So I picked the car up for 500$. it has a newer 12a motor with 40K miles, rebuilt tranny yada yada. gutted interior, ugly paint, stock rims. yea it's not pretty.

the brakes on the car is a real deep pedal before you start feeling the brakes actually work. the brake light tends to flash on and off while im driving, and you can hear the brakes sometimes rubbing at lower speeds. i dont know if the pedal is staying down or what.........

only when coming to a stop i can hear a clunking noise coming from the front right of the car. maybe a wheel bearing or ball joint?

the car has a good 4in or so of play in the wheel, and isnt really safe to drive about 50mph. it has real bad sway when i try and correct it at high speeds, kinda scary. is this common, and how can the effects be fixed or reduced

also, is the combo switch suppose to turn off by itself after turning?

the car is running super rich, you can smell the gas. i got the car without the top on the carbeurator, does it run better with the cap on? it backfires in the engine bay, so i dont know if there's a huge leak coming out of the header or what. i did order new wires, plugs, cap and rotor for the disty. is there anything else i should for the tune up?

thanks for any help or advice. and yes i did look at the faq before posting. i plan on restoring this car to run good, and look good!

 

bleed the brakes, steering wheel is common, there is a write up on how to fix it somewhere.
the combo switch may not turn off because of the steering wheel tilt.
As for the gas smell, is it a stock fuel pump, do you have a FPR? Stick the air filter back on it if you like for your engine to last.
backfireing is normal, well kinda. Check into the exhaust for a clogged cat/thermal reactor/old restrictice exhaust.
Our '79's dont have the best of ignition systems so look to upgrade, electronic dizzy and coils from the newer models, 2gdfis are all good mods to do that will help with mileage and effenciancy.

change your fuel filter if you havent already.

 

http://www.mazspeed.com/steeringgear.htm

 

thanks for the link! yea the carb has the air filter still, just not the top to it that clamps down over it. i believe everything is stock as far as the fuel system, and he said the only thing that has really been done is new radiator, new motor and rebuilt tranny

 

pics?

 

For the signal return, there is a canceling cam/ring, behind the steering wheel. It has 2 little nibs on it that are often broken when the steering wheel is installed and the nibs are not lined up.

Before doing the steering gear adjustment, make sure all of the other steering parts are up to spec. The adjustment is the LAST thing to do. Start with the idler arm bushings, then tie rods.

 

running without the top is just as bad as without a filter, get one.

 

New mastercylinder, new tie rod ends (inner and outer), http://www.blackdragonauto.com rebuild the carb, get a OEM cat, or pacesetter and racingbeat, http://www.racingbeat.com

mazdatrix will get you a new filter http://www.mazdatrix.com

Grease up your rear and front stuff. sqeakiness. There is a little tip ,gold looking. that you can put a grease gun into, and pump the grease into it. just get the oil changed at a mechanic shop and get them to do it for you.

and get a nice paint job. mine looks like crap too,came out of a field.

 

another noob question which i think i found the answer to, but i just want to be sure.

so removing the "rats nest" will kill my cat convert fast if i get a new one?

thanks for all the responses.

 

79's don't have a cat converter, its a thermal reactor (where the exhaust manifold is) so a cat won't help/work. Header is a nice way to clean up the exhaust hardware, but the Forum folks here seem to generally agree the pacesetter header/exhaust is crap. Racing Beat (.com) 's set up is far superior quality and, of course, pricier. The header will then allow you to start yanking the emissions bits off (aka rats nest), though this is done a certain way, you shouldn't just pull it all, *****-nilly. There are a LOT of write ups here for the "FB" RX7s, which are the 81-85 models. The "SA" version you have (79-80) is different enough (with the lack of a cat system for example) that you need to be careful using the FB emissions removal tutorials literally. Before you start removing stuff that may, for the moment, be working just fine, I would urge you to consider the smaller but no less important items that may need attending to on a car 25+ years old:
-you say the rad was replaced. how bout the hoses?? ALL the hoses! meaning the heater hoses too!
-if the battery cables are original (or if in doubt), these would be long over due for replacement and owners have found a lot of electrical gremlins magically disappear with new cables (blackdragonauto.com)
-every piece of weatherstripping on the car is likely shot: rear hatch; sunroof; doors (4 different moldings in each!); tranny tunnel under console has 3 rubber boots that are likely letting in lots of dust by now; rear taillight gaskets will be shot and letting in water everytime you wash it and drive in the rain
-brakes ever been bled?? That goop formerly know as brake fluid will be nicely corroding your lines and the guts of your brake AND clutch master cylinders. On 79-80 cars the brake master cylinder will be almost guaranteed rotten unless replaced in the last 5 years
-I won't depress you with rust issues at length but a couple of areas to consider as guaranteed: bottoms of rear fenders (stick a flashlight in there while you have the taillights out to replace the gaskets); under the battery tray. POR-15 (.com) is your friend...
having said all this I am in good company saying the SA RX7s, being the original, are the prettiest, cleanest looking of the RX7 series and welcome to the word of a very cool car-
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

well here is the beast (and its not my rice in back)


i've been working a lot lately so i havent spent much time on her, but i'm gonna try and restore the interior, paint it (maybe a kit), and some bolt ons. should be fun!!

 

update

well the brakes have been fixed

we did find a bent center stud to the tie rods, so the car doesnt jerk around so violently, but there is still too much play in the steering wheel. i know an alignment would help, but still there's is just too much play. would that be adjusted in the steering gear or steering column?

also my car doesnt reach temperature it seems. i flused the coolant and put in a new thermostat, but the temp gauge only goes up to about 1/4-1/5 of the way. the wiring seems fine to the temp sending unit under the hood, is that normal??

last question i hope someone can point me in the right direction, my heater would not turn on at all while flushing my coolant, then i shut the car off, and the heater stayed on full blast. then it wouldnt shut off! i had to disconnect the wiring harness behind it all to shut it off. what would case that? once again the wiring looked fine to my eye...........

this car has many more problems than i thought it did

 

i hate to bump but any pointers would be greatly appreciated. i'm trying to get this thing on the road asap

 

if you got a 79 with everything orignal join the club, your going to keep finding problems. I have had my 79 SA car for 3 years or so and its been running for about a year and its not been consistant yet. i finally got it started tonight after 3 months

 

did somone steal my car and sell it too you?

2 1/2 years later , im finnaly finishing up my car, from the condition yours was in.

you have a long way to go...



everyone on here does a good job on helping, just take it 1 at a time.