Tech_Greek

Alright,

I've almost got every single kink worked out for the RX7 but I have a few questions and comments.

Here's my current situation;

I'm 17, not in school, and making $6/hr until I turn 18 (which I will then go to find a better job, I can do websites and tear apart computers and put them back together with my eyes closed).

I've got TWO cars, a 1995 Ford Thunderbird LX and a 1985 Mazda RX7 GSL-SE...the Thunderbird has a blown transmission.

I recently ordered a transmission for the Thunderbird that I found for mad cheap and it's going to cost me $200 to bring it to my door step.

Now, here's my situation, I can't pick and choose between the two cars, I already have gotten the transmission shipped down here and it's waiting on me...my brother's about to turn 16 but swapping the transmission in isn't so easy considering there are some things to do like repining the harness so I'm thinking about just giving the Thunderbird to him.

Did I mention that we have ANOTHER first generation, 12A - Brand New Engine but it has some electrical problems and we have no space at this house?

Should I sell the Thunderbird and Tranny? Should I give it to my brother? Should I even keep the RX7?

---

Alright, moving on;

1) In the morning, my car burns off hella oil (if it's been sitting up for any amount of time). I know it's leaking from a hose down onto the heater hose or something and possibly the exhaust but when I say it smokes, think about running a flooded engine for about 2 minutes and that’s what mine does but it doesn’t smoke again after wards until I let it sit over night again.

2) My car is constantly loosing coolant, I have no idea where it is going, I know the rad is clogged to a certain extent and a new one was in the future plans but there may be some pin size holes at the top of the rad from my genius dad scrapping some dirt dobbers nest off of the rad with a screw driver (one of the first STUPID things I've seen my dad do to a car).

3) Interior paneling, someone told me my seats weren't stock and that they were out of another generation car. I didn't think so but now I'm beginning to wonder because the seat belt doesn’t want to come around the seat with the door closed and the seat is right next to the door with it closed. What color is the blue classified as OEM color? Grey? Because everywhere I've looked at I can't find the blue interior colors.

Thanks!

- Tech

Tech_Greek

Seats

ddewhurst

Tech, do yourself a favor & return to high school. When finished with high school get a minimum of a four year college degree. Then MAYBE you will not need to worry about where your next buck is coming from to keep your car working. & before you blast me keep im mind that most kids that are computer bright even at 17 years young can get a job paying more than $6 per hour.

slashdawg00110

Doesn't have to be a four-year degree. But some sort of post-secondary education is advisable. Sure, you can find examples of people who make a decent or better than decent living with nothing but a high school education, but they're the exception rather than the rule. In a lot of fields, you won't even get noticed - regardless of your skillfulness - unless you've gotten some post-secondary education.

What's the magic about turning 18 before getting a better job? Have you tried turning your mad computer skillz into an income stream?

To answer your questions:

- dunno about the seats, 2nd gen maybe?
- if you have a beehive cooler ('83 - '85 12A engines), check for leaks under the cooler. You've probably got bad o-rings. A cheap but PITA to fix. The leak will destroy the coolant hoses, so be careful. You can swap the beehive for an earlier-model cooler, a -SE cooler or a FC cooler and avoid o-rings in the future.
- coolant either leaks or burns. Any evidence of leaks by these pinholes?
- keep the t-bird or rx-7? I'm horribly biased. Keep the rx-7.

Tech_Greek

ddewhurst,

The whole reason I dropped out was to pay bills, not because I was a problem child or anything like that.

I'm planning on getting my GED in a few days and then taking online courses for college that way I can work and do school at the same time.

slashdawg00110,

It's a 1985 GSL-SE

If it burns the coolant, is that going to hurt anything?

- Tech

slashdawg00110

Maybe I misunderstood the symptom. Are you talking about smoking out the exhaust or from under the hood? I focused on the leaking part, but are you saying you get blue smoke on startup?

Do you see evidence of overheating? Are you losing coolant out the overflow tank? Replaced the radiator cap recently? Checked the thermostat?

Tech_Greek

Exhaust

It's a blue haze that hangs there for a second.

Replaced the rad cap recently with an auto zone one and the thermostat, no.

I did replace the overflow tank with one from Mazdatrix.

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

sound like your seals are bad, that means rebuild, actually there is one thing you can try before a rebuild theres a thread somewhere that actually has a contraversal way to fix this.... Now the only hard part is finding it.

Tech_Greek

I'm not even going to attempt that, If the engine needs a rebuild I'm screwed and will end up just selling the RX7 or something as much as I don't want to.

I have no money! Argh, this little car takes more money than my girlfriend & thunderbird combined!

- Tech

Tech_Greek

Well,

I just changed the oil pressure sending unit and cleaned up the engine bay with some engine degreaser and let me tell you it does make a difference.

I'm about to take it out for a spin to see if I can locate the oil leak.

- Tech

nick1

you're asking an rx7 forum whether or not to keep your gsl-se or a thunderbird? dude....you know what we're gunna say.

sounds to me like you're burning the coolanat, kind of like what happens when you blow a head gasket on a piston engine.

i think those seats are 2nd gen. seats. but just so you know, even the first gen seats hit the driver's door when its closed. (at least mine does on the driver's side. the bolster rubs against the door)

good luck man. even if you motor is bad, save up and get another motor....or sell the stupid thunderbird and get a motor with that money. if you need to get your *** around in the meantime, do what i do and have a couple piece of **** cars lying around that are cheap to fix/run. i have a 91 civic, and a 87 jetta. they are my backup cars/daily driver cars. when one is broken, i drive the other, and vice versa. i have to do this, becuase i do deliveries for a living, and need a running car at all times.

good luck. and KEEP THE 7!!!

nick

Tech_Greek

Well,

I've made the decision to keep the 7, I can use the 12A as a daily driver (once I put the dash back together ).

I'll be selling the Thunderbird and Transmission to build a BAE, or, big *** engine. I'm going to build it piece by piece and not go cheap on any part and do it right...this also delays me moving out a year but eh who cares I can live with waiting on the gf to turn 18 anyways.

Wouldn't the engine overheat like a piston engine if the coolant seal was gone? I would imagine so, I just have to add coolant every once and a while...it smokes a LOT on a COLD start (not a hot start).

- Tech

nick1

good choice...but are you sure this is what you're going to do?

not to pick at you, but seems like you change your mind quite a bit.

i hope you keep your rx7. by the way, what is the deal with the 2nd rx7 with the 12a? is it yours? maybe you could swap the engine over?

nick

Tech_Greek

The other Rx7 is my dads, he also owns an RX8.

The 12A has bad electrical problems but has a brand new engine in it...

I'm positive that's what I want to do! I've been bitten by the rotary bug, everytime I try to get rid of it it comes back!



- Tech

Tech_Greek

Alright,

I've been reading around and I think it's just a mix between oil burning off, the exhaust leak, and a pin hole in the rad.

It doesn't happen when I drive for a minute or so, it just happens on start up on a cold morning. On a hot start, it'll give a little puff of blue smoke, but that's normal apparently (not enough to be like 'omg the guys car is on fire, call 911').

- Tech

Tech_Greek

I think it has to do with the point I'm using 20W-50 Royal Purple Oil because someone told me that would be a good choice...

NOT...

- Tech

nopistonsrx7

Hey tech,

Im in a similar situation, just finished year 12 and went to find a job and have a break for a year before going back to study. I am now on my second gen1 at the ripe old age of 17. One thing i learnt quickly about these cars... THEY ARE NOT CHEAP... but if you do it for the love of the rotor and the feeling you get when you put your foot down and pass these new $40,000 cars then the money doesnt really matter.

I saved for 2 years before buying my first one and i made sure i had atleast $2000 in the bank ontop of the price of the car... and sure enough all the money went, but my mild port 12a was running 14.8 on **** tyres and suspension. If you are looking for a specific cheap daily driver then an older rx-7 isn't probably for you, but if you are looking for something that you can have much fun in and still drive it to work in the morning then go for it and save the money to fix it.

But like i said before, they are not cheap, but definatley worth the money :-)

Goodluck on making the hard choice

-nopstons

smnc

I don't know about all the people saing those are 2nd gen seats... they look the same as my leather FB seats, just in a different colour.

Maybe they were re-upholstered at some point?

Tech_Greek

Dunno,

Everyone just told me they don't look like they are stock. NP, yeah, I just went and picked up my transmission for my Thunderbird.

I plan on building an engine out side of the car for the RX7 and then dropping it in and putting collectors insurance on it so I can drive it back/fourth to the track.

- Tech

smnc

Here is my stock leather seat from my old car:

Yours looks almost the same, except that your side bosters are a seperate piece of upholstory, similar to the coth seats on my new car...