LouisR503

As of yesterday I became the owner of a 1983 Mazda rx7 GSL at the age of 15 for $1000. It will try to start but I have a feeling fuel isn’t getting where it needs to go. It’s also very very rusty. And I knew it was rough when I bought it. But now that it’s actually mine it’s becoming overwhelming just how rough it is. Everywhere I look I need to fix something. I still love the car. And I don’t want to get rid of it. I want to fix this thing and make it the perfect street car and I want to make amazing memories in it. But I’m lacking the tools, knowledge, and motivation to do so. Anyone who has advice or knowledge, please leave a word. I’m based in North west Indiana and the cars IG is @squirrely_the_rx7 if anyone wants to PM me there or just follow the cars story. Local ish shop recommendations would be really appreciated. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to help

GSLSEforme

Do you know for sure last time car ran,have you ever driven it? Do you know how old the gas in the tank is? If you don't know,drain it out,replace fuel filter and pull air cleaner off and disconnect fuel line at carburetor and put into a container.Put a couple gallons of fresh gas in tank. Have someone turn the key on and crank engine. You are purging old fuel from fuel system. You will be able to tell by color/smell when all old gas is out of system. Reconnect fuel line and try to start,if it won't fire up,spray about a 2 second burst of carb cleaner into primary venturis,the side of the carburetor that has choke plate and try to start again. Post back where you are with this. Post a video of car trying to start,may help in directing you in what direction to go next.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Pics would help us guide you one first fixes for the rot you describe as well. All around and under as well so we can see the rot.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

just to piggyback on GSLSEforme's post, take heed to what he said. now generally speaking, unless you are certain of the car's history (whether it was sitting or not), you'd be doing yourself a service by doing a basic tuneup just to know where you're starting from. so whether the gas is old or not, you should probably be changing the fuel filter in addition to ignition components and air filter anyway.

midnight mechanic

Louis, you are 15 and have a $1000 classic car. It is a great learning experience. Buy some tools first, a Clymer's or Chilton's, or both manual and hack at it. Running rough? 1st thing I'd do is check the spark plugs. While they are out, do the shade tree mechanic compression test. Do this by cranking the engine over, throttle open, with the fuel pump fuse pulled, also you can pull the fuel line, and stick it in a clear bottle. If the apex seals are gone, the engine will not sound uniform.

Forget local professional garages unless you want to pick their brains.

The knowledge you get now will pay 100 fold when you are older and some dealership/mechanic/garage tries to bullshit you about any car that you own. Also, when you are older, you will find that hot women like men that are real men that can actually fix something.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

the foxed.ca site is down for whatever reason, but here's a link to them that was posted in another thread: https://web.archive.org/web/20181225...page=rx7manual

LongDuck

Seriously, anything that can be wrong with that car has been discussed and fixed here within these digital pages. Be sure to use the search feature, and try to be as specific as you can; if you don't know the part name, post a picture and we can help you out.

As with any car, getting a list together and then prioritizing what needs to be done is paramount. Getting it rolling and running gives you a lot of energy to keep working on the other stuff down the list. Get busy!

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

Welcome! Let's get started by saying that if you take the car to a shop, the car will literally consume every last cent you have. It's time to start buying decent tools and a tool box. Once you have a good assortment of tools, you need to purchase a Factory Service Manual and read through the thing. Get a basic understanding of how things on the car work. Once you do that, start by tackling smaller issues with the car and work your way to the larger ones. You'll gain confidence in yourself and the car and will appreciate the car that much more.

Also, we are here to help you. So feel free to lean on the forum a little bit. Search for what's been done to fix certain issues and if you can't find and answer, make a thread on your issue and we can help you through it. And also, don't be shy about posting pictures of the car. We love those here!

LouisR503

Hey thank you! I had a friend over yesterday and we tried this, and he said that he thinks we need a vacuum pump so he’s brining his over on Wednesday

LouisR503

Hey thank you for the support! I fully intend to fix every problem entirely by myself and with friends. Lots of my friends are also car guys and either have dads that are mechanics or just have tools. My neighbor’s wife had a 79 and he said he still had the hanes manual and that I could have it but I’m also going to get a factory one.

LouisR503

Hey much appreciated! Im going to vacuum pump the fuel lines out on Wednesday and I’m ordering a new fuel pump later today. Hope to have the engine running by itself by the end of the week.