jedknight01

Im new to rotary engines and Rx-7's. I just bought one and got it for a Steal.Body is in Excellent condition and has been garaged for the last 25 years when not driven.The thing im worried about is that it has 148,000 miles on it.I hear these engines are reliable because they have very few moving parts.Can I expect to get much more out of it? And the owner said there is a small oil leak caused by a washer(she wasnt specific)and that most early RX7's had this problem. Anyone know what washer she could be refering too..any help would be cool.Thanks!!

1979 limited edition RX7
1.1 litre 12A Engine
NO Rust,NO Dents,NO scratches
Interior is Great
148,000 miles
Paid $1,700

drittens

well, in my area, a perfect Rx-7 goes for that according to KBB.com. I don't see a washer leaking....maybe a gasket. I have seen guys on the board w/ over 200,000 miles on an original engine, but mine is only at 108000 and I have a coolant seal that is bad and it needs a rebuild. Oil at start up is apparently normal, but smoking all the time is bad.

ftlaud

Nice car, saw it on ebay.. Enjoy your new wheels ..

Hades12

Limited??????

You got a great price if it is really a Limited. Like 3K of those were made.



I have one in Rough shape.

John64

Welcome! I got my 85 GSL-SE for $1500 and it has 150,000 on it. So your ahead of me on the milage, especially for your year. You should have many long years left in the motor.

hammmy

The washer she referred to could be the crush washers on the rear oil cooler line. This is a hose on the driver's side, down level with the bottom of the engine, and runs from the rear driver's side of the engine to the oil cooler mounted under the radiator. IIRC, the hose is connected to the block with a 24mm banjo bolt, along with the two crush washers. You'll need to drain and replace the oil.

The washers are 13/16" inner diameter, 15/16" outer diameter. I'm unsure what material is usual for crush washers.

With good treatment like finding and curing the oil leak (to prevent hose failures), religiously observed oil changes, keeping the coolant topped off, and not revving past redline, I think you can expect up to another 50,000 miles. Given your age, I think it would be the exception if you did so, but I'm not disallowing the possibility. I'm not knocking youth: I never really took good care of my early vehicles, preferring instead to spend for performance modifications rather than good maintenance.

jedknight01

Cool..thx for all the advice..It is a Limited but the orginal color was black like all limited's were but this one got painted by a color blind guy.(weird but true story)Green YUCK!! I am planning on painting it back to Black because Black is nice.

rbf41182gt

congrats, i saw that one on ebay as well!

good color choice!! black first gens are awsome.

purple82

Congrats, don't forget to join the Mile High Rotary Club.

MHRClub@yahoogroups.com

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Congrats on the Limited. Certainly "the" Series One RX7 to own. Glad to hear your repainting it! (What was the other guy THINKING??!).
Advice:
various rubber bits on a car that old are on their way out, and some of these are specialty parts unique to the 79-80 model. Some items to consider:
-the most important is the HEATER HOSE that runs from the firewall, over to the driver side of the engine, under the oil filter. This hose gets a good drenching in oil from oil changes over the years and the oil destroys the rubber. If/when this hose fails, it will take the motor with it unless you are really (!!) lucky (coolant loss= overheat). This unique hose is getting hard to find at mazda parts depts...
-frankly, I would change ALL the cooling system hoses as a matter of course, including the other 2 heater hoses
-coolant: 50-50 with DISTILLED water
-if your going to all this trouble, take the extra step and pull the rad (4 bolts, super easy)
and take it to a reputable rad shop and get it dunked, cleaned and pressure tested.
The cooling systems health is your number ONE protection and insurance of a long-lived rotary, as any one on the Forum will tell you.
-inspect the 2 UNIQUE rubber mounts for the oil cooler that hangs under the rad. Get 2 more while Mazda still sells them!! They WILL be cracked and dried out by now!
-tail light gaskets: also unique to the 79-80 and these will be SHOT = water into the light assys and the rear of the car. get 'em while you can....

Go to Mazdaformance.com, go to the RX7 page, click on Parts Diagrams and download the PDF Factory parts manuals for the 79-80 RX7 (viewing software aslo free there, too). Fabulous reference and you will know what's going on when dealing with the Rocket Scientists at the mazda parts counter. Part numbers are your Friend

Rust:
you WILL find rust:
-both rear quarter panels, the passenger side usually being the worst. Tail lights must be removed to access. You can at least stop the progression with some elbow grease, sandpaper and use of POR-15 rust prducts (POR-15.com); but they will likely need some degree of surgery. Even my California-dry 80 RX with 61K garage miles (?) had rust here! (pic attached)
-under the battery tray!! pull the battery and it support shelf and get in there with the POR. Lots of lube on the tray bolts for a few days or some may shear (4x10mm) when removing.

Please post pix when you get the car returned to original color!!
good luck and enjoy a classic sports car!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

Aviator 902S

As mentioned in one of the above posts, if said leak is coming from the end of one of the two oil cooler hoses (located on the drivers' side and down low), the crush washers at the end of the hose may need to be replaced. OR--- a previous owner may have had the hoses off and then re-used the old crush washers. This is a no-no because it will take more torque on the wrench to properly seal using the old washers than if you'd bought new ones. This extra torque is often just enough to cause a hairline crack in the oil cooler where the hose connects. This crack will then continue to leak. The labor to weld this is around $60 if you take the cooler to the shop rather than have them do the re and re.

But there is one other possibility:

If the oil is leaking from the engine block on the drivers side just above the spark plugs (from between where the aluminum and iron housings mate together) you have aged and brittle oil galley seals. The bad news is that the only way to replace them is to tear the engine down. The good news is that the car will run just fine in this condition with no ill effects. But you should spray the engine bay clean about once a month to deter the fire hazard--- this leaking oil is a mess, and at highway speeds it gets smeared under the car all the way back to a point under the passenger compartment.

Well-maintained 1st gen rotaries are good for 200,000 to 300,000 miles. Poorly-maintained ones can crater at 150,000. So change your oil and filter every 5000 miles (use only good quality filters like AC Delco, Wix or Purolator. Shun any that say that 4-letter word "Fram" on them), have the cooling system flushed at least once every two years, and never allow the engine to overheat. If the guage creeps up past 1/2-way, shut the engine down and either wait for a few hours to cool or call a towtruck. DO NOT try to drive the extra 5 or 10 minutes to the next service station--- if you try this the engine will make you wish you hadn't.

Finally, you have a rare and good condition original first gen. Re-paint it black and settle for nothing less than a 1st class paint job--- it's worth the investment. When you do replace the engine it will cost around $2500 if you go to the right people (pm a guy from Ohio posting under the name "armysoldier"). This car is bound to appreciate in value to the tune of $10,000 over the next 5 or 10 years--- as long as it's kept original. Ricer mods (whale tails, body kits, neon, stickers, big-*** tachometers, lowered suspensions, etc.) will make you a laughing stock, cost money and reduce the resale value drastically. You'll be lucky to recoup your original purchase price if you do this.