Hey Guys, Newbie (hopeful) Rx-7 owner here.

I’m looking at buying an ’85 Rx-7 GSL. 12A engine, 5spd


It’s been sitting for 2 years.


When I went to look at it, the first few times it started up okay if you feather the gas as you’re cranking.

Manual Choke is seized (just a tiny bit open).

Sound good and seem to run okay when it gets going, but it will not idle at all. As soon as you back off the gas it dies.

After running it for a bit I went to start it again and it wouldn’t run. Cranks fine but won’t catch. Poured a bit of gas down the carb and it would fire up and then die once it burned that bit of gas off.

Any idea what could be wrong?

How easy are these engines to work on? I’m pretty good mechanically, but I’ve always been into 4x4s, so I don’t have any experience with the Mazda Rotaries.

He only wants $400 (Canadian) for it, so I’m thinking of buying it.

The clutch master is completely toast (or so he says) and the clutch pedal is right at the floor, so I couldn’t test drive it.


I’m hoping this will be an easy fix. I’m not planning on doing anything serious with this car; I just want a reliable fun car that I can daily drive while I build up my truck for hardcore 4x4ing.

Thanks in advance

-Aaron

 

they are very simple cars, with an open mind you can learn all about them... I started not knowing anything about them and now I know a ton more, your best friend is this website trust me... For the idle problem there would be some problem solving involved, you have to do a full tune up (plugs, wire, distributor cap, rotor, fuel filter, etc etc) then from there set the timing and play with the idle adjustment screw (hidden deep behind the rats nest on the top of the engine (drivers side)) $400 dollars cad sounds like a pretty good price what kind of condition is it in and for the clutch master cylinder get a victoria british catalouge and order from them... The catalouge is free and has all kinds of stuff for rx7's in it... These are very exciting cars once you get them running right, although it takes time for a small hp engine they sure pack a punch...

 

1.well ok if the choke is seized closed it could be running rich when warm

2. From sitting the filter is prolly plugged up, causing hard starting after gettin the little amount our from running

3. Vacuum lines could be cracked, check for leaks.

4. wankels flood easily.

Thats good enough starting point for now.

Just make sure the car is getting gas. pull the plugs to see if they're gas soaked as well.

Easy to work on? definately, sometimes tricky since they're a breed all their own but easy to pick up the neat little tricks about these cars.

Good luck and welcome.

 

oh and the best policy to follow is troubleshoot the easy and cheap stuff first.

 

Thanks Dan

The body is is a little rusty, but no dents or anything. A good cleaning and it should look alright.

Here's some pics

 

One more

 

Thanks. Sounds like pretty simple stuff to trouble shoot.

 

Any good resources for the 12A? I checked the FAQ, but it seems to be mostly geared towards the 13B

BTW, awesome site you guys got here. Lots of good info and helpful people

 

Anyone else got any ideas?


I've got a couple hours left to make my decision

 

what else do you wanna know?

 

oh, check behind the storage bins for rust. just behind the seats in those bin thingies.

 

I poked around underneath the body there and its pretty rusty. Is this something structural or just cosmetic (ie water will get in my storage bins)?


Also, how hard is it to change the clutch? does the engine need to be removed? or just the tranny dropped?

 

tranny dropped, not too hard to do if your at all mechanically inclined. well it can be structural depending on how severe and the location. My car doesn't have it, wait for someone who knows more about it to chime in.

 

the storage bins are a common place to rust right though, they are annoying to fix, some say that shows truly how the car been treated but most of these cars are old enough there is some rust there.. The clutch isn't too hard to change, you can do it without removing the engine just removing the tranny. The best way to find out alot about the 12a is just reading past threads, tons of valuable information and you can learn anything you want and more... Good luck

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'm going to go ahead and buy this thing.

 

be prepared to fall in love and abandon the 4x4 project

 

haha -- No way I'll ever abandon 4x4s. Unless this rx-7 has some magic flying powers and can get me way off into the bush to go camping

Here's a couple pics of my Truck that I just sold to give you an idea what I'm coming from. This Rx-7 is just going to be my daily driver so i can build up and even bigger 4x4

 

just wait you'll see

 

Haha agreed, the rx7 is such a great car to modify, its very satisfying for some reason... Although it ain't much of a camping car its one hell of a weekend track warrior... And its a great car for cruising and in town driving. All around its a really good car.

 

Or you can have it all like me.
88.5 Suzuki Samuri, with 12A Rotary power, 2.5" header and ratnest removed. 12" frame extention and front clip removed. Dana 44 wagoneer axles front and rear with 4.11 gears. Stock RX7 transmission. Elderbrock muffler. 4 Wheel disc brakes, Jeep front flares on the rear. RX7 seats, Chevy tilt steering, GM power steering and ford steering box. Jeep YJ leaf springs, Chevy 4X4 ralley wheels and 33 inch mud tires.

 

Sounds like a sweet rig. Got any pics of it?