Belteshazzar

iTrader: (1)

I'm driving to texas from lincoln NE to deliver a car to my friend. Once I deliver him his new car, I'll fly home into Omaha NE. My question concerns the last leg of my trip...

I'll fly into Omaha and get a ride to my new '79 RX-7, currently waiting at my parents house there in Omaha. Then I'll drive home 60 miles to Lincoln.

The car's been sitting for two years. It's completely bone stock. I had 20 minutes to check it out, so I slapped a optima yellow top in it and the car fired up quickly, but as far as I can tell it's only running on one rotor. It ran okay when parked, except for a massive exhaust leak at the thermal reactor.
I won't have time to work on it again before the 60 mile drive home.
My question is, what parts/tools should I take with me? Where should I look to wake up that dead rotor?
Lastly, should I be concerned that there was NO oil in it the day I went to check it out(I filled it before starting the car btw)?

FirebirdSlayer666

iTrader: (3)

Put fresh plugs in it and just make sure you have the basics, antifreeze, oil, belts, brake fluid, etc. Make sure there's good wiper blades on it too. I was driving my new 79 RX home and hit rain. The wipers were trash so I had to find a parts store in the middle of nowhere Virginia.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

if its running on onl one rotor, i wouldnt attempt a 60 mile drive. you need to find out if compression is lost or you have an ignition/fuel/air problem. but if you do get it running, i would personally i take a full set of metric sockets (deepwell and standard depth) two ratchets, a set of metric ratcheting wrenches with the flex head (made by gearwrench), i take a small assortment of extensions, screwdrivers, pliers, needlenose vice grips, a 10mm line wrench, a few rags, a can of seafoam, a change of clothes or a blanket, a couple quarts of oil, brake fluid, coolant, and a shop manual

bstrange99

When you fill the gas tank, put at least 8oz of seafoam in it. You may very well wake up the motor within the 60 miles. Also, don't forget your 10mm, 12mm, and spark plug sockets and wrenches. Wire brush for cleaning plugs (just in case the oil's pouring into the engine from the omp). Also be sure you put a good quality, new oil filter on it.

Rogue_Wulff

Fuel filter, and the number to AAA.

Belteshazzar

iTrader: (1)

When I checked it out the other day I limped it over to a gas station. I dropped in two cans of sea foam and filled the tank the rest of the way, which was about 8-9 gallons.

My brother had been DD'ing it right up until it got parked. He only moved on because the exhaust work was expensive and "driving the car gave him a head ache". So hopefully it didn't loose an apex seal just sitting there.
The loss of oil is weird. There was a deep dark black spot under the car, but not what I'd expect for the four quarts or whatever was missing.

Rogue_Wulff

With 2 cans of seafoam in the tank, better have a good stock of fuel filters. I would advise adding one under the hood, just ahead of the carb, and use new rubber hose from the filter to the carb.
The seafoam will loosen and remove most anything that has accumulated in the tank and lines, certainly don't that stuff getting into the carb. Although, some likely has gotten in there already.
I'd almost bet that the dead rotor is fuel related, due to the carb having trash in it. It could "fix" itself on the drive, but would likely need a carb overhaul to properly solve the problem.

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

AAA card definitely. Cell phone.

Mirror & flashlight so you can check the rear bowl for fuel level.

Large exhaust leak @ thermal reactor? Take fire extinguisher.

mschiap

iTrader: (20)

exhaust leak? I've a seen a cardboard "stick-on" carbon monoxide detector on a Spec-7. maybe you can can get one at an auto-parts store, if so would be a good safety item.

Crit

iTrader: (6)

Seeing as you're flying, I imagine you can't take seafoam, fire extinguishers, starting fluid, or anything like that. How much time did you spend with it earlier, when you worried that it's on one rotor?

AAA card
cellphone
Spark Plugs
Plugwrench

Try deflooding, change the plugs, and if it isn't running right, call AAA. I doubt you'll want to drive and fly with a full roll-around cabinet, and I'd be wary to get too involved with diagnosis and repair in a parking lot, 60mi from home.

If you have a chance to stop and buy some combustibles, I'd get starting fluid, two quarts of oil, a 99c jug of deionized water at the grocery store, and a can of seafoam. If the car runs on starting fluid, you've got a carb problem. If it only fires on one rotor, you've got a compression / ignition problem.

Belteshazzar

iTrader: (1)

The trip turned out to be a bust. The bmw I was supposed to drive to texas for the first leg of the trip overheated. Apparently, some bastard decided it would be funny to make the water pump impeller out of plastic so that at the worst possible time 18 years later it could fall off the shaft and disappear.

So this past weekend I drove to Omaha to check out the SA and possibly drive it home. That went poorly too. I'll make a new thread about it......

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

keep us updated....sorry to hear of your troubles