Well, I'm not exactly a newbie to rotaries, but I (hopefully) am just about to buy a 84 GSL-SE. Right now I have a 91 coupe that I've had for a while, I've fixed nearly everything on the 91 now so I wanted to pick up a project car and restore it to glory. I found someone selling a car with a whole lot of potential cheap, so I plan on getting it if all goes well.

I know there are lots of little tricks with the FCs that the driver needs to know. I was just wondering...is there anything different I need to keep an eye out for that is specific to this first gen that I need to know about? Any potential problems, or tweaks that can be done?

When I get it, first thing I'm planning on doing of course is changing the oil, and getting new spark plugs and wires for it. Don't know how long they have been on the car, and I don't care. Anything else I should probably do?

I just don't want a repeat of what happened when I had the FC. I did terrible things to it because I didn't know better, such as NOT redlining it and putting in premium gas into an NA engine. Those were dark days that I am hoping are behind me.

 

Not anything I know of, when I got my '82 GSL I got the oil, filter, plugs and wires and I've had good luck since

 

Check the storage bin area for rust. You'd probably get a pretty good feel of the car if you really look at it.

 

I think I'll have pretty good luck with the car. It runs VERY strong, stronger than my FC with the new engine. It looks like hell though, and I think I'm going to have to adjust the steering some, there is a lot of play. And put some good brake pads on it, the car literally accellerates faster than it can decelerate.

I didn't check the storage bins, but the body was rust free (except for the exhaust). It just looks like hell from what appears to be a Maaco special paint job several years back.

 

Inspect your steering and suspension for wear especially the idler arm bushings they wear out. I have an se with 190k on it and is has virtually little play in the steering. Not as common for play such as the non-p/s models. You need to It would benefit you to get a repair manual for the 1st gen. Nainly because of the se's quirkyness (is that a word), LOL,
of the se's injection system. Mainly referring to the idle control system, (will drive you to
drinking when it acts up). Go thru and change out your brake fluid as soon as possible and inspect the brakes. Recommend that you go to napa and purchase speedi bleeders tbat go
on the calipers. They are one way bleeder screw that take the place of your originals and
allow you to bleed the brakes by your self. Inspect the oil cooler and lines for leakage,
normal thing on se's, usuall the left side mount breaks and put too much pressure on the lines and or fittings. REcommend purchasing strong fi cleaner such as Bg's 44k that is sold at
most repair shops and dealerships, stongest additive for the fuel system that i have ever
seen. OTher than that you need to service all fluids, make sure when you change the oil
you change the oil in the oil cooler and put the correct aluminum washer back on. Probably
want to take to local parts store to match size but do not allow them to sell you a copper washer or will be lubricating the road. Flush the cooling system and replace the t-stat. Inspect all cooling hoses and when in doubt, replace them along with the belts if they are cracked, hard or frayed. Recommend changing the o'2 sensor as pm, they are only around
$30.00 at the local napa. Even though they only work in 5th gear, this still amounts to fuel
savings. In changing the air filter, recommend getting kn, there is a thread about the part#
for the spectre adaptor that goes on the end of the afm that is really inexpensive, You will
like the little gain you get from this since the 1st gen airbox and intake system is very
restrictive. any more questions, feel free to pm me anytime. rx7doctor

 

Thanks for the advice there. I hadn't even thought about the O2 sensor, can the FB's use the universal Bosch sensor like FCs? Or do I need to look for the OEM replacement?

The steering has a LOT of play in it. I'm sure I'll be spending some quality time on it after I do the fluids, plugs, etc. I found some writeups on correcting that during searches, so no biggie there.

So far my list of things to do on the car is:

Change all fluids, Oil filter
Check belts/hoses
Replace sparkplugs, possibly wires if needed
Replace o2 sensor
Install K&N cone filter
Put on some better brake pads (probably Hawk HPS, I love those on the FC)
Fix steering

That will keep me busy for a while... and that's assuming my FC won't need any work, which I'm sure it will.

I think I'm going to have a hell of a lot of fun with this car...

 

The o'2 sensor is the same used on the fc, universal one is bosch 11-027. You are going to like the handling of the se, they have done away with most of the understeer and if you go
with the updated swaybars you will be pretty much at a nuetral steer with a very forgiving
vehicle in a corner with quick recovery time. I can vouch for this, i have taken my share of
off camber turns at unreasonable speeds and left my buddy with his 85 corvette behind.
Add cap and rotor to your list if they dont look new. Alittle trivia, when the 84 corvette came out and they did testing on the salom the corvette barely edged out the se in testing. With
updated sway bars it gives us the advantage. rx7doctor

 

Don't forget the wheel bearings!!!!! Mine were in terrible shape. Cheap to replace.

 

Play in your steering?
Yep put up with it for a year wandering all over the road, told it was the steering box, untill we worked out it was the pitman arm, inexpensive remedy.
Good luck with your project.
Cheers Sue

 

I own a 12A powered 1st gen, but I've tinkered with some SE's...

Essentially the SE engine is very similar to the N/A FC... The fuel injection system is less sophisitcated, but it's got the same type of 6 port induction triggered by exhaust backpressure...

Steering is kinda craptacular on 1st gens... It's not rack and pinion, it's recirculating ball. As such, the gearbox needs adjustment occasionally.

(I dunno why recirculating ball was ever invented... It's less efficient, less effective, more complex, and more expensive... Just like drum brakes, which I also have no clue why they were invented or why they are in use today.)

Anyhow. The 1st gen is very straightforward from a design standpoint. Cut and dry. Simple to understand and easy to work on. Even WITH all the ancillaries such as emissions crap, A/C, and P/S (Well, I dunno about P/S... Never even seen a 1st gen with it.) you can still crawl into the engine bay and close the hood. Almost all the tools and fasteners you drop will hit the ground (Or the underpan if you leave it there.)

You'll love working on it... The only real tricks you need, you probably already know. (Keep the Fuel pump connections exposed for deflooding, etc.)

Enjoy man. Come back for more questions. (DO NOT ASK ABOUT NON STARTING PROBLEMS )

 

Biggest thing with rotaries is LET THEM WARM UP FULLY!!!!!


I see way to many guys start them up and hammer on them.. I did this to my 1st motor when i was 15-16 and took it apart when it was done. what i saw was not pretty..


The other thing to remember is to change the coolant often.. like every 6months to 1 year.

Also change the oil and filter often.

Those are some of the most important things to remember.

 

the first thing to replace is the fuel filter !! a must.

 

Well put! That is why I never really get frustrated working on my 85 GS!! I've always felt like the car wants to be restored because it never swallows nuts and bolts and it never steals my ratchet or sockets. Too many newer cars I've worked on are a pain because there is no work room and there are endless nooks and crannies.

I've gotten along great with my 7 since day one, because it WANTS me to restore it. It helps out in every way possible by not stealing my tools, and being generally cooperative. Sure our old cars have twice as many problems, but they only take half as long to fix!

 

Yeah, that does get frustrating on the FC sometimes... where the hell did that socket go? With the exception of intake, the engine bay is all stock, so there's fans, PS, AC and crap in the way.

Not too long ago, I found a ratchet with a spark plug socket in the middle of the engine bay. It wasn't mine. Dunno how it got there.

 

Just called the seller...going to go buy the car tomorrow! WHEE!

 

BTW, no need to call yourself a "Stupid Newbie" here... This ain't the 2nd gen section No assholery here...

Search rules apply, and there's a FAQ at the top. But I don't think we flame often, if ever at any type of questions.

 

Yes, I feel the love.

 

So do i, this board is great for a noob like me. I think I have learned more about my RX7 in the last few days than I did while I was installing the new engine.