Well with your help I am gaining good ground here now to fix one major problem and a few smaller ones.
this is for an 86 N/A rex manual tranny

1.) The rear suspension. when i give it gas there is a thud from the back I am assuming the shocks are bad.
Do I need to replace the shock AND springs? And what
should this cost me (average) Also is this something I can do myself? I have the adjusting shocks and was told you can only replace them with OEM Mazda shocks is this true and is it worth it for the Normal - Sport option? How do you know if the actuator above the shocks are working - can you hear them?
( If I replace the shocks but leave the springs do I need a special tool?)
sorry so long but I know very little about suspension.

2.) The notorius windshield wiper syndrome.
Yes I also have the wiper that only works in one speed
and stops wherever its at when turned off. (a.k.a the timed stop)
so how can I fix this...new motor? a little soldering somewhere? switch? all of the above?

3.) my electricity surges a little.
When I am running the heater is when its most noticable
up and down up and down I can watch the voltmeter go from ( I dont remember actual #'s but for example)
12 to maybe 15 then back to 12 then to 15 and so on...

4.) my clock doesnt stay on.

5.) my sunroof will not open.
I can hear the motor going but it doesnt move I have tried pushing up on the back at same time but nothing will get that mother to move. not sure where to even start on this one. but I REALLY would like to have my sunroof I miss having one greatly.

6.) this could be linked to ques. #1
when going around a turn at oh... upwards from 30 miles an hour if I hit any little bumbs on road the car feels like its going to slide off into 360's, and when driving straight the steering wheel will go left & right slightly.

7.) this may be a really stupid question but can you run
any plugs like Splitfire? I guess what I should really be asking is what is the best plug to run and does it really make a differance in performance? ( worth the money)

Ok I guess thats enough for right now sorry there are so many questions.
and thanks for your help in advance because I know I will get tons of help from everyone here.

 

4.) my clock doesnt stay on.


There is a short/bad connection in you clock & warning light assembly. I have the same problem and was told by the dealer (haha) that it is $315. I have not replaced it cause the warning lights are ok, just the clock goes on & off.

 

Well, all of these are FAQs, and can be answered by using Felix Miata's FAQ or by searching, but I'm bored, so here goes...

Quote:

1.) The rear suspension. when i give it gas there is a thud from the back I am assuming the shocks are bad.
Do I need to replace the shock AND springs? And what
should this cost me (average) Also is this something I can do myself? I have the adjusting shocks and was told you can only replace them with OEM Mazda shocks is this true and is it worth it for the Normal - Sport option? How do you know if the actuator above the shocks are working - can you hear them?
( If I replace the shocks but leave the springs do I need a special tool?)
sorry so long but I know very little about suspension.

The thud you hear is from a bad differential mount, not this shocks. Unless you've got some serious hardware and air tools, I would recommend paying someone to replace it for you.

In any case, your shocks are probably worn out at this point anyway. You might want to consider replacing/upgrading them. No, it's not worth it to pay $600/shock for the AAS - a full set of KYB AGXes will run ~$400 shipped, and are IMO the best you can buy.

You can replace the shocks without replacing the springs, but I wouldn't. I mean, why would you?

Quote:

2.) The notorius windshield wiper syndrome.
Yes I also have the wiper that only works in one speed
and stops wherever its at when turned off. (a.k.a the timed stop)
so how can I fix this...new motor? a little soldering somewhere? switch? all of the above?

Ah crap. I can't remember the URL for the writeup of the fix for this. It's a relay that's gone bad (either burned up or come unsoldered). The relay is in your dash cluster. Not too hard to get to. Can someone provide a link to the writeup?

Quote:

3.) my electricity surges a little.
When I am running the heater is when its most noticable
up and down up and down I can watch the voltmeter go from ( I dont remember actual #'s but for example)
12 to maybe 15 then back to 12 then to 15 and so on...

While I would normally say "voltage regulator!", a friend of mine experienced this when she replaced her battery. She used a cheaper one, but when she upgraded the problems went away. In any case, it's either the battery or the alternator. The electrical systems in our cars are not quite up to par

Quote:

4.) my clock doesnt stay on.

bad cold solder points in the idiot light cluster. Pull that bad boy out and resolder the whole thing. Your sense of time will thank you.

Quote:

5.) my sunroof will not open.
I can hear the motor going but it doesnt move I have tried pushing up on the back at same time but nothing will get that mother to move. not sure where to even start on this one. but I REALLY would like to have my sunroof I miss having one greatly.

Your tracks are gummed up. Guess what? It's common. There's a little "plug" on the headliner. Pop it out, and use the factory-provided allen wrench to crank it while you're pushing up on the rear of the sunroof. If that doesn't do it, you'll have to pull the headliner and remove the whole assembly. It's a good weekend's work if you've never done it before.

Quote:

6.) this could be linked to ques. #1
when going around a turn at oh... upwards from 30 miles an hour if I hit any little bumbs on road the car feels like its going to slide off into 360's, and when driving straight the steering wheel will go left & right slightly.

You probably just need an alignment and new shocks/struts.

Quote:

7.) this may be a really stupid question but can you run
any plugs like Splitfire? I guess what I should really be asking is what is the best plug to run and does it really make a differance in performance? ( worth the money)

NGK BUR9EQ and BUR7EQ. Anything less and you're asking to kill your engine. Plus, you never have to gap 'em

Quote:

Ok I guess thats enough for right now sorry there are so many questions.
and thanks for your help in advance because I know I will get tons of help from everyone here.

Like I said, most of these queries are FAQs. The search feature works pretty well.

Here are some sites to get you started:
http://www.teamfc3s.org
http://www.fc3s.org
http://www.mazdatrix.com
http://www.1300cc.com

That and a factor manual (downloadable from http://www.fc3s.org) will get you started! Good luck and happy rotoring!

Brandon

 

I know some of these topics have come up before. Try to search for some answers. The search feature is in the upper right hand corner of every page.

 

Brandon - Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these - you dont know how big of help you are.
I too often get the search answer and when I search I find nothing or the question is put in a way that I wonder if they are actually having same problem or just a similar one.

 

I dont have the factory tool for the sunroof will just a normal allen wrench work? I have one that fits it. but wasnt sure what it did and I didnt want to mess it up worse. do you know which I turn it? clockwise or counter? and how hard should it be to turn if its stuck?

 

I don't know much about the sunroofs on these, but you might want to have a friend help you out if it doesn't easily move with the allen wrench.. this way you don't strip the sunroof dial thingey.. Might have a friend hit the sunroof button occasionally while you turn the dial with the allen wrench.

 

I really don't know, because my sunroof works perfectly (ducks and runs) A normal allen wrench should work. I can't imagine it being anything short of straighforward, though - just use your common sense Oh, and read the factory service manual on http://www.fc3s.org

Brandon

 

Try to get your sunroof to open by doing this: Press the open button and hold it in. At the same time apply upward pressure to the rear part of the sunroof. Push on it like you are trying to push the rear part out of the car. If the roof opens a little at the rear and stops push the button again and hold it in.

These sunroofs have two positions that the opening circuit looks for. One push on the control button will raise the rear part of the roof for ventilation. Another push will then cause the roof to open all the way up. My rex needs a helping hand by doing what I suggested in the first paragraph. After the initial opening gets started the roof works in a normal fashion. It closes by itself. I have been advised the relays in the circuit are in need of cleaning/replacement. I would have already done this but the interior of the car has to come out so I am living with it as it is.

 

Here's the wiper switch repair instructions:
http://www.zapta.com/tal/rx7/wiper/main.html


Here's the clock fix instructions:
http://home.rmci.net/panther/rx7clock.htm