84RX7'nSTi

Hello, I'm new here

I have read the FAQ's and the 1st gen archive.

Over the weekend I purchased a 1984 RX7 GS 12A 5spd. The car was in incredible condition with only 85,000 miles and one owner. The car's exterior color is white with burgandy interior. Because the car was in such great condition I had to purchase it.

Here's the problem, I know practiacally nothing about the 1st gen RX7.

I am only looking for some helpful hints to get my ownership in the right direction. The car was inspected by a technician and I just before the purchase. The only negative things that were found are the following: needs rear shoes, brakes don't engage until the halfway point, no spare tire, fan clutch(marginal), poping speakers, needs wiperblades, and that's it.

I plan on using the RX7 as my daily driver and the '05 STi as the weekend car/trackcar. Or do I have that backwards?

I would like to know if there is any type of maintenance I should perform or any thing I need to do before I start to drive this car daily? Any help to point me in the right direction would be appreciated?

Mike

1985_RX-7

Do a tune up. Get some fix-a-flat, just in case. Welcome to the forums.

Mazda84GSLSE

iTrader: (1)

Mike, it's imperative that you change the oil every 3000 miles in a rotary car. Don't use any synthteic's except Royal Purple or Redline. If your gonna use a regular oil, use Castrol GTX. Make sure the spark plugs are good and that they are NGK's. Based on the mileage you are at, expect the exhaust to blow up soon. Rotary exhaust is much hotter than a poopy piston engine's exhaust. That's ll i really gotta say for right now. Oh yeah, sell the STi and get a 1995 FD RX-7, you knwo you want to! lol Jason

stilettoman

iTrader: (1)

You will get a lot of "expert opinions" on this forum, many of them from people who don't know much about cars. You have to read what people say, read between the lines, and make your own decisions about who to believe.

I have certainly owned more rotary powered cars than most folks on this forum, starting with an RX-4 in 1988. Before that I spent some time driving some NSU RO-80 sedans, the first production rotary in the early 1970s. I think it is fair to say that rotaries are less tolerant to lack of sufficient oil or coolant than most piston engines. Keep in mind that much more of the heat rejection in a rotary is through the oil, because of the difficulty of removing heat from the rotors. Your car has an oil/water heat exchanger, so that the oil is cooled by the radiator. This is the finned gismo on top of the engine that the filter attaches to. Earlier rotaries, and some later ones, had a separate oil cooler radiator.

I change the oil and filter in my cars every 4,000 miles, and use any good petroleum oil. With today's refining technology, there is not nearly the difference there once was between brands. The high price of synthetic oils is not justified unless you are racing, running the car extremely hard, or want to run longer between oil changes.

A 12a motor in an RX-7, with good maintenace and driven reasonably, can easily run to 150,000 miles or more. A GSL-SE, with direct oil injection into the chambers, can often run over 200,000 miles. On your car the oil metering pump injects oil into the carbs at high throttle settings. Beginning in 1986, the apex seals are reduced in thickness and are less likely to run for so long.

What is critical is that you change the coolant every year, or two at the most. The rotor housings are aluminum, and the flanges that separate the combustion area from the cooling passages are very thin. Once the coolant loses its anti-corrosion properties, these housings are very vulnerable to corrosion and can lead to failure. Be diligent about this, and hope the previous owners were also .

Some excellent, cheap insurance against coolant loss is to go to your local GM dealer and buy a package of the "coolant supplement" pills. Put a couple of these in your radiator every time you change the coolant. They will not clog up you cooling or cause any problems.

As for trading the WRX for a high tech later RX-7, that will ensure the 84 is your daily driver! Do some reading in the 3rd gen forum and you will get a good feeling for how reliable they are.

A few of the Mazda cars I have owned are shown in the 4 pages of this site:
www.cardomain.com/ride/646433

84RX7'nSTi

Thanks for the advise, keep them coming

I am planning on doing a tune up this week(the oil was just changed), air filter(k&n), spark plugs(NGK BR8EQ14), spark plug wires, fuel filter, coolant change , anything else?

I was thinking about purchasing some exhaust components from Racing Beat. I was interested in the "cat delete pipe" and their muffler. Any experiences with these products?

I don't want to take the RX7 too far. It is in such good shape, I would hate to make a mess of things. I am looking for good quality components that will compliment the car and make it go a little bit faster.

Any future car will have to be an addition to the STi.

Edit: Oh, I am a big fan of the 95 FD RX7! I would love to pick one up, eventually.

Mike

z-beater

Hey congrats on the purchase. I also ditto everything that stiletto man said. As far as RB goes it is a great product but often times really quiet. Good luck!

64mgb

iTrader: (1)

Wow! I found someone on here older than I am! Thanks for making me feel young stilettoman! You must work for Boeing, being an aero engineer and living in Washington.

Rich

d0 Luck

you have it backwards

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

i would think you have it backwards.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

thats crazy. this thread has been open all day and we just posted the same **** at the same time.

camocarl

iTrader: (5)

Yup, STI should be the daily, rx7 should be the track car!

84RX7'nSTi

The problem I have is that the STi performs sooooo well on the track! I traded in my '03 BRP supercharged Miata for the STi. The miata accelerated quicker from a roll than the STi, but on the track, STi's would run away from me? I could not take it, so I bought an STi. Now that I have experienced the STi on the track, I have a lot more respect for it and enjoy owning it even more(Subaru's tend to grow on you).

However, I love driving a rwd car! They tend to be more fun! Which is why I bought the RX7 when I came across it.

The '84 RX7 just needs a little bit more HP, but at the same time, I don't want to go overboard.

Mike

rotaryxperamental

Overboard??? What is that??? All I can say is have fun that is the easiest to do in an FB.

=Eric

mustang85GT

well one of these adds a little bit of power while adding reliability.

hey STi, do you happen to have a spare flame suit, cuz one isnt enough lol

84RX7'nSTi

^^^^

I like that!

Mike

z-beater

^^^ha that is right you will need more than one! I do respect the v8's but would keep an extra rotary around so that I could always say...hey I have a rotary!

I also agree sti's are great little cars and I understand why you want that on the track. It is hard to beat the adjustable diffs that are in the STi. I would never want a car that expensive on the track though.

84RX7'nSTi

^^^^^

That is the downside, accident = $$$$$!

But, I would never take out the rotary motor. I would just like mine to rev a little faster and accelerate a little better.

Mike

ray green

iTrader: (14)

How bout some photos? My newest 7 is a white one with the burgandy velor interior, a GSL with only 86,000 on it. I'm getting it ready for the daily commute to give the other 84GSL a break and I'm really liking the way it's shaping up, especially the white look. Here's what it looks like, before I started fixing it up:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/479957/15

Post some photos!

The cheapest, easiest power boost is to get a replacement pipe for the three cats and put this in when you feel like you need an extra boost. You can get a prefab plug in from bonez or racing beat that takes about an hour to put in, instant power and better gas mileage.

Welcome to the club!

Ray

84RX7'nSTi

I'll try to get some photos up, I need to borrow a digital camera from a friend.

Your car is almost identical to mine! From the pictures, unmolested, same color, same wheels, same interior, same break issues. What does the GSL have extra, mine is a GS?

I was looking into the Bonez and the Racing Beat pipes(RB recommended the header + silencer). If the car will get better gas mileage with a modification like this, its done.

Mike

rotarycrazy

iTrader: (8)

Nice to see that not every one is dising out the GS model. I have one its a 85 I cant really complain about it, but it does have rebuilt engine in it.
Maintenance wise:
1. Oil change every 3000 miles
2. Oil fill up every 1000 miles not more than a quart if it takes more than that you have a problem.
3. Spark plugs every 10K or beter.
4. Check your radiator level atleast once a week.

If you follow these things you will have nice daily driver. If you have mostly highway driving to work/school it gets preatty good gas mileage (mine gets 28mpg) For your fan I will recomend to get a electric one since the new cluch is outrageus plus an electric one will cool beter. i hope this helps if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

mjg80918

sounds good. but dont get the cat delete. i have one of those and i lost HP. i put my stock back on.

bliffle

I have 3 7s (all 1st gen FBs) and a REPU. Still have the 83GS I bought new in 83 and it's still my favorite.

Cooling system definetely requires constant observation. There's a 5/8 heater hose that runs under the 'beehive' oil cooler that rots from oil drippageand dumps all the coolant on the road. Happens about every 80,000 to 100,000 miles, so you might as well replace it now so you don't get stuck on the road. It's easiest to install the special warped up unit from mazdatrix.com, tho some of us have used hoses from Kragens. It's a bear to put in because of the connection right under the beehive.

The rotary is a lot like a 2-cycle engine, so many of us add a lube (either 2-cycle oil or Marvel Mystery Oil), usually about 8 to 10 oz per tankful, to the gas (and low octane, 87, is the best because of burning rate, don't use hi octane).

My Daily Driver is the 85GSL, which I kinda think of as my sedan because it has leather seats, AC, PS. Like you I was able to get it with low mileage, 49k and I'm up to 75k now.

I put Tokico Blue shocks (about $150 on eBay) on all cars and they are excellent. Much better than stock, but still comfortable ride (tho you might spill your tea more easily).

I replaced all 3 starters last week, which is weird, but easy and cheap ($80).

Good parts at low prices can be had from rockauto.com. Tires from tirerack.com. Specialty parts from mazdatrix.com. And your local junkyard usually has a few 7s.

Often the antenna is broken, and you can replace with the $60 import power antenna from Kragens, or , if you can find one, the $20 unit from radio Shack. There are instructions on this forum someplace on how to wire the power antenna so it always retracts when you shut off the ignition. It's a trial to put in the antenna, but it can be done, tho usually you gotta warp the mounting bracket.

I ordered a Sterling Carb (Sterling and rx7carl here on the forum rework the standard Nikki carb for better performance) and I'll put that on the DD and then see how it performs and whether it passes smog.

I've never had to replace an engine, yet, and my 83 with 120k is the smoothest running engine I've ever owned: you can't tell it's running at idle and it revs up ultra-smooth. Just keep adding lube at every fillup and don't let it overheat.

B

84RX7'nSTi

^^^^ Very cool, thanks for the info!

I will check that hose. I'm waiting to get all my parts so I can get to work this weekend. About the oil cooler mess, is there some other type of oiler cooler that might be more effecient and provide a better location?

All in all, this thing runs great. I looks to be getting about 28mpg. I wish I would of known about the hole 87 octane deal, I put in 91 out of habit. I will not do that again. Plus, how much Marvel's Mystery oil are you putting in per tank and is this good to do?

I am used to checking my oil on a weekly basis, since the STi's like using oil as well. I do seem to have a small leak somewhere on the RX? The oil was changed prior to my delivery and I think it might be coming down from the oil cooler?

Mike

84RX7'nSTi

Racing Beat talked me out of the "cat delete pipe". However, they did suggest the header and silencer. Would this be an good modification? I would like to get a little more HP, have the car rev faster, sound a little better, and get better MPG. I did notice that Mazdatrix has the same set-up, but offers a "cat" to replace the silencer, but it's expensive. I am suprised that you lost power with the "cat delete pipe", I can understand losing some low end torque, but not HP in the upper rpm's?

Mike

ray green

iTrader: (14)

The bonez presilencer unit hooks right up to the stock manifold, then connects with the stock cat back exhaust. About $150, shipped with gaskets, takes an hour to put in. I put one in my brown 85, then transferred it to the tan 84. Real nice sound. And you don't have to pay racing beat megadollars for headers, pipes and such.

Ray