mazdamadness7

I'm going to get a FD. I've been looking at many sports/weekend cars and none other than the FD have caught my eye for so long... something to drive other than the damn Altima and Land Cruiser.

I'm going to get one within the month, and I know plenty about them, about their engines, problems, and everything else... it's just I've never worked on cars before.

I have turned into a rabid FD enthusiast over the past 4 months, reading the boards on this site every day, reading Rob's site, downloading manuals, all of this. I know much about them as of now, but I feel it won't be enough. **** I don't even know how to change the oil.

I don't want a shop to be doing the work on my car. I want to do it on my own, I just don't think it'd be as fulfulling otherwise.

What I'd really like to know is how those people who have just bought their FD within a year's time... and from first purchasing the car and knowing zilch, to learning how to rebuild the engine within that time frame up to this day.

How do you do it? How did you learn?

If I could get some experiences and first hand advice I'd be very greatful. And please, if you're just going to say "Don't buy it.", just don't post. I'm willing to learn as much as I can to be independent as far as labor.

Thanks,

Richard

skunks

its pretty easy to do everything on this car, especially if you ahve alreayd dled all the manuals, the really crappy part is having a 10 year old car with bolts which may have rusted/frozen on or plastic parts which are very brittle due to heat cycling/extreme heat. just learn from experience.

P.S. to change oil, just take out plug, put plug back in, change/twist off old oil filter and put a new one on and refill oil, 4.5 quarts. very easy, kinda like like refilling a soda bottle with beer (i know you have all done this in school haha)

RonKMiller

I applaud your idea to free yourself from the grips of larcenous and greedy so called "professional" rotary mechanics. The amount of money you'll save will be staggering - enough to buy the almost endless list of OEM parts you'll need to keep your FD3S running in top shape!

I would recommend buying a few books - yes, books - that will teach you basic wrenching and study them.
Better yet, your local community college may have an auto mechanics course which would not only be informative but fun. If you play your cards right you might be able to get the instructor to take on your car as a class project since it is so unique.

There is a HUGE demand for qualified mechanics these days, and that will only drive up labor prices. We'll see top qualified independent mechanics making $100 to $140 an hour in a few more years.

You'll soon find out that the FD3S is a VERY difficult car to work on due to the amount of stuff the engineers crammed in a small space and the mechanical complexity of the systems. To give you an idea, it takes all day to fix a leaky oil pan gasket. A job which I can do on my old Chevy truck in an hour.

fedupfd3

iTrader: (1)

Best thing would be get together with some people in your area. Find out when they are working on their cars or have a car day at your place and invite them, with the understanding that you need help working on the car. As for where most of us learned how to work on cars, I would say we started in are early teens or earlier with dad, friends, brothers, auto shop and good old fashion school of hard knocks.

SleepR1

I've had my FD3S R1 for going on 9 years. It was only in the past year (2003), that I've started doing my own diagnosis (mostly sequential turbo control), minor repairs, and routine maintenance myself. There are no shops in town that will do the work to my satisfaction, and I HATE paying good money for work, that wasn't done right the first time.

Bought a '93 Rx7 Shop manual (available @ Mazdatrix or Mazdaformance).

Started small and worked upward in complexity--oil changes, spark plug changes, tranny/diff fluid changes; brakes (pad changes, hydraulic fluid changes); turbo control diagnosis (replaceing solenoids, actuators, vacuum chambers, etc).

As RonKMiller pointed out, and as skunks over-simplified, working on the FD3S is NOT like driving through Nevada with miles of straight road @ 120 mph--it's more like driving a winding narrow road, down the mountain side @ a 60-mph average speed LOL Invariably there will be several items you'll need to disassemble to get @ the part you need to replace. If you do it wrong, you'll have to disassemble, get @ the part, and reassemble...absolutely frustrating.

Bottomline. Arm yourself with the right tools and resources. Get the right parts. Set aside weekends to do the work. Just do it. Only through experience, will you get comfortable working on the FD3S Rx7.

Good luck!

DaedelGT

I started out thinking I was going to take it to mechanics, but at this point I'm changing the clutch, I've redone the vacuum system, torn apart most of the accessories on the engine, diagnosed my suspension problems, etc. I think the main key is to not need the car, because some things take a lot longer than they might seem to.

fd3virgin

I bought mine a year ago. had a problem took it to the dealer. they tried to rip me off and scratched up my baby. eversince i did all the work my self. changed the turbos, went full non-seq, installed coilovers,installed rad, 1300 cc injectors, smic, rad, steering wheel, c's short shifter and little things here and there. but for the single turbo project i let reactive racing do it and I wan't disappointed. I didn't want to hook up something wrong and blow it up.lol next i have a brake project coming up with polishing also. it will keep me busy for a while.....at least the polishing. kvn

Larz

Trust nobody.

JONSKI

I was in the same boat as you. I had never done an oil change before I got started working under the hood (FPD replace and simplification). I was lucky to find a fellow enthusiast, Mindphrame, who showed me the ins and outs.

Trust me, it can be done.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

I think the first step is to start with a working car. I have a little auto maintenance experience and a mechanical background, but I knew better than to take on a 'project' car. Taking care of a 10 year old car in excellent condition is plenty to occupy a beginner mechanic. It's better to stay busy keeping a good car in excellent condition than trying to keep a beat car in driveable condition. It's also much, much better to have a daily driver to take the pressure off your FD work.

Look at several, take them for test drives, get to know the feel/sound/smell of an FD. Only with time behind the wheel will its impressive power and looks step aside to let you see each car's imperfections (so you don't get ripped off).

The second step, IMO should be to buy a print copy of the FSM. I was impressed by how readable and clear it was, even for simple things like oil changes and checks. Also budget about $500 for tools to do the work.

Jack / 4 jackstands: $150
Metric Socket set: $100
Breaker bar, deadblow hammer, penetrating oil: $35
...

Then I wrote down the list of things that I presumed needed done, did my research, and went through them one by one, one weekend each. First, I changed the air filter. Then, I changed the oil. Spark plugs/wires. Then the fuel filter. Downpipe install. Nothing wrong with taking your time, stopping to think/inspect/look/websearch when you encounter the slightest obstacle. The answers are almost always which tool, what order, and which angle to approach a task, not where to hit it, how few parts you can get away with removing, etc. In the process of these maintenance items you'll get your hands in/on many parts of the engine and car.

Just keep pecking away at it. If I had to rebuild an engine now I could, given enough time. My next project is a tranny drop for seal/bearing replacements. I may also do a full repaint with the help of a Corvette collector using his homemade booth and tools.

It can be done, just don't hurry or tempt yourself with shortcuts.

Dave

mazdamadness7

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll start looking around for a FD this week. And as SleepR1 said, I am definitely going to get a shop manual.

And to RonKMiller - What kind of "basic wrenching" books should I be looking for? I've seen some books such as "XXX for Dummies" is that what you're talking about? If so I think I've seen them before as far as cars, but I never knew if they were helpful or not.

Thanks again everyone!

Richard

Kento

This is the most important aspect, IMO. Take a good look at the FSM, the job, and surrounding components before you start wrenching. Because literally all unused space on the FD has been kept to an absolute minimum in an effort to keep the car small and light, a majority of the even the most simple sounding jobs will require you to remove several components before you can actually work on the intended one. Patience is required in large amounts when working on the FD; especially since it's a 10-year-old car, with many components brittle or near-seized from age.

scratchjunkie

you just need the right tools to get the job done. i would suggest making friends with someone that knows how to mess with these cars and teach you the ropes will make the learning curve easier. theres a lot of tricks to get hoses off and electrical connectors and of course the order at which things come off.

SNracing

doing the work yourself will save you tons of money, and you will learn about the car alot faster. i think you will be happy with an fd. and what ever project you are working on, someone on here has the answer to help you when your in need. i think this site is better than any book you could by, and any question you have can, or already has been answered here. good luck

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Richard,

A lot of good people have given you valuable advice about working on your car. Keep it in mind once you get started.

My advice ....... Do not expect to find the right FD within a month. Give yourself plenty of time. Look at a lot of cars. Many of us took 6 months or longer to find the right car. It was 6 months and 1000 miles away to find mine. If you rush in, and don't get the right car, you will be sorry. Your bank account will be sorry too.

clayne

I'm with scratchjunkie on this: tools make a huge difference.

The right extensions in the right drive sizes. A huge variety of socket depths and box end wrenches.

I have had jobs take 3 times as long because of not having the best tool for the job.

Mix that in with healthy ingenuity and experience and you can go a long way.

JONSKI

adam c has a good point. Make sure you get the car you want (i.e. transmission, year, trim, etc.).

RonKMiller

I really can't recommend any, but I am sure you will find tons of good stuff. Start from the beginning and work your way toward more knowledge. You need to know basic stuff. You'll also need to INVEST in good quality
metric tools and Sears is the place to start.

Baby steps. Worth every minute in personal satisfaction and huge amounts of money saved.

I am so damn proud of the excellent advice everyone has given you so far... forum members: give yourself a well deserved pat on the back!

And if anyone even THINKS of flaming this guy you'll have to deal with ME.

GO FOR IT! (but have a daily driver....)

poss

iTrader: (5)

Pretty good advice so far.

Start off slow, then work your way up to more complex jobs.

IMO, working on the FD is no different than working on any other car. Sure the parts are different, but the basic concepts, required skills, and processes are the same.

I love working on the FD. There is such a sense of accomplisment when you can tear the engine out, do this and that, and then have everything work when it gets back together.
When I first got my FD, I paid to have a new clutch put in it. Labor was around $350...I am kicking myself now because it a relatively painless job, I just didn't know any better.

Unfortunately, many people I know think that it breaks down all the time because I work on it so much.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

It may be worth clarifying: I didn't require a weekend to change the air filter. It's just that you shouldn't spend an entire weekend on your first time under the hood.

And another suggestion: get a nice low profile jack and some ramps so you can lift this car the right way. This car isn't the easiest thing to get on stands. (Which is by the diff pumpkin in back, and the crossmember b/t the axles in front). It may seem a little nuts spending $300 for a stinkin jack just to change the oil, but trust me it will save you a lot of time and frustration. There are some good threads on jacks and ramps and jacking in this forum. You'll be much safer and happier if you can put the car up on 4 stands with 2 clean, balanced lifts.

Dave

clayne

BTW: If you jack up the body about 2 inches (just unloading the suspension, not raising the car with the tires off the ground) via the jack-stand points and then lower the jack the car will not settle all the way back down - which allows you to move the jack inwards to the cross-member.

mazdamadness7

Wow, there is a lot of useful information in this thread! Thanks to everyone who contributed! Right now I'm setting aside my budget and I will start looking for a FD. I will take my time looking for one as Adam suggested, how ever long it may take.

Ron - I'm also going to take a trip to Sears on my next day off just to have a look at what tools they have available and what is necessary to keep the FD in good shape.

Dave - Will it be possible to do the work on the FD outdoors or on the driveway? Right now the garage is unavailable to me, there is a lot of clutter in there as I have lived in this house for less than two months. Is a garage a necessity?

Thanks again everyone, I'm very glad I got as many responses as I did, this will make owning and buying the FD as a novice much easier!

Richard

clayne

You *can* do the work outside. But trust me, just clean out the garage. It is so much nicer to work indoors during those times when the cold and/or wind makes you want to stop working on the car the second you start.

Also, working on the car outside at night SUCKS.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Clean up the garage. There will be times when you will not be able to finish what you are doing in one day. You wont want to leave the car "exposed" over night.

fastcarfreak

You may want to do the work on your car, but i dont think you will want to do all the work on it. There are just a few things that you will want the rotary specialists to do if you are not completely knowledgable of the car. Welcome to the rotary world and good luck with the car. Make sure you take your time and search for a car that you will be extremely happy with. Some people get into cars just cuz they want one and end up mad that they didnt wait for one with a different tranny, color, options. It took me 6 months of serious looking to find one that i thought was a good deal.