ffcsin

Im about to buy my second rx7. The first was an 86, and it was stolen and wrapped around a tree about 2 miles down the road. This second one is a 12 a (i wasn't able to find a suitable 13b) with 200k miles on the engine and a very nice body and interior. But before any money exchanges hands, i have some questons...1, there is a leak on the drivers side of the engine near the oil filter and it uns down the engine on that side. I hope its from oil changes and not a leak....second, i heard that its good to get the compression checked before i buy...what else? Anybody, please, i really need the help becuase i dont wanna waste the money on a car thats going to be a pile in a few weeks.

P_Lav

Chances are that leak is just from the spilled oil from a change, your biggest concern is rust, check all the wheel wells, and rocker panels. Lift up the interior panals over the wheel wells aswell, rust likes to hide there.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

hmmm - my 12a (80 w 75K mi) also has a leak there caused by infamous "dowel" leak, caused when failing oil seals in the housings permit internal engine oil to weep out at certain points, usually on either side of the oil filler pipe (ie, mid cast iron housing). Not terminal unless excessive (like your losing _pints_ of oil), but a annoyance more than anything. For me it just means cleaning that side of the motor every couple of weeks. This may be a tough symptom to quantify until you drive the car for a time! I would guess if the owner has 200K on the motor its likely been a problem for a while
yeah a compression check is a good idea - need the offical Mazda tool to do this, but money well spent - but bear in mind - tho there will be lots who claim to have gone well beyond 200K - you are realistically getting beyond the normal life of the engine so budget for a rebuild sooner rather than later - and likewise any accessories (exhaust, alt, water pump, suspension components) will be over due for replacemet unless the current owner can produce documentation that sez otherwise

And you don't mention PRICE - so its tough to judge value for us...

Check out the Archive for "Stuff to Look Out For" in buying a Gen 1 RX - lots of great tips!
'Luck and welcome
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

DanielBlakley

you can use a piston compression checker, search for info... Exhausts on first gens have in my experience are almost always leaky as **** if they are oem... If your willing and think you can tell the difference taste the oil by the filler neck... if it feels dirty its probably from inside the engine, if it tastes clean its probably just a spill... For that matter I always taste the engine oil from every car I check out, but thats kinda my thing... Good gauge of possible rust damage to car check spare tire area and the rail above the storage compartments, these are good gauges of the overall probability of rust on the car in other places, of course first check under car visible areas and the like first... If the owner will let you ride it hard and shift from second to fourth and then the same for first to third and then just shift to fifth from fourth during normal driving, any noises may mean tranny trouble... take a piece of tubing and hold it up to your ear and check for vacuum leaks in the carb... thats all I could think of off the top of my head

ffcsin

i very much appreciate the answers that i have gotten, and if there are any more, they are very vwelcome. I would like to add the price of the car as 1500 dollars.


ALso, you guys are great, and rx7's rule!

I love how there is cohesion with like minded people.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

A common leak on the 7's if this is a 83-85 Model with the 12 and still has the beehive oil cooler. Is the o'rings underneath the cooler, also the oil pressure sending unit is there also. If it is either one of these it is a minor issue to deal with. The biggest problem it causes is that the water hose underneath the cooler gets saturated and fails.

Biggest expensive of the 7 is the engine. So a compression test is a good investment.
The vehicle is like anyother one. All of everything else is about the same.
The trans,steering,suspension,brakes, etc....
Perhaps you could find a member in your area that is knowledgeable with the 7 and pursuade them to look at it with you. (Bribe them with lunch)

The other alternative if you are serious about the car and are not comfortable checking it out your self is to find a "Full service Rotary shop in your area, pay them to check out the car from top to bottom.