Hi I am totaly new to the rotary engine thing> I was driving in my civic si and all of a sudden this sound came closer and closer looked and it was a rx-7, now I am going to be looking at a 86 rx-7 what should I look for as in the way of frame and other driveline problems this car is only going to be for track use (road racing) .
Any help would be much appreciated. thanks

 

How To Buy An '86-'92 Non-Turbo RX-7
http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm

How To Buy A Second Generation Turbo RX-7
http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy2.htm

New Owner Information
http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/newowner.htm

It's good stuff. The cars are 15-20 years old and will have problems. However it's a hell of a fun car to drive and pretty good to work on.

 

thanks found those links as soon as I posted These cars sound interesting but how do I tell what model it is .

 

simple, the curvasious beautiful ones are 3rd gens, all of which are twin turbo

the funky looking, tiny rimmed ones are first gens (all n/a)


and the ones that look like porsche 924s are second gens (some single turbo, some n/a

 

The 1989+ model will be a little faster, but it usually costs an extra $1k. Turbo adds another $2k. If you're gonna strip it down you shouldn't worry about much else, since the minor variations are just luxury things.

Once you use a buyer's guide to find a good one, here's what to be mindful of:

• Basic maintenance, of course. Especially oil and coolant.
• Never ever overheat it or you could destroy the engine.
• Don't let it knock or you could blow the engine. This should only be a problem with turbos. Too much boost, running lean, old fuel filter, and/or advanced timing could make it knock. Low octane and/or hot weather could cause knocking if combined with other factors.
• Watch for a leaky fuel pulsation dampener (search for info). It'll cause an engine fire.
• The RX-7 has passive rear wheel steering that depends on compliant rubber bushings to let it kick in during hard turns. Chances are, those bushings are now hard and brittle. You can get eliminator bushings for $40 or OEM bushings plus lower arms for $180. Up to you. RWS helps handling but it's an odd feeling and arguably a good driver doesn't need it.

Everything else should hold up pretty well. Search these forums for info on performance upgrades, etc. The stock components should withstand up to 250HP.

 

You must've heard a really nicely tuned RX7 because the majority of RX7's I have heard have a nasty sound to them. It's difficult to get a good tone out of a second gen.