Synchro22

I picked up an 88 GXL on Saturday, and well, she's got some issues. Not that I didn't expect it though. What would you expect buying an 18 year old car from a teenager. Here is the plus side:

Brand New Tires
It runs

Ok, well...Now that I think about it, its a damn short plus side.

Now the questions:

1) Driver side door looks like it got ran into a pole while open. No damage to the rear fender, just the rear edge of the door. Since I don't really care about power windows (which go down quite well, up is another story) would it just be easier to replace the whole door? I'm sure I can find one in the pick-and-pull here in town, hopefully two so I can have matching mismatching doors.

2) The clock on the display doesn't work. All the lights turn on when you turn the key to 'ON', just no clock. Not a big issue in my world, I carry two cell phones and I have a watch. I'm just worried if the PO disconnected wires and now I'm actually missing out on any alarms (Like Low Coolant). That leads right into...

3) The coolant is low, but the buzzer isn't killing me. I picked this car up in Lincoln CA (about 120 miles from Reno) and had to drive it home. I don't own a truck, and I figured that I might as well know what it's going to do. Well, on the flats it would run really really good. Acceleration could use some work, but it would do what you asked it to. But up the hills it would start to overheat. I'm talking 3/4 up the guage overheat. So I turned the heater up full bore and it would drop. On the downhill side if I didn't push it it would drop back down to normal. Got it home with no real issue, let it cool then opened the rad cap. the top of the core is bone dry and there is coolant that looks like it escaped out of the fill cap near the TB. But the no buzzer is the troubling part.

4) There is a funny blue plug hanging down under the steering wheel. I looked in the FSM, but it's not in color. Any idea?

5) The PO, or PPO for that matter, totally f'ed up the audio system. I don't know which wire goes where and most have been cut so far into the dash it would take too many connecters to get it to where I can work with it. How hard is it to just run new wire? Of course I'd go the easy route and hook the new wire to the old wire at the speaker points and pull the old out and the new in, but is that a whole weekend project or a couple of hours?

6) Well, there is no 6. I just don't like to end on odd numbers.

I knew when I bought this that it would take a bit to get it where I want it, and I'm Okay with that. I don't trust the engine at this point so I'm saving up to just rebuild it (with the help of some friends) and eventually I may slap a TII engine in it and call it swapped. But for now I just want to get it running a little better than it is right now so I can stop putting miles on my 3 just going back and forth to work. All and all though I'm happy I bought this RX, and the price was just what I was looking for.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Sideways7

iTrader: (7)

The overheating could be caused by the low coolant. In the future don't drive it if the buzzer is on. Once you add coolant, watch the level and see if its dropping, which could signal a problem such as fried coolant seals. If it continues to over heat, check out this page to figure it out: http://aaroncake.net/RX-7/cooling.htm
Since it went down when you put the heater on, it could be that the radiator is clogged, or the radiator ducting is missing.

Synchro22

In other words. There is no buzzer.

This isn't my first RX, and I know 3/4 is too hot. But number three is really a two part question. Where would the coolant go (other than out of the fill cap) and how would I check to make sure the buzzer does work.

On my old RX the wire for the sensor was cut where it went into the frame, so I know even if the sensor is unplugged the buzzer should go off.

There in lies the question.

Thanks for the reply though!

Synchro22

*******UPDATE*******

Strike number 3 off the list. The coolant issues were directly related to a vast amount of what I like to call 'Crap Gasket'. Picked up a new thermostat (Mazda OEM) and a new filler cap assembly from MazdaTrix and installed them on Saturday. After about an hour getting all the gasket type material off the housing neck I installed real gaskets, filled up the coolant, and went for a drive. The guage (for what its worth) never went a tick over 1/4. So that crisis is adverted...for now.

I figured out what the blue plug is for...Damn stock speakers. But I still havn't made heads or tails of the radio harness. Yes, yes, reading the FAQ and wiring diagram. Still confusing as hell. Also the idiot lights tell me the hatch is open all the time. Yet another wiring issue to look at.

Just figured I'd let everyone know the 'Search This Forum' button really does work!

LOL

Luke

Icemark

Just replace the whole door.

Probably one of two things. I'd first look at the room fuse. The clock's main power comes from the room fuse. If the fuse is fine and the dome lights are working, then the next thing I would look at would be a bad clock warning panel that needs re-soldering.

Probably a bad buzzer, or the previous owner may have disabled the system. On the 88 the coolant level sensor is right on top of the radiator next to the overflow cap.

as you have already found it is a audio plug.

Depends on your ability... the fact that you are asking suggests that it might be a whole weekend job to run new speaker wires (which I would not recommend unless you are planning on more than 50 watts of power per speaker. The power wires should be fine though, and I would continue to use those, or you might be asking for real problems.

Synchro22

Figured as much. Hopefully I can find two doors off the same car.
Now that you mention it, the dome light doesn't work. I'll check that tonight.
Well, the sensor is there, the wire is intact, so it may still be working. Maybe. I'll poke at it more and see if I can make it buzz.
Well, I'm not planning on putting a HUGE system into it right now, and when I do I'll let someone that does it for a living install it. I'm not egotistical enough to say 'I can do it, I know everything' I can admit when I don't know something. So I guess I'll figure out what goes where and just take my time with it all. I already had to fabricate (Cheaply) strut tower mounts, so I'm sure I'll get this to work.

Thanks for the help, and it's always good to learn more.