Hey

I made an aggreement to purchase an 85 gsl-se.........

Any thing to look for in the engine when driving?
Areas of concern? regarding oil on the engine or leaks?

How quick should this car be?

I have a 84 gsl auto now............




Jim

 

It will be a hell of a lot quicker than the car you are driving now.
Just remember, the SE shares a lot in common with the second gen. Check the back of the Haynes manual for info.
Double check the pulsation damper, it is on the end of the fuel rail under the intake runners. See if it is leaking fuel. If so, don't drive it very far until you fix it. Like straight home and park it until you can fix it.
The basic engine is the almost identical to the 12A as far as trouble spots, i.e. leaks and the like.
hanman

 

Man, if I weren't in college, and had a house... I'd have 10 RX-7's... I would start American RX-7 Humane Society. Housing old 7's and keeping them safe.

 

It really kinda depends on mileage and previous use. It's rare to find a SE that hasn't been driven fairly hard at times, and just about all of 'em leak some oil and/or coolant. Not a lot, just a little....I hope...

The SE has a real oil cooler mounted under the radiator. The crushable washers at the connectors usually all drippy-drop in that area. Mine does, and there's sometimes the same around the oil pan gasket. of the three Sevens I've purchased all had driveshaft problems. That is that the universal joints were going bad. The only real good solution to that is to somehow find a "quality" used one, or better yet get one from Mazdatrix which will have replaceble joints. Do not try to get one repaired at a shop. Did that twice with poor results.

Most 1st gens seem to have an electrical quirk or two. My Son's SE has a quasi-functionable fuel guage, and neither of ours have working rear wipers. My "lights are on" buzzer doesn't work, and the turn-signal cacellation clicker has also gone south.

Check for evil rust in the package bins, and especially at the rearend trailing links where the bars connect to the frame rails. Repair those areas as quick as possible.

Clean up the engine and bay by using a degreaser, and brake/parts cleaner, and various brushes. Makes it much easier to see things, and you won't get so dirty when working in that area, not to mention that it'll look better. Oil pressure when running mid-range rpm's should be at 50 or 60 lbs. Get some MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil), and once at home pull the plugs, squirt some into the rotor housings, clean or replace the plugs, then start 'er up. She'll smoke a bit, which is normal, but the MMO will clean up the housings, and seals. I always put a cup into the oil pan during oil changes and a pint into the fuel tank at the same time, but I'm a wee bit "twisted" that way as the Forum Cowboys will confirm.

One of the first things to do is to replace the idler arim bushings. There's no telling how old or used up they are, and their mounting spot (near the exhaust) takes a lot of extreme hot/cold-twist and turn, so it's best to start new. This will ruturn steering response.

Begin the process of replacing parts with new, or good remanufactured parts. A little at a time so that you don't break the bank, or put your pony up for a long period of time and then get lost in the "where does this go," or the "I wonder what this does" world.

Most of all, stay in touch with us. There's nothing better then some helpful advice, a slap on the back, or a sage nod from another Cowboy to keep you steady on....

Best to yuh....Have fun...
A tip of the Stetson,
Denny, from the 'ol corncrib....

 

Denny's right on the money. It's also good advice if you have a horse.

 

Getty Up!