I just bought a 1981 Rx-7, real project ahead of me. Im looking to get it back to somewhat of its former glory. Only issue is, well, issues! Starting with the fact that the spedometer, odometer, and tachometer have no signs of life whatsoever. The fuel gauge seems like pretty much the same story. The back end of the exhaust is just flat out gone, and its currently sitting on the flat spare tire. Its got a strange aftermarket stereo from I believe the early 90s, and basically none of the radio stuff or switches for headlights etc work. It will not start without brake clean down the carb and is not a big fan of staying running without giving it gas. The horn will not turn off so I pulled its fuse, and its missing some vacuum lines that I cant seem to find where they go on the diagram. The leading and trailing wires are swapped, and upon putting them on how they should be, it seems to run like before until I give it some gas, then it then just sputters. Ive already replaced the plug wires, fuel filter, all blown fuses, put some of the rats nest lines back together, filled low fluids, and spark plugs + tire is on the way. Any suggestions/advice on how to fix some of this or where to start? Thanks!

 

Welcome... share some pictures of your car if you can.

Did this sit for a while? Outside perhaps? These electrical issues could be corrosion or mice chewing on wires. I would download a copy of the factory service manual and start tracing some of the main connections you're having issues with and see if there is any damage.
I would also check engine timing with a timing light.

 

I'll grab some better pictures when I go to work on it today. It sat for about a year outside, hence replacing the plug wires and some vacuum lines. I'll check timing when I work on it today aswell as trace some wires, but could the wires for the coils possibly be swapped? Everything to and from the distributor is correct except for the swap of leading and trailing wires.

 

Update: the wheel hub stripped out while driving. I got it running good and was attempting to drive it home, wheel just came off. Currently sitting on the side of the road considering my options.

 

I traced some of the wires and nothing wrong yet, but got the wheel back on and got it home. I have no clue why it and my brake drum came off. The threads ended up all being fine and it looks like the bolts just backed out. Both were tight and there were no strange noises or vibrations prior, but now I'm pretty sure I need a new axle shaft.

 

The joys of owning an old car.

I would suggest really going over every system on the car and checking bolt tightness, fluid leaks, hoses, etc. Just consider what you wouldn't want to fail while giving it a drive.

 

Gotcha, have already gone over the easy to get to fluids in the engine bay, just transmission and differential left. I've addressed most of the wiring keeping the engine running and I believe that the strange setup of my spark system could be why I have no tachometer, and speedometer could be the transmission cable. Just gotta look into how to do the transmission cable and fluid levels, and figure out how to fix the coil setup and maybe get an axle shaft for that rear left brake drum to be put back on. Any suggestions on how to make sure those important bolts stay in?

 

https://foxed.ca/index.php?page=rx7manual
go get your torque wrench and put it on as many bolts as you can. for the chassis bolts, you want to use the upper end of the tolerance. its what Mazda suggests for the competition cars, and since its free, might as well apply it
for the stuff on the engine and body i like the lower end of the spec

bolts coming out is not a normal problem with these, its a someone had something apart and didn't finish the job problem

 

Im like 80% sure there isnt enough thread on the hub for the bolts to sit securely, and the bolt for the brake drum just broke off inside the hub without being anywhere near the torque spec, so should I go with thread inserts? Cant even find an axle shaft if I was going to do the whole thing, and still figuring out the strange flip of the leading and trailing wires.