hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Hi all, I'm happy that I'm finally an RX-7 owner. I've wanted one for awhile I bought the car on Tuesday, and today was my second day driving it. It has 53,000 miles on the odometer. My plans are for it to be my daily driver. The clutch master cylinder died and I couldn't get the car out of first. I got that fixed today though, and all is well. I also managed to do an 180 degree spin on my street which is covered in ice. I've never driven a RWD car in the snow before.

I'm planning on doing most of the work myself, but I've had a shop do some preliminary work, I don't want to deal with it now. I've had the clutch master cylinder replaced and the transmission and differential fluids replaced. Planning on having the coolant and brake fluids replaced as well as radiator hoses. Rear drums need new shoes too. Any suggestions for other reliability things to replace in the near future?

I'm also having problems with figuring out how to smoothly shift the car. The only manual car I've owned before this is my 91' 300ZX Twin-Turbo in which shifting is totally different. I've found that I'm very likely to stall the car from a stop without revving up to around 2,500-3,000 rpm. And then every time I shift the car seems to lurch. Maybe I'm just not giving it enough throttle? I've been shifting at about 5,000 rpm just for driving around in traffic. I'm totally not used to driving a carburated car and I feel like I have to be more "forceful" with the throttle than I would with my Z, otherwise it seems to hesitate a bit. I'm planning on rebuilding the carb in the Summer.

Any tips for driving in the snow? Snow tires are ordered for the car, current tires are crap and have zero traction on ice. I think that I've probably got to go to a parking lot and practice first, same with getting used to not having ABS.

I'm loving the car so far. Manual steering is awesome, engine is revvy and totally different from what I'm used to. Handling feels so natural and communicative. This is really a true drivers car. Sorry for the bad picture, too cold to be outside photographing.

Cookboy

iTrader: (10)

Brake lines and keep driving. You'll figure it out. Be smooth and cautious on the slippery stuff and by springtime you'll be a natural. If you're still in one piece.

midnight mechanic

Snow? Is easy. ICE is the bitch. When you lock up your brakes on ice, you go faster and you lose steering. So practice pumping the brakes. When the rear of the car starts to spin around towards the front, steer in the direction of the spin. Practice in an empty iced up parking lot. You will get the feel.

These cars have almost 50 50 balance between front and back, so they are a very good car have on ice.

My rx-7 easy floods in the cold. Sometimes pouring 1/4 cup methanol marketed as HEET down the carb solved the problem. Other times, removing the plugs, and turning over the engine will absolutely fix the starting problem. Just ground the plugs, and check for the spark when turning over the engine. Use a trickle charge on the battery, and make sure your antifreeze is 50/50. 100% antifreeze freezes!

Ya, it says I'm in 'bama. But me and my rx-7 lived through 4 Northern New Jersey winters. I heard the Colorado winters are brutal compaired to the New Jersey ones.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Yes, replacing brake stuff is definitely a plan. Unfortunately there are no iced up parking lots right now. I definitely need to practice counter-steering and braking without ABS though. I spun on ice not snow, these tires are like 10 years old though.

I dunno about that, in Colorado we often have heavy snow on the roads, but it melts quickly. I've considered myself a good snow driver in FWD and AWD but this is my first time with a RWD car. I actually enjoy snow driving and often go out when other people stay in.

Any advice about shifting this car? I honestly had no idea how difficult this car would be to drive. And I'm totally not complaining - I wanted something raw and uncompromising, and this really fits the bill. There just is a large learning curve for me. My Z feels plush and easy to drive by comparison.

TimWilbers

iTrader: (1)

Question: How long did the car sit without running prior to your driving it?
When I bought my dad's Rx7 for $5 it had been sitting for over a year. Your first experience was very similar to mine. The gas in the tank was anything but fresh, and the engine was in desperate need of a tune-up.
Failed the first emission test. $76 in tune-up parts, and a new trailing coil (the original was throwing lightning bolts to the body) and it passed the emissions with flying colors.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

I think that the car had been sitting for around seven years. I don't know how old the current gas is in the tank. The tank is almost empty, so I'm about to fill up. Handful of things I need to do before I sell my current DD. Trying to decide if I should replace brake lines with stainless steel lines or just replace with stock items.

LongDuck

You need to be smoother on the clutch. Smooth means slow when you're letting it out during ALL shifts, which will allow the engine and transmission to match speed. This will greatly improve your driving experience. You can't just dump the clutch between gears, as the car is light and will lurch every time. Also, no need to shift at 5k every time unless you're driving aggressively. Try shifting at lower engine RPM, and once you get good at that, then shift at higher revs. Good luck,

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

I'll try this out when I go out tomorrow.

I find that there isn't much power below 4k RPM, and I find myself cruising around that level. I feel like the engine bogs down pretty easy if I let the clutch out below 2k RPM. I assume that's just the way these engines are, I can't imagine them having much power at a low RPM. But maybe the carb needs some work and I can't imagine the gas is in good condition. Really enjoying the engine and it's power delivery so far, I'm still trying to get used to controlling RPM's, it revs much easier than anything I'm used to.

Really couldn't be happier with the car so far. Everything works and while it needs some work, really great to drive.

LongDuck

Yeah, there isn't much power below 4k RPM (torque) as the rotary has very little rotating mass and must have RPM to develop torque. This is why a smooth clutch release is important at low RPM when starting in 1st gear (2000-2500 feels like the right amount of slip, maybe less if you're smooth). After the car is moving, then you can shift at higher RPM, and can benefit from the torque from rotating mass.

Your carb probably needs work, and there are plenty of guys here with 12a's that can help in that regard. Also, getting smooth on the clutch will improve your winter driving, as spinning tires are a recipe for disaster on snow and especially ice. Keep it on the road!

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, this helped. I went out today, and tried to be much smoother with the clutch, not just dumping it as soon as it begins to catch, and only stalled the car once, so I consider this a large improvement. I guess what was throwing me off was how high the clutch engages. It's very high in the pedal travel, causing me to think it was done when it in fact was not.

Yea I think the carb needs some work, in 3rd gear around 3k rpm, it feels like it's stuttering and hesitating, I'm hoping that I can hold off until the Summer to fix this though, while I get a better understanding of the car.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Unless I missed it here:
Change the FUEL FILTER!! (and do it yearly). Its in front of the Dr rear wheel. $5 or less at NAPA.
Might just solve your 3rd gear stutter.
Brave Man driving it in winter! Mine is a summer-only toy.... (could not bear to have some idiot slide into me).
Welcome and enjoy.
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Yes, the fuel filter is definitely going to be changed, along with draining the gas tank. I really don't want to drive it in the Winter, but the only way I can afford the car right now is as a DD. And I'm kind of sick of driving boring cars everyday too. Luckily in Colorado we only have maybe 2 weeks of days a year where there is heavy snow on the ground, it melts quickly. I've got snow tires on the car now, they feel a little squirrely on dry pavement, but we'll see.

Love the car so far, go-kart like handling, rotary is awesome, totally different driving experience. In two days of driving I've gotten maybe 4-5 different compliments on the car. It's far more involved to drive than I expected, but I'm getting used to it.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

involved is good! for driving in snow, look further ahead, the car will go where you're looking.

for the actual car, the only thing i'd suggest, besides lubing all the locks/hinges is to adjust the idle mixture. it was set at the factory, but then the formulation of gasoline is different in 2015 than it was in 1985. its very easy, simply warm the car up and turn the screw in a half turn, and see what happens, and then back to where it was, and then out a half turn, and see where it runs best.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I'm quite liking the car so far. I'll take a look at the carb when I get it back from the shop, I have a bit of work I want them to do to get the car reliable for driving. Then I plan on doing everything else (within my ability) as a learning experience. Fixed the driver side window which would not retract last night.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

A tip for driving in the winter: STOP driving an all original 53k mile FB survivor in the snow and get a winter car. There are not many clean original low mileage cars around. Preserve what you have and enjoy it when there's no snow or salt on the road.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Don't drive it in the snow or expect it to start rusting out on the rear wheel wells and other
places if you do. Get a beater for the snow.

Sounds like old gas and a dirty carb are the biggest issues you are having. Like 7aull said,
change the fuel filter NOW!. Also add some SeaFoam to the gas and spary down the carb
generously with some casb cleaner. That may improve things a bit until you can rebuild the carb.

TimWilbers

iTrader: (1)

The longer I've had the FB the longer I want to keep it.
Had a good driving season this year from late last Feb to Jan 3 thanks to the Jet Stream.
Ice on the roads this morning, followed by road salt.
She'll be hibernating in the garage till three good heavy rains after the last salting, usually around March.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

In general we don't have the salt on the roads that other locations do during the winter. The roads melt really really fast here in Colorado. Regardless I want to keep this car nice, so I'm probably going to keep my Outback beater around for the days when snow is on the ground. I do plan on daily driving it through the Winter though, in general if it snows one day, the next day the roads are clean and clear.

I plan on having my shop replace the brake master cylinder, rear brake shoes, brake lines, fuel filter and drain tank. Anyone have any opinions on brake lines / rear brake shoes. I've looked and can't really find much if anything in the way of "upgrades" or better than stock.

I've replaced the rear hatch struts and driver side door weatherstripping (that was a nightmare). Planning on replacing all the coolant hoses when my car gets back from the shop, I'm torn with whether I should replace the water pump and/or have the radiator looked at by a shop. Trying to keep everything in tip-top shape, especially since the car had a long hiatus from driving. Wouldn't want some accessory system to take out a perfectly good engine.

As I've said I want the car to remain basically stock, but I would like to refresh the suspension when Summer rolls around to make the car a competent canyon carver. The only real complaints I have with the car so far is that driving strait on the highway is a little unnerving due to the dead-center feel and it'd be nice if it were a bit louder, I've never been in a quieter car - that's including every economy car I've ever been in, I assume I'll get used to it though.

EDIT: Also, how involved is it to change the rear heater / firewall coolant hoses. Looking around this afternoon looks like most of them are pretty difficult to get to. Keep in mind I'm just starting to work on my cars. Also some more pictures of my car

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Nice FB! You got a real gem there. You might, er, look for a more, ahhh, "Manly" antenna at some point? Yer looking' a little droopy

Heater hoses: yep esp with the AC hoses you are in for a bit of a dig. Its all pretty straightforward disassembly stuff tho. Recommend you photograph the removal process!! and keep some sort of organized methodology for hardware fasteners in zip locks or containers. If you start mindlessly yanking stuff out, yer hosed.
And tools!
You have decent set of drive sockets AND matching wrenches?
Beware of over-enthusiastic tightening on RE-assembly too!!most of the bits are firm-but-not-cranked-on pieces.
Make sure you have premixed (50-50) coolant with DISTILLED water standing by as you will lose some. Actually this is a _very_ good time to flush/re-do whole coolant system!!
If the heater hoses need replacement, the MAIN ones do too.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Yup, needless to say the antenna will need to go at some point I've actually ordered all the MazdaTrix coolant hoses on their site. So I plan on replacing all of them as well as flushing the coolant. I want to be very proactive with the maintenance on this car. I have pretty much any wrench or socket you could ask for (actually borrowing fathers). I'll make sure to be careful. My goal has been to learn with this car, I don't like relying on mechanics.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Regarding the steering, I'm aware of the downsides of the stock recirculating ball steering box on the RX-7, but is this normal? The steering seems to "hunt around" a bit when in a strait line, it seems a bit difficult to keep the car going strait. The steering is super sensitive, any slight movement and you get the car turning, but often times those slight movements don't provide much feedback at least immediately after turning from strait. I assume this is just the way it is, and it will take some getting used to, but I dunno for sure. The steering is very fast and precise, but not a lot of feedback.

It may also be that I'm not used to a car this light. Changing directions, accelerating, braking all happen much quicker than other cars I've driven. Easy to go very fast through turns. All these are good things, but again very different.

The wheels/tires are balanced and I have new snow tires on the car. Come Summer I'm going to get performance tires, so I'm hoping this should solve much of my complaints.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

no real upgrades to the rear brakes, best course is just new shoes adjusted properly. braided brake lines are an upgrade, although Mazda used really high quality rubber, so the stock lines are usually 30 years old and still ok.

if you've run a few tanks of gas through it, and its been ok, you can probably skip the draining the tank step, and just change the filter.

when Mazda put the hoses on, they also put the clamps in the spot most accessible when the car is put together, yours has the "beehive" oil cooler which has the most hoses, and so its the hardest. if you don't have one, a 1/4" drive ratchet set, and a pair of long nose needle nose pliers are invaluable. actually toss a 10,12,14,17mm box wrench and a screw driver in there and you can practically restore the car from the ground up.

i'd also use the Mazda OE coolant hoses, they are a little more $$, but they will last 25+ years.

LongDuck

On steering feel, try an alignment when you replace the snow tires. Most shops will try to setup to factory spec, which has a bit of toe-in for auto recenter after turning, along with a bit of left bias to drive straight on roads crowned for rain. Find a shop that will setup with DEAD STRAIGHT alignment, and you get a lot better steering feel, atraight running, and less rut running on most roads.

Search on String Trick to do your own alignment, as you don't need a 4-wheel alignment on these cars unless its been in an accident. Also, if no other work has been done on the front end, you may be in dire need of new steering end links, pittman arm ball joint, and idler arm bushings and ball joint. Replacing all of these at once will ensure tight and responsive steering. While there, check for wheel bearing pre-tension with the wheel off, and lower control arm bushings, too.

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

Just my 2 cents. You really should listen to some of the guys here who say to save the car for when it gets nicer. I get the excitement of a new toy, but now is not the time to daily drive it, it's the time to correct the built up issues and neglect. Owning a 30 year old sports cars means things can and do go wrong. Unless you're independently wealthy, its better to learn to do the maintenance yourself. You'll have much more satisfaction, pride and appreciation for the car when getting intimate with its inner bits. You should consider yourself the cars temporary caretaker. If you really do it right, you'll not only preserve what the car is now, you will improve it and leave it in better condition when the time comes to hand the responsibility of it's care to the next person.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Yep, I've got all the tools I need. I purchased the RB upper and lower silicone radiator hoses and OEM for the rest. It's going to be a bit of an adventure replacing them, but I'll try to take it slow and do a good job. There is a lot of oil spilled around the oil cooler, so probably a good idea to replace anyways. I still don't know if I should take the radiator to a radiator shop and have them rod it and make sure it's in good spec. The car is getting close to 54k miles, so I plan on changing the oil then so I can do it every 2k on the odometer.

Trying to buy OEM or better if possible, but keeping in mind that I'm trying to keep the car close to stock. I figure I can't do headers since I need to pass emissions, will probably do springs/shocks and call it a day. I've already got the crazy mod thing out of my system with my 300ZX - and honestly it was too much of a hassle for me. Right now, reliability and replacing age worn stuff is my first priority though. I have to keep telling myself this
Thanks for the advice. I did some more reading after I posted, and I think the problem I'm experiencing is play in the idler arm bushings. The steering is very responsive, but extremely darty in a strait line. Also much of it could be user error, since I'm not used to such a responsive car. I'll keep that in mind for an alignment, I know I'd like something a bit more "performance" oriented anyways. Going to wait until the Summer though, as it's not really critical at this point. Just trying to keep stuff in mind. *sigh*, I hate the Winter.
Yea, I've decided to keep it out of the snow, but like I said, usually isn't a lot of snow on the ground here. Snow tires will come in handy for the ice that sticks around on streets that are unplowed. I'm keeping my beater Outback for when I need it (as much as I wanted to move to one car). I'm really hoping to learn to do the majority (if not all) the work on the car myself. I know I'll get a lot of satisfaction out of it, and I also don't like when I'm not "in control" in terms of maintenance. I feel a bit intimidated by the tangle of coolant hoses on the firewall, but know that I have to start somewhere, so I'm forcing myself to take the "plunge" so to speak. One of the reasons I wanted this car was because I knew it would be easy (relatively) to work on. My 300ZX (which still will not sell ) was such a disaster in terms of engine bay space - not good to learn with. I love this car, and want to treat it right. I really want to wash and wax it, but I'm afraid that it's too cold out for that. It actually frustrates me how nice it is, because I don't want to screw it up.

I actually have hardly driven the car, since I really want to replace potential failure points before really driving it all the time. I'm under the impression it's pretty easy to run into trouble all of a sudden driving a car that has been sitting for a very long time, which mine has. Coolant is the big thing I can think of, but I'm sure there's something else that needs to be done, possibly oil lines too I guess. Spark plugs would probably also be a good idea, since I have no idea how old they are.

Really thrilled with this community so far - everyone is friendly and helpful!