mattu008

I'm looking at an '84 RX7 I found here locally. It seems really clean except for rust hole behind the driver's seat at the front of the rear fenderwell. Also, there is a small hole in the back just below the back glass above the key release.

The engine seems really clean but seems to idle a little rough, however it seems to run very strong and breaks a little traction between the 1-2 shift. One concern is the rough idle (surging) and a noise when the breaks are applied ( or just left of the throttle maybe, I wasn't driving). It sounded like gasping sound of escaping air. What could this be and what should I look at?

Also the steering was quite loose, though the car tracked true. I assume I need to replace bushing and such in the front. Any ideas on the cost?

The body has about 135K on it but I don't know about the motor. It looks way too clean to be original. What would be a good starting price to ask for?

Its a GS with the 12A motor (assuming original motor, need to check if it is a 13b or not). I hope you can help me. I'm really excited about the idea of owning an rx7 and have been looking for one for quite a while but don't want to get in over my head or ripped off.

TIA

djessence

Motor probably has same mileage. Noise could be vacuum leak or something. Rough idle often caused by those. Check the faqs.

Check for more rust. If there is some where you said there was check under the bins if possible, as this is a death spot. Steering probably needs some new bushings and whatnot, but these cars are known for the intreting steering as its not rack and pinion. Bushings are not too expensive IIRC.

These cars in absolutely MINT condition are worth very little. About 4000. That being said alot of guys on here bought running rx7's for a few hundred and some paid more than that.

Start lower obvioiusly and work your way up but dont pay too much.

Post pics of everything if possible and we can give you more info on the car.

Make sure you check the guages when u drive it. Check for any oil leaks or places it looks like oil may have been leaking. They can be the death of these cars. Same with the cooling system.

The main thing is rust. Check everywhere for it

welcome to the forum, again post pics if possible

Jozay721

welcome to the forums( i should be welcomed too,havent been here for a long time) anyways...so far sounds like a good car...sounds like a vacumm leak or something dumb like djessence said...but u never know...deffinitly get some pics up if u can....some info here for u...i bought a running rx-7 for 750 with minor rust....and a mint one(the one i have now) for 1300...of course had some other issues but to me rust and body is the main concern....almost everything else is easier than fixing rust and body issues..

dyoungre

Price is a bit of 'what the market will bear'. I'd suggest following a few cars on ebay to get a feel for what people in your area are getting for similar cars.

The steering is commonly a low cost fix. There is a bushing on the passenger side of the steering linkage called the idler arm bushing. It mounts to the frame rail, just opposite the exhaust manifold. The heat tends to ruin the bushing, and causes a lot of slop in the steering; It is both easy to replace, and cheap. Of course, check tie rod ends, and finally, steering gear (which can be adjusted, to some extent).

The rust near the hatch glass is most commonly due to clogged drain holes. There are two drains, one on each side of the channel that runs around the edge of the glass. You can run a coat hanger down through the tubes, or remove the tubing entirely, and flush them out. That's common.

As far as the rough idle, that may indicate a compression issue, often caused by overheating. Typically, you may have a rear apex seal spring go 'soft' if it has mildly overheated. If you pull the spark plugs (and disconnect the coils so it doesn't try to spark) and then crank the engine, you should hear a very even 'puff puff puff'. If you hear PUFF puff puff PUFF puff puff, that indicates a soft apex seal spring. Can't be fixed without a rebuild, but you could just live with it - it won't really get worse. If that's all it is, and it runs strong, you could run for 20/30k miles without worrying about it.

Of course, a rough idle could be carb related, as well. Rebuild kits are under $100.

You can find better, but you could also find worse. How handy are you? How interested are you in working on the car, versus just owning/driving the car? Things to think about, before digging in.

Hope this helps and doesn't discourage you from getting a RX7 !!!

mattu008

Yeah I checked the best I could for rust. It wasn't on the other side and I check all the fender wells and they seemed good. I'll try and take some pics. They are asking 1800 which given the condition of the car is a bit much , though the engine is so clean i'm almost suspicious. The sound when slowing or breaking is also a main concern of mine, it is like a gasping sound with air being released periodically.

How much is the rust going to effect drivability? I would like to make this a nice cheap ride that is fun and reliable as a second car. Not afraid of working on the car but live in an apartment about 140 miles from the shop I would work in otherwise. So a carb rebuild I could probably do on my own but front end and other things may need to get the shop.

Thanks for all your help and I'm going to try and get some pics.

mattu008

Here is the craigslist ad...

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/car/532167362.html

I think I'll make a small offer. I don't think it is worth more than a grand given the rust conditions and the "custom" interior work. Mechanically it seems pretty sound but the brakes and front end caught my attention.

djessence

is something wrong with the front end? or you just like how it looks?

Hard to tell from the pics butit looks clean ish. What is this about "custom" interior?

Vashner

It looks a little overpriced to me. To each his own, it looks like a good fixer upper.
189,000? If that's stock engine it won't last much longer.

If that's the stock engine it's worth 500-750 no more. (considering the other problems.)

Edit add: As far as the front end. That's the way they did it in 84-85 series 3. Sloppy so called "improvement".

djessence

Idno the fact that there is ALOT of rust and you are in montana where im guessing they salt the roads (i live in the province above Montana) Thats not bad. Definetly think its overpriced but i think its probably worth 1000 but thats just my opinon

mattu008

Well I'm actually in Tulsa. The interior has custom red door panels and painted dash. The seats seem in nice condition and original (gray cloth). Some of the rear area is missing pieces that he says is in storage and would have to be looked for. The driver side lock is missing from the door. He said it had been broken into and the stereo stolen a while back.

So the front end steering is suppose to be really sloppy? We are talking about moving the steering wheel 15-30* either way. The car does track straight though when no hand is on the wheel.

Also, how well does the manual trans and clutch hold up in these.

lets spin

i have noticed lots of slop in the steering and it can be helped with new tie rod ends and making sure they are greased well. if you don't slam the trans it will out last the rest of the car, with proper fluid changes. found that out from racing one.

rearviewmirror

$1800 is way too much for that car. Offer them $700 for it.

lets spin

ON THon the topic of rust...i'm in an area that doesn't see a whole lot of rust issues. are there any common rust spots on the first gen's?

bad 83

iTrader: (3)

$1800? $800 would be more like it regardless of where you live in the upper US 48 states. If someone thinks that isn't a fair, than they arn't willing to drive a distance to pick up a car. Not all great deals are found at your local used car lot, or your local trader.

mattu008

Well I offered him $650 and he could take the stereo out of it, but he declined the offer. If anyone knows of a nice 7 close to me for under a grand let me know, I might be interested.

As for the rust spots, from what I have read (and saw on this one), poplular spots are right behind the seats near the fenderwells. The rear door jams and the back below the back glass.