84GSL-SE

I found an 84 GSL-SE marron in my town. It has been sitting for 3 years. A kid drove it in high school and parked it when he went to college. I asked him about the car and he said he wanted to get rid of it. But when I put a jump pack on it, it did a half a turn and then barely moved then the pack went dead. I know the brakes are all locked up and the paint is bad but surprizingly no rust. What do I need to do to get this car running and how much is it worth? Just getting into RX-7s and need some advice on this one since its a 13b fuel injected. It has 109000 miles on it. Any pointers and advice or warnings are greatly appreciated. Thanks

1stgen4life

iTrader: (1)

First of all, welcome to the forum. As far as the engine, it sounds like it could be siezed or there could be a short somewhere making your pack die. As far as advice, check for rust in the wheel wells and under the storage bins. Somebody else will have more advice to give you. Good luck.

LongDuck

Welcome to the boards.

On the SE's the fuel injection system is a variation of the Bosch L-Jetronic which uses a mechanical air-vane-type Air Flow Meter (AFM) to tell the Engine Control Computer (ECU) how much fuel should be injected to match engine rpm and air temperature and volume. This is a very reliable system and as long as all the necessary components are there, it should work just fine having sat for so long. As to the starter/engine not turning over, you may be looking at carbon locking of the engine. When was the last time that it was run?

First step is to take a 17mm socket wrench and turn the front crankshaft clockwise when looking at the front of the engine. Don't put too much torque on it - it should spin smoothly if the seals are in good shape and nothing is binding internally. If you apply about 10-15 ft/lbs of torque (think of this as one-hand, using 2 fingers to turn the average wrench) and it doesn't move, then the engine may be carbon locked and will need some TLC. In the event that it turns smoothly and freely (other than the standard 'flat' spots due to compression, then you're in good shape.

Carbon locking is a very specific problem to fix, but I won't go into that unless you can confirm that it's a problem.

The rest of the car may be easy to get back up and running assuming that you have a few hundred dollars to spend on routine maintenance parts, which can be found at most auto parts places. I would recommend new plugs, new cap and rotor for the distributor, new air filter, new oil filter and an oil change to start off with.

Search on "GSL-SE or SE" here and you should find a wealth of information about what these cars are all about. The SE is arguably the top of the line car for the 1st Generation RX-7 body style, so it would be good to have, even if the engine needs some work to get it up and running.

Good luck and reply back if further questions,

84GSL-SE

Thanks for the info. I hope the motor is still good. The last time it was started was 2.5 years ago. I think its pretty solid everywhere but will defiantly make sure. I want this car because it is the more desirable 1st gen model but how much should i pay the guy? If he says 500 is that a good deal. i saw a nice one on ebay for 3K. It will need a lot of TLC and time to get it to look good again. Plus engine components if needed. I only want to pay him like 200 max for it. But is that to low? Thanks

fc3sdrifting

im kinda in the same situation. im 17 and trying to buy a first car with my money and was originally looking at fc's but looks like ill probably get a gsl-se thats 2 houses down from me. its a long story and its a good one though cause i basically got really lucky with everything, just have to go back and talk to the owner again. its in great condition, 98000 miles, no word on the engine yet. not a problem though cause if it doesnt run ill get the car cheap enough and have enough money for a rebuild.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

In reference to your battery pack dying. If the vehicle has been sitting and the
battery in it has been there for years, you cannot jump thur it. You need to
remove it and put a good known battery in it. If you get the engine started and
it runs on both front and rear rotors, it's worth every penny of $500.00. Good luck!!

Brianhsval

Hell it's worth the 500 if ain't running. Provided everything else is ok. Time and TLC put it back together and you have a hellofa car.