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I just bought an '85 GSL-SE. It's got 180k miles on it and is in much better shape than I thought it would be. The interior looked pretty grim in pictures and was very dirty when I picked it up, but it's cleaned up nicely. I'm not sure about all the mechanical parts yet. I did drive it home, so it is running and all the major things seem to be functioning. It's going to my mechanic on Wednesday to be inspected. I want to make sure it's safe. He will also give me a prioritized list of things that should be fixed.
There is no rust on the car. I checked in the rear deck, the storage bin area and all the normal rust spots. The paint is pretty good but does have some crazing on the hood. There is also a place in the rear next to the GSL-SE badge that had been dented. All the rubber trim in still on the car.
I bought it from a kid that only owned it for a year. He has an FC that he's modifying. He said he just couldn't do anything weird to the 85' because it seemed like it should be preserved. He got it from the original owner and he said her father was a Mazda mechanic. It certainly looks as though the car was well cared for most of its life. He said he would see if he could get in contact with the original owner and get more information about the car.
I'm trying to decide what I should do to the car. As in, how much should I try to keep it original. Do I get new seat covers or have the driver's seat repaired? Keep the original paint? Stuff like that.
I'm super excited to have another RX-7 in my life. And this will be the first time it wasn't my only car. So I have more time to take care of it.
Here are a bunch of pictures so you all can be excited with me.
The engine bay looks correct, meaning that nobody has done anything stupid under the hood. It even has the cruise control in place. Does everything seem to work properly? How does it run?
There's a ton of -SE specific information here at your disposal, and otherwise it looks to be in great shape. With 180k miles, you may be coming up on various suspension parts replacement more due to age than mileage. It might be good to make contact with the original owner to get a feel for what maintenance has been done to it.
Let us know what you find out, and keep that car on the road,
Yeah. I'm real happy with it. The kid I got it from replaced one of the coils and the fuel pump. It also idles really low and uneven when it's started even after the engine is warm. He bought a new TPS but didn't install it because he wasn't sure how to adjust it. Once it stops doing that, it idles fine at around 800rpm. So i'm not sure what to make of that. It's been so long since I've had one, I can't remember what is normal.
I hope I can find out if anything was ever done to the engine. The car has a lot of miles on it, but the engine seems fine. It starts hot or cold and only blows a little smoke when it is first started. Which I think is normal? I'll update this with anything the mechanic finds out.
The engine bay looks correct, meaning that nobody has done anything stupid under the hood. It even has the cruise control in place. Does everything seem to work properly? How does it run?
I haven't checked everything yet. It was kind of stressful getting it home. The right rear caliper is grabby and clunky and if you push on the brakes too hard it pulls hard to the left. I didn't go over 40mph on the drive home because I have no idea how safe the car is. The engine seems to run fine. There was some exciting smoke from under the hood. But it went away and I couldn't find the source. Hopefully that was just something leaking onto the exhaust.
There is a bit of chatter in the shifter that goes away if I put some pressure on it. But that's not constant. The rear wiper has a leak so I'm sure that's not working properly. I'll have a friend of mine look the electronics over. The clutch seems fine. You have to push the pedal in pretty far though. Is that adjustable?
Originally Posted by LongDuck
There's a ton of -SE specific information here at your disposal, and otherwise it looks to be in great shape. With 180k miles, you may be coming up on various suspension parts replacement more due to age than mileage. It might be good to make contact with the original owner to get a feel for what maintenance has been done to it.
Yes. The suspension feels pretty iffy. The tires are a bit dry rotted but the tread is good and has even wear. I'll get those replaced and have it aligned. The mechanic is going to look all that over too.
Originally Posted by LongDuck
Let us know what you find out, and keep that car on the road,
Yep. That's my plan. Just to keep it in good shape and drive it when it's nice out.
But I also want it to look nice. I'm debating having it painted or trying to polish out the original paint. After it's mechanically sound, I'll take it to the body shop and see what they can do. There is also a place that does interior work near me. I'll see what they can do with the seats. And the steering wheel.
I tried to get some picture of the underside of the car while I was trying to find the source of some smoke/burning. The car is very low and I don't have a way of raising it yet. So here is the best I could do. There is some oil on and around the oil pan but nothing dripping. And the oil level is fine. Maybe it needs a new gasket? I don't know. The rubber bits in the suspension look like they are done which is to be expected. I'm fighting the urge to clean the engine bay and what not because I want any evidence of leaks to be there when the mechanic goes over it.
Looks like someone's been at trans drainplug with vice grips or pipewrench. With the noise you're talking about,have your guy drain the gearbox into a pan and inspect contents. Recommend you change all other fluids as well.
Wacky idle problem you're talking about could be a crudded up throttle body,with 180k,should have been serviced several times already. Test TPS that's in place,like all the FI components they're very reliable,maybe a video of car running during the period where it runs like that and when warmed and idling ok. 800rpm is the warm idle spec.
Before diving in and trying to diagnose cause,make sure all maintenance parts are in good condition: wires,plugs,air filter(look in airbox,airflow meter for any signs of critters making a home),remove fuel filter and tap on paper towel to see what kind of contaminants(rust) comes out-install a new filter.
Brakes sound like sticking,dragging,partially seized calipers could be the cause. Start by changing brake fluid,again monitor what comes out. Best to go thru brake system front to back,overhauling the hydraulics,good pads and rotors.
Even in stock form without doing any upgrades the SE has very good brakes.
Cleaning up the Idle control valve might help with the starting issue. It may not be opening all the way.
Great starting point to do what you want with it. Freshen up the bushings, go through all the major systems (brakes, lines, hoses, fluids, shocks, etc) and you'll have a great driver. Or make some upgrades along the way and have some fun at the track or autocross.
Car is at the mechanic's now. He will look at it tomorrow. I'm interested to see what he finds when he goes through it. And I'm making notes of all the suggestions here. Thanks for the help.
Oh, and I checked the cruise control on the way there. It seems to work fine. Wipers seem a bit slow, like the windows. Hopefully replacement motors are available.
Window issues are likely due to the switches, not the motors. My wipers are slow too, one of these days I was going to pull it apart and see if I could lube the bushings.
Window issues are likely due to the switches, not the motors. My wipers are slow too, one of these days I was going to pull it apart and see if I could lube the bushings.
Interesting. Do the switches need be cleaned or replaced?
Thanks.
Have your mechanic check system voltage when car is running. One possibility is weak charge rate(alternator,resistance in wiring)weak battery.
Suggest a relay upgrade for power windows/switches. Would also inspect window channel run rubbers. As they age they get hard and gummy? and "hold" onto window as it travels up/down. Silicone sprayed into top/sides of window channel run and running window up/down several times will distribute it and ease the grabbiness of window channel rubber. If The stiction returns replace channel run. They are still available from Mazda. Pull the door panel and weatherseal and give regulator and slides a good cleaning and greasing,after 30+ years the grease is gone or has dried up adding more drag to the mechanism and slowing of window operation. Over time the increased amperage pulled thru circuit is what wears on switch contacts and wiring which could have been thicker gauge to start with. Address the aforementioned and certainly will see quicker window movement.
Regarding wiper speed,panel covering wiper motor/transmission can be removed to get access to wiper mechanism. Especially cars that spent most of their life outdoors,the wiper pivots tend to gather rust that slows wiper speed somewhat. They can be taken apart cleaned up and greased and will work as new. Be advised the wiper motor connector may disintegrate as you handle it,they don't age well.Exact replacement pieces are available from Eastern Beaver,google them. Nice, up front guy to deal with.
For what it's worth,i worked on,serviced these cars when they were new and wiper speed wasn't real fast when new on all Mazdas and imports at that time. People often compare these cars to what they drive every day and yes the wipers are slower than your modern car which has a more potent electrical system and much larger wiper motors,better wiper transmissions. It's necessary with the aero design of cars and tall windshields that necessitate wiper blades in excess of 26" and the drag that goes with it.
That is a lot of really good information, and certainly stuff I can do myself. I'm trying to leave all the safety-related things to the professionals for now. But I'll deal with the windows and wipers when I get the car back.
Pro-Tip: resist the urge to fiddle with the idle air circuit trying to adjust idle rpm. Even the FSM has the set procedure wrong, and most new owners start turning screws and manage to make it worse. The 800rpm idle you have now when warm is correct. The warm up circuit is engaged when you push the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, release it, THEN crank until it starts. This sets the fast idle cam and the engine will idle at about 2500rpm to 3000rpm for about 30s, then drop slightly to 2000rpm or so until warm. This is normal, and was designed to heat up the cats for emisssions efficiency and to get some heat into the radiator quickly.
I just heard back from the mechanic. Here are his recommendations:
Transmission, clutch, rear diff fluid service. Tighten belts.(they are in good shape) Change air filter. Change fuel filter. (he said it looked fine abut I said to just do it anyway) Service injectors. The brake issues are being caused by some torn boot on the axle. Sorry I can't remember exactly what he said about that. It's throwing fluid on the brakes. Whatever it is, they are going to fix that too.
He checked all the suspension bushings. Said they are old, but not terrible. I will have him order those. Some of them he said it would be good to upgrade to poly bushings.
There is no rust on the car. It has an undercoat. The transmission, starter, and steering parts have all been replaced. It also has new plugs, wires, cap and rotor.
The brake issues are being caused by some torn boot on the axle. Sorry I can't remember exactly what he said about that. It's throwing fluid on the brakes. Whatever it is, they are going to fix that too.
The only boot in the rear is the dust caps for the caliper. One is on the piston and the other on the guide pin. I bet he's talking about the axle seal. It's a round seal that fits into the rear end. It's not a boot but can cause rear end oil to get on the brakes. It's not a fun job changing the axle seal.
Yes. That's what it was. It was the most expensive thing they had to do. So, you're right, it must not be fun.
I think I'll go ahead and get new tires for it too. It needs to be aligned anyway.
Yes. That's what it was. It was the most expensive thing they had to do. So, you're right, it must not be fun.
I think I'll go ahead and get new tires for it too. It needs to be aligned anyway.
Most expensive job to replace a $2 seal. They have to tear the brakes off to do it so might as well replace the rear pads. The shouldn't charge labor and only the cost of the pads.
All of this stuff you have listed I would consider normal maintenance. I've been doing most of the same on my 1979.
Last edited by KansasCityREPU; 02-14-18 at 07:58 PM.
All of this stuff you have listed I would consider normal maintenance. I've been doing most of the same on my 1979.
That's what I thought too. And it certainly seems like someone was taking good care of the car for most of its life. I'm not sure why the steering stuff would have been replaced. Does that just wear out?
02-12-18, 05:14 PM
