my Fluidyne install along with every coolant hose under the hood. If you can teach yourself to work on PCs then u can teach yourself to work on your FD. keep your probe as a DD and buy your FD stock.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

I knew little but now I can do quite a bit on my own. Start with little stuff like changing the air filter, oil change, spark plugs. Do some reading on each one first, including the factory service manual.

Then go about it, and if you have experienced people nearby that's a huge help since you can ask them if what you're facing is normal. And you can search the forum for more specifics as you go - when I'm elbows deep in a job I do find myself taking a break and going in to read what's in the forum archives.

As long as you start with a car in good running condition, and have a good mechanic and money to fall back on, you can learn as you go safely.

Dave

berfles

That's good to hear. Hopefully I'll land a nice PC related job and have plenty of cash to throw around since I plan on living at home for a little while yet and have no girlfriend to spend it on :p I'm near Allentown, by the way.

But yeah, I'll definitely keep the Probe as my beater, provided it still runs once I get my 7. It has about 93k miles on it right now and nothing major wrong so we'll see.

I can do air filters and oil and plug type stuff, so I guess that means I can start out with slightly more challenging things.

I just realized ferragame posted in this thread before he PMed me, but it's good to know there's a shop that good around my dinky little town. I have more confidence now, thanks guys.

Buzzardsluck

I dont think the percentage is above 40%. It obvious who shouldnt be working on their own car by how many threads they start and lack of learning they exhibit.

Your a adim now ?

DomFD

lol damn...been saving for two years..now a senior in high school got me my FD !!! WISH ME LUCK fellas!!!( lol i was fully aware of what happens to these cars... love them tho...)

plus you do things the right way they will last

trickshot

You are in great luck. You are located near the best FD mechanic on the east coast, Dave at KD Rotary. He can service the car for you. Read the info in this forum, go to him with your car, and you're all set.

You should also have him do a pre-purchase inspection, if possible. Drive up to see his shop (near Allentown.) You'll be impressed.

I think the website is www.kdrotary.com

trickshot

^ oops. Sorry, quoted the wrong poster. Anyway berfles says he's located in PA, so he shouldn't be too far from KD Rotary, so the comments still apply. Owners from all over the East go to KD.

berfles

Yeah, ferragame mentioned it too I never thought about taking the car I'm looking at to him to see if he can take a look and let me know if it's any good... Sounds like he'd be too busy for that though.

I still can't believe such a shop is located near me. There is usually nothing good for anything around this part of the state, it seems like everything is way west of here.