Inspector71

I've got the sports car blues and hope to fix it next week. I bought my first sports car in 79, a 79 GS and since then had 5 more including one gen II (86). In 2009 I bought a red Nissan 370Z. I traded it in December of 2014 due to a clutch slave cylinder problem the dealer and Nissan would not address even though the problem started before warranties expired. I traded it in on a Dodge Challenger RT. Black, red stripes, loaded to the gills, 20K miles, Hemi, and fast. What's not to like? Well, I'm more of a sports car guy than I ever thought. I feel like a captain piloting a barge down the Mississippi River. Everyone loves it but me. As soon as I can afford to, I'm selling or trading it. In the meantime, I bought an 84 SE from a forum member. Car is in great shape with a rebuilt Atkins motor. It is stored at a friend's place. Next Monday I am going up to put in a new radiator, water pump, oil pan gasket, coils, plugs, plug wires, rotor, distributor cap, and a few other deals. Soon it will be registered and home. I hope this helps to cure the sports car blues. I plan to leave the Dodge in the garage and drive the Rx7. It will be my 6th and I don't plan to sell it. If you really love your little sports car, and think you need to sell it, think long and hard about it. I wish I had. I made a big mistake.

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

This is the type of post I like to read. But of course I already knew the answer, and it's to not sell them. The 7, that is.

plentymoon

I had thought about Selling once got offered enough I could have and bought another 2nd gen but turns out I love this first gen more then I did the 2nd gen I use to have.

glad to hear your getting another one life is boring not driving a sports car wish my wife understood that. xDD

any who good luck and have fun with that new beast of yours!~

Inspector71

Red 1979 Rx7 bought new: girlfriend of 3 years made me get rid of it and then she
got rid of me

Ran off to California (for me, another really stupid idea)

1980 Gold Rx7 City job, failing the training period, told I was going to be fired, sold car and then survived the training. car was gone

1979 Silver GS Good car. Traded for a black 83 GSL

sold 83 for an 86. Should have kept the 83. I loved that car.

Traded 86 and my Nissan Pathfinder in on a 2009 370Z. Should have kept the 86
Traded 370 on Challenger...still didn't learn my lesson

I have an 84 SE.......not for sale ever. I have learned. Keep your sportscars

plentymoon

yeah I know what your saying I almost bought a miata to replace the rex as a daily but good man Jeff20B convinced me otherwise my rebuild as been a nice long first time. (Like my first date).

tallbozo

iTrader: (5)

I sold my 1st because I didn't know if I would have room for a 3rd car. I could only stand 2 years without one (even though I'm rebuilding it) but it's worth sacrificing for.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

RX-7s are like old girlfriends, they stay forever the same in our memories.

And if you can figure out how to hold on to them and keep up the maintenance, they just keep getting better and better.

Ask Robert, he has a white 79 SA he bought new, now 35 years later it's one of the finest specimens east of the Mississippi.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

Just like marshall tucker band's song, it will make you do things above and beyond

plentymoon

If rx7s are like old girlfriends that explains my 2nd gens attitude towards flooding and only firing up when it felt like it. Only other girlfriend I had was pretty much like that rude and always leaving me hangin.

This first gen Quirky but mean at Times never leaves me hangin but a little love and she always loves you back which is why I want to get back with her so much almost done with my build just need the rotor build kit and bam slap that ole girl together again then start some lessons on carb tuning

Inspector71

Getting radiator out took longer than we expected. Had to fight with the fan shroud, fan, take all the belts and pulleys off. Whew. Brown Amazon river water came out of the old radiator. The old one is fine, just needs cleaned. We put in the new radiator, changed the thermostat, media blasted and replaced the thermostat housing unit, replaced the bottom radiator hose (cracked but not leaking) replaced the water pump, and that was it. The car has no air pump so, I was wondering, did that have anything to do with the air return hose we found mounted on the right fender under everything? It went to nothing and had a plastic bulb(?) and a canister attached to it. We took it out. Next, the oil pan gasket, inner tie rods, then we are putting in the new red MSD coils, distributor cap, rotor, red Taylor plug wires, and NGK plugs. Later this summer, the paint job....

Any answers to what we found in the above would be greatly appreciate. I am on early (Easter) vacation at school so I might not get back until Thursday night to this forum.

Inspector71

Dropped the oil pan and found it had no gasket, only that forma-gasket stuff. In addition, two oil pan bolts, side by side, on the right rear had broken off in the block. No leak there though. After cleaning the pan and bottom of the engine, used silicon and a MazdaTrix gasket, put it all back together. Ran into one problem. There is a brass piece that screws into the side of the pan above the oil level sensor deal with the three bolts. The wire broke off the thing-a-ma-jig and I can't fix that. What is this part? I looked in my Black Dragon catalogue and don't see it. It is brass and has a wire that leads up to another wire. The bottom piece is intact which is good as Black Dragon wants about $180 for it. Any help will be appreciated.
Finally, replaced coils, plugs, plug wires, rotor and cap. Runs great now. But, as it was idling, it would every so often suddenly drop real low and almost stall out. What causes that? Thanks for the help.

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

I think that brass thing is for the sub-zero fluid which had a TSB and deleted on many cars. You probably don't need to worry about it.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

I would suspect a vacuum leak, to rule out the brake booster I would plug the
line going to it and see if it still exhibits the symptom. If it disappears then the
brake booster or vacuum line to it are leaking.

Next I would start inspecting every vacuum hose attached to the carb. You may
need the FSM to go through them all if the rats nest is attached. Be wary that
removing vacuum lines from and old rats nest can sometimes lead to breaking
a vacuum switch or two. Be very gentle if you go this route.

Inspector71

I discovered the brass doo-hickey is the oil temperature sending unit. Can't find them for sale yet. At least the oil pressure deal is still there and working. They cost a lot to replace