12a..aka...12 seconds ay

1979, 12a

rats got at the car. It hasn't ran in 15 years, but the motor was replaced right before it was parked. the body only has 57,000 on it, and the motor has less then a 1,000. after doing a full tune up (plugs, wires, cleaned the rotor, checked the spark) I got it running for about a minute. I then drained the old gas out and flushed the lines. I now realized a fuse keeps blowing, the fuel pump isn't pumping, only half the gauges are working, the radio doesn't work, and the heater won't turn on...i beleive its an electrical problem.

anyone ever replaced a wire harness on a 1979 rx-7

I know you marvelous rx-7 lovers would love to see this car since it was so well cared for.

Car needs a good waxing, and that was an ants nest on the spare tire, a rats nest in the glove box, rat pee all over the original books, rat terds all over the carpets, and wasps nest in numerous places all over the car...Ouch

reddeth

iTrader: (1)

First thing with wiring like this, especially if you're blowing fuses, is check all your grounds. Work your way around the car, clean the grounds, see if it helps.

Given how long it's sat though, I'd wager mice got into the wiring harness.

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

I would recommend getting a multimeter, then isolating the problem area of the circuit. You can easily test for continuity to ground on a power side of a circuit and find your problem. The service manual wiring diagrams will be very helpful to you.

I've rewired my car completely, but almost everything is completely aftermarket and I took it down to the basics.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Congrats and welcome.
Nice car with lots of potential. harness swap doable if your patient, but trick is to find a replacement 79 harness. Wiring varies by year and trying later (say even an 80) would introduce other headaches. Sounds like you are not even sure the whole harness is toast?

Basics:
harness is in 3 basic sections;
1) Rear- which runs along tail and up along driver side to connectors at or near the front left speaker cover.
2)Dash/Main - whole under-dash PLUS radio/access sub harness that runs along to passenger side. Dash continues OUT thru firewall and around perimeter of engine compartment, along under rad, ending at washer bottle and antifreeze injection bottle next to it.
3)Engine harness - is subharness that connects to Dash/Main under the brake reservoir.

Esp with vermin problems, you will find it a lot easier to pull most of the interior to correctly check for damage, water leaks and rust. i would be very careful about using carpets that have had rat/mice abuse. You do NOT want to be breathing that stuff. Bad mojo.
Id pull:
-rear hatch cover and carpet. Carpet runs right to rear seats over a sheet metal panel behind the seats
-hatch interior side panels
-pull seats
main carpet a challenge because it runs up under center dash and you really need to unbolt and be able to lift whole dash to remove. real PITA.
But: If you want to change or repair MAIN harness, you will need to remove dash anyway! I have written a how-2 for our 79-80 ("SA" we call these) models on removal. It is in the Forum archive. its not hard -IF you observe how you took it apart and note where all the bits go! And since your dash is CRACKED, this would be a great time to replace it. But note colors other than the black are hard to find so start searching NOW, not when car is in pieces. If your REALLY lucky and find the dash locally, the practice you'll have in removing it is fabulous rehearsal for doing yours!!

These are really extremely simple cars in their layout and assembly, which makes them a joy to work on! even for the vehicular-impaired like me!

As others have suggested- you MUST get (best choice) the OEM 79 wiring diagram. This is available here in PDF form but having the actual booklet in-hand at the car will be vital. 2nd choice is diagrams in aftermarket books like Haynes, etc. But these can be a bit more generic as they tend to deal with multiple yrs of models, and there are numerous electrics in the 79 that are very 79-specific.

let us know how it goes.

regards
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Three words:

Hantavirus. Fatal. Untreatable.

https://health.google.com/health/ref/Hantavirus

Make sure you are wearing a dust mask until you get the rodent droppings cleared out.

12a..aka...12 seconds ay

Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it. I haven't yet started gutting the interior, but I plan on completly removing everything. It stinks like rat ****, which i hear can eat away the metal. I have a welder, and have been restoring car since i was 8 years old with my father. I have never done a full wire harness, but i dont think it could be to hard. Do you know of a good website to get interior for these rx7's and do you know what other parts aren't compatible with the 79, because i thought 79 to 82 was a interchangable...so let me know what you think...i appreciate it. The person that gave this to me is an 87 year old man who bought it brand new. He also told me he was going to pay for everything so i dont have to worry about a budget. If you know of any cool motor tricks with these rotary motors let me know as well. I am thinking about make the car run between 12 and 13 seconds, but still look original, as i want it to be a sleeper. I found some seats and interior carpet on ebay, but i havent found the back carpets, nor a dash. thanks

13x

For whatever it may be worth there was a guy down in Tuscon that was parting a relatively early 79 he may have the harness he'd sell. PM if you need more info, I need to get back to work lol

7aull

iTrader: (2)

your welcome! FYI 79-80 model yrs are sort of self-contained, that is, virtually ALL parts are interchangeable between those EXCEPT much of the WIRE HARNESS
Once you get into 81+ cars, the list of interchangeables grows MUCH shorter.
basic (!!) differences:
-tranny
-fr. fenders
-all bumpers
-taillights, external marker lighting
-sunroof panel (yep UNIQUE to 79)
-most engine components (and engine blocks) - unless swapping in complete motor
-interior center console
-rear carpets (81+ has holes for storage bins 79 doesn't have)
-most interior electrical switch gear
-front suspension pieces (whole assembly can be adapter tho)
-brake components
-clutch hydraulic components

What swaps:
-doors, hood, hatch glass
-hatch interior trim
-dash PAD
-seats and panels
-nose and headlight covers, fr lights, light motors
-oil cooler and rad (to 83 I believe)
-alternator IF REWIRED
-water pump
-oil injection pump
-distributor IF REWIRED
-rear axle

While there are lots of mechanical bits to pump up the horsepower of your RX, I would urge you to first get the basics taken care of:
-your electrical problem (obvious)
-replace likely long dead suspension and tires
-ALL fluids: rad/oils/BRAKES!!!!!/CLUTCH!!!
-HOSES!!!!! all coolant hoses AND heater hoses should be replaced! any one of these fail and they will take your motor with them
-pull and have rad professionally flushed and rodded out. Excellent engine cooling is CRITICAL to rotaries!!
-fuel system - unless your elderly benefactor was very careful about how he _stored_ the car, esp proper fuel system care, you could be in for a lot of nuisance issues with rusty gas tank and gunked up carb. Starting/driving your RX w/o addressing new fluids is like driving a time bomb
-change fuel filter!!! ($3 at Auto parts shop) this can solve all sorts of angst!!
-unless stored INdoors, expect all your weather stripping and rubber seals to be going if not GONE:
Door frame and window seals, sunroof seal, hatch seal AND taillight seal (!!) - this one can be a source of water leaks = rusty rear fenders if these are left rotted.

So you see, someone (?) has a few $$ to expend to get this baby really road worthy before you want to start hammering a lot of ca$h into performance goodies.

There is some TREMENDOUS advice in the ARCHIVES section about things to do and how to do them.
Educate yourself and soak up the YEARS of RX7 ownership experience these guys have written down. Will save you a world of hurt...

Keep us posted on your resurrection. Ask questions. Do research.
cheers
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska