i just bought my first rx7 and was looking for pointers and tips. i also need to replace the clutch and was wondering how hard that would be to do myself. any help would be appreciated thanks.

 

Clutch requires taking off the exhaust, taking out the transmission, replacing a bunch of stuff, and re-assembling.

If you think you can do it there are a ton of how to threads on it, hit the search button and search away.

 

Welcome to the club. Buy yourself a flamesuit and make yourself at home.

Early advise, don't take anything personally, a lot of questions have been asked by several people and those who have been here a while are getting tired of answering them, so they react violently.

If you search, read other people's posts and pay attention, you will do fine here.

As to the clutch, it is exactly the same as changing the clutch in a piston engine, nothing rotary specific at all.

A summary of what you will have to do:
Remove the driveshaft and exhaust, support rear of the engine and the transmission, take the bolts out of the bellhousing and rear trans mount and remove the slave cylinder. Then lower and slide the transmission back, replace the clutch (make sure to use a line up tool). Put the trans in 5th gear and stab it back in (you might need to turn the output shaft a little to get the shaft to line up. Assembly is then the opposite of removal.

If you feel confortable with this then go to it. You will certainly want to become aquainted with the Factory Service Manual (FSM).

S4 (86-88)

S5 (89-91)

 

Welcome!!!

1.Dont use cheap synthetic oil. EVER! https://www.rx7club.com/automotive-news-lounge-22/castrol-synthetic-oils-rotary-engines-727189/ <----- synthetic thread, basically dont use any synthetic oil.

2. If you smell gas from under your hood, and you still have a charcoal canister, its the pulsation dampener, which notoriously leaks when its failing. It leaks on the exhaust manifold and will cause a engine bay fire if not fixed.

3. Rice + Rotary = poo

4. Be easy on the door handles, if you have time you should lube them periodically.

5. If you have do deal with emissions dont remove anything emissions related!!! esp. the airpump.

6.Redline once a week to free up carbon deposits

7. Change your oil every 3000 miles. EVERY 3000 MILES!!!
ALSO, the rotary uses a little oil by design so check it every time you fill up.

8. This site is the absolute source for rx7 info, so read everything you can.

9. Have fun and good luck!

 

alright well thanks for the tips guys i will read as much of possible. what are the best mods for the na car

 

Friend of mine did the clutch for the first time in 2 weeks worth of evenings (dunno how much of the weekends). Or you could just pay a mechanic $300 plus cost of parts ($200?). Depends how involved you want to get.

Do all the basic maintenance items first. Haynes manual chapter 1 is awesome for this (non-maintenance sections are just ok). Or you could sift through the FSM, downloadable from the forum FAQ. Use only OEM thermostats (e.g., from a dealer). Pay special attention to cooling system maintenance. Pull over within a minute if your engine ever starts to overheat or your oil pressure hits zero, unless you have $2-3 grand to cover the engine rebuild. On the 1986-1988 (s4) models, up to 3/4 on the temp gauge is safe, but 1/4 is preferable. On 1989+ (s5) models, the temp gauge stays around 1/2 and is much less sensitive, so it might not warn you until it's too late. +1 to DavidHolmesIII #2, #6.

Best power mods are catalytic converter replacement (performance cat or pipe + pre-silencer) and performance mufflers. If you own a 1986-1988 (s4) model, do a forum search on auxiliary (aka 5th and 6th) ports before replacing the cat. After that power gets much harder to get. Then you either gotta do little things or get a standalone ECU (or cheaper method of tuning) and street port the engine. Search the forum for more info.

Best handling mods are shocks, springs, sway bars, suspension bushings (if worn out). Make sure the shocks, springs and sways have similar stiffness or you'll have problems. Other than that stiffer = better handling but less comfort. So the brand/stiffness you get is up to you. At the very least replace the old worn out shocks and maybe the bushings if they're worn out. Also do a forum search on "DTSS".

You can answer most questions with a forum search.

 

well alright im gonna start reading the forums then. i guess i got lucky cause the motor was rebuilt about 10k ago and was tuned ported then and its needs a new cat anyway so i guess im going with a high flow cat then. does any body have any for sale or know where to get other smog parts

 

Ebay has a wide variety or used and new parts frequently. As far as Na upgrades go theres a lot to do.

https://www.rx7club.com/naturally-aspirated-performance-forum-220/simple-gain-suggestions-n-owners-715386/ <--- NA performance upgrade thread.

One thing, make sure the high flow cat you get has the intake for the smog/air pump, if air isnt injected into the cat you WILL NOT PASS EMISSIONS. Trust me, i've had my emissions problems, maybe 6 court dates due to registration issues.

 

after replacing the clutch i would start on the suspension of the car. racing beat makes a good suspension package for pritty cheap. the package includes sway bars and lowering springs.

 

what kind of budget are you on???
are you planning on keeping it NA?
what are your mechanical skills; are you capable of swapping/rebuilding an engine yourself
because if you are
i would go turbo!!!
depending on what power level you want, just read up on everything you can, and copy what you find attractive for your car.