i just aqcuired an 95 gsl-se (1300 motor). The problem with the car is that it's been sitting for about 4 years. The gas is still good, but it's missing the alternator. Do i need the alternator int here to start the car, or just a new battery, and what all should i look for in a car that has been sitting this long

thnks in advance,
jon

 

if it hasnt been started, i suggest putting some automatic transmission fluid into the spark plug holes, but jack the rear end up so you can turn over the engine by turning the rear wheel in gear or by pulling on the v-belts, then put in about 1/4 cup into spark plug holes while turning the motor over manualy, this will clean out the carbon that has built up, and when you do crank it up, it will burn white smoke for about 3 to 5 minutes,,,also i would drain the old gas, oil, trans fluid, rear end fluid, brake fluid and clutch fluid , they have got to be contaminated by not driving for so long. also replace the fuel filter and check all the vacuum hoses for cracks and loosness, and replace the anti--freez and thermostat,,,sounds like alot, but i too have an 85 that had sat up for only 2 years and i can testify that i had to do all the above and still have more to do, but it is paying off bigtime cause there great to drive,,,,,,,,good luck,,,,,

 

Wow, Buckaroo...

Did you buy this car, inherit it, or was it given to yuh...Just wanna know...If you have no alternator, you have no alternator belt. All the other belts should be suspect as well due to age and sitting. By the way sitting outside or under cover?

Pull the plugs, and at least clean them, but it's better to replace 'em. Check the distributor cap and rotor...I'd replace them too. With the plugs out, squirt a shot of MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) into the bottom plug holes. Using a wrench or ratchet and socket, turn the motor over by hand....Hopefully it will turn for you, if so, Great! Check to make sure there's coolant in the radiator, and oil in the engine. Check that air cleaner. Don't want any mouse turds or chipmunk food getting sucked into the intake.

What do yuh mean, "the gas is still good?" Sitting in the car for over 4 years? Oh, boy! Get five gallons of fresh Shell gas in a container and dump it in. Then dump a quart of MMO on top of that. Put the plugs back in, button 'er up, and see if she'll fire up. If so, Great....If she turns over nicely, Great...Once started she'll smoke a bit...Maybe quite a bit, but that's Okay.

Once running go directly to your garage....No where else....You heard me....To the garage...Remember, you basically have no brakes if she's been sitting for 4 years. Be very careful...Once in her stall, put 'er up on jack stands, and change the oil and the filter....Put 1/2 quart of MMO in with the oil. Examine the underneath real well. Suspension, exhaust, drivetrain, and especially the brakes. Drain the coolant, put in new....New electrics if you haven't done it....Wires (NGK) Plugs (NGK) distributor cap and rotor, get a new air cleaner. It's no big hassle so while she's up in the air drain and add new trans oil and diff oil, if you can afford it use synthetic....

You probably need Idler arm bushings...No big deal, cheap and easy to do, make sure the calipers are working correctly, check your brake pads, and rotors....When you can do it, drain and change all brake fluid. You'll need a pardner to help yuh with that. Drain and change fluid in your clutch master and slave, it's brake fluid too.

That will get you started. Don't know how many miles is on this pony, but treat like it's brand new...I mean it's gonna need a breaking in period since it's been sitting so long. No long trips, no going over 4000 rpm for the first 500 miles....

The SE is a wonderful car, and you can count yourself a lucky cowboy to have one....Easy does it at first....More later...

A tip of the Stetson,
Denny, from the 'ol corncrib....

 

actually, someone left it in a warehouse, and they were about to lose it to foreclosure, so they gave it to me. I replaced the gas, didn't mean it was still good, and replaced the battery, just so i could start the car I got the car started, it burned a huge plume of smoke for about 3 minutes, but now it's running great, drove it around the yard (no plates yet). Im pretty sure someone stole the alternator, but left the belt, as they broke the rear triangle window to get it. There are about 130k miles on the car is this high or expected (used to honda high miles, not sure about rx). Also, what octane gas should i run in this car. The car was outside, but in the south, so the car was dirty, but no rust, and the paint is still good. The guy that gave it to me (it was his brother's car, said that he just got another car, and left it).

 

Definately let it soak in some MMO or ATF for a couple days.
The seals are probably rusted from not moving in so long.
Denny is right, you probably have no brakes after all that time. Bleed the cylinder. If its a GSL-SE you might want to have the injectors cleaned

 

great find! Follow Denny's and everyone's suggestions and give the car a good once over before you start driving her around. Clean it up, make it shine, fill 'er full of brand spankin new fluids. Yes, she should start and run ok w/o an alt, but I'd get one

As far as milage, 130K is gettin up there, but by no means the end of the car's lifespan, just BE CAREFUL, as letting the car sit for 4 years means you're gonna wanna go through breakin again like Denny said, if you don't you're guaranteed to spit out an apex seal.

One thing no one mentioned (shame!) check yer cats. At 78101, when I bought my -SE, I pulled the cats and they were SHOT, like totally hosed, cloggin up the works and all. If you can, ditch them for a straight pipe (if this is ok in yer area), if it's not ok to do that, like in my area, get a high flow cat. It might be time for new shocks / springs. Just FYI, the Tokico springs I put on that are supposed to lower the car about an inch, raised it an inch.


That should do it. Have fun! Good luck! Welcome to the gang!!

--matt

 

You should use 87 octane in the rotarys

 

Nope.. 1985 They still look great for a 16 yrear old car, don't they?

If you're gonna run without an alternator, your running time will be a few hours, maybe 30 mins with headlights and wipers.

Treat it like one of those new fangled electric cars and plug it into a battery charger any time you get someplace.

Dont rev it up a lot as sparks waste battery power, plus you only have one belt on the water pump. (The air pump belt and alternator belts go over the water pump.)

Deep cycling car batteries isn't reccomended as it shortens the life. Car batteries are noramlly designed to put out one big pulse of power (Starting) and then charge up. Deep cycling involves a long slow drawing of power. (Leaving the lights on, running without the alternator, etc.)

130k miles is pretty good for a 1985. That's 8125 miles per year. Actually that's awesome, considering average milage per year is 15k and my 1985 has 175k on it.

Everyone here is very informative and friendly, if you stay outta the lounge. (That's a different story, not for persons with heart defects, the elderly, the easily offended, or minors. :p ) Feel freee to aks questions and what not. BTW, the best two things you should pick up for your car are a Haynes manual (Looks bright blue, bout $10-$20 from any auto parts or book store.) and a Mazda Worskshop manual. (It's green and big, $80-$120).

Dealerships are not very supportive of the rotary powered vehicles. Best bet for online info are the following:

www.Mazdatrix.com - Supplies anything and everything that you could want for your rotary powered veichle. One stop shop for all stock and performance parts, manuals, info, etc. If they don't have it, you probably didn't need it anyway.

www.rx7.com - Rotary Performance: Performance parts mainly. Based in Texas, they also do repair work and engine rebuilds. Very friendly on the phone.

www.mazspeed.com - Another board like this one. First Gen only. You'll probably get faster response here, but there is a huge library of info there, as well as a lot of nice guys.

http://personal.riverusers.com/~yawpower/ - Paul Yaw's site. Very informative. This guy spends a lot of time researching carburetors, ignition systems, intakes/exhausts, and rotary engines. Sells a modified Nikki carb that is streetable. (Drivability, not emissions wise.)

www.atkinsrotary.com - Engine rebuilders. They supply rebuild kits and such. Also supplies supercharger kits.

http://mrmazda.members.atlantic.net/ - Felix Miata's site. Mucho info.

http://www.solarwinds.com/jdbooker/rx-7faq/ - First gen RX-7 Faq. More info.

http://members.home.com/sofronov/Cars/Mazda/Rotary.html - How does the rotary engine work? How is it different than a piston engine? Porting explained. All this and more here.

 

BTW that was a cut n paste.. Ignore the Carb parts...

 

An even bett site IMO, of how the rotary works:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

And, pele forgot:
http://www.racingbeat.com/FRmazda1.htm
Another great site for performance parts

 

yeah, i did mean 85. Hopefully ill have it back on the road within a week. I did pick up the manual, and it sort of suprised me how much stuff this car has in common with a regular piston engine, as most people i know seem to really fear the rotary.

 

People fear what they don't understand, but the rotary uses the same basic principles as a piston engine.

Which manual were you to refering to? The Haynes Manual or the Mazda Shop Manual?

 

That's cause they're idiots.

If ya know boingers, take a look at the rotary engine animation once and it's like a brick to the skull. At least that's how I realized it. (I didn't quite get the 3 to 1 rotational speed deal. 3 shaft rotations = 1 rotor rev.)

I left out Racing Beat because you can find them through MazdaTrix. The sites I dropped above were more for info.

Just keep searchin for info and askin questions, you'll learn a lot... Maybe, even one day you'll be the first to respond to one of these "Yeah, I just got a first gen. Can you guys help me get it running?" posts. We're glad to help and you'll be glad you got the car.

I know I am. Regardless of condition