She just got a black 88 vert in excellent condition, i dont know alot about some of the options because mine doesnt have them, here are the problems: headrest speakers and door speakers dont work, lights for headrest buttons come on but no sound. power mirrors dont work, radio works after replacing 5amp fuse on back of stock unit but stock cd player does not work, wont turn on or take cds. also theres little pockets on the convertible top right behind the front windows, is there supposed to be a drain or is it just supposed to hold water in there? and what triggers the alarm, it went off today when she oppened the dorr and the only way i got it to turn off was to kill the battery, if anyone can answer those questions it would be great, thanks

 

sounds like typical electrice problems, try searching for electrical problems, im sure some one else has had those problems

 

Alarms suck. Surgically remove it.

Everything else, arm thyself with a voltmeter and lots of searches on this forum.

Except for the drains, clean the drains out with a hanger.

I have in the past described the FCs as a "bathtub of electrical gremlins", and though I love them I stand by that statement.

 

the alarm could probably be turned off by putting the key in the lock on the driver's side, or whichever door you opened, and turning it like you were locking it or unlocking it...i learned that after having my alarm go off for ten minutes before i found a wrench to disconnect my battery =x

 

Hmm I bought my girlfriend a '90 GTU so I wouldn't have to deal with the **** that comes with electronics like I did with my GXL.

 

Alarms don't suck if you live in Detroit

 

you need to keep her.. any girl that drives a 7 is good in my book... congrats on her car and good luck with it.... vert owners represent

 

what about the mirrors, not important but i want everything to work just so i know everything works, Ill try the hanger down the drains for the vert top. Why are those pockets even there? doesnt make any sense to me unless the let the top flex when it opens or sumthing.

 

Well.. to activate the alarm (I kept mine.. I like the fact it cuts ignition) you lock the passenger door, open the driver door (getting out) and lock it from the inside. It'll make a short high pitched beep. Hold the door handle up as you close the door, and then let go of the handle when the door's shut.

Good luck diagnosing those electrical problems... they're always fun.
I know its probably in good condition, and you may not want to get rid of it... but trash the stock cd player... run all new wire, and while you got speaker wire out, and some of the interior... go ahead and use that speaker wire and re-wire the fuel pump. Good reliability thing to do.

 

If she opened a locked door, without the key, from the inside handle while it was armed, that would cause it to go off. That sounds a little complicated doesn't it. Anyway, to arm the alarm, lock the door from the inside with the door open, and listen for a beep. Then close the door with the handle up. I think the vert would have the same factory alarm as an other 2nd gen right? Anyway, If this is going to be a dialy driver or you want tunes otherwise, get a new headunit, speakers, and amp. Rework the entire system. The original amps and stereo aren't the greatest, and they do have electrical problems after 15 years. The speakers could be blown or dryrotted. As for the mirrors, look into the FSM. I think there are a few sites that host it online and it'll give you a place to start looking for the problem. Good luck, and nice purchase BTW

 

Argh, I type too slow. Hey that car looks a little like mine there poor_red_neck. I think yours is a little cleaner at the moment though

 

Not to high-jack...

I wish it was

It looks good from about 10 feet away, closer you see the few dents/paint chips.



That was taken in February. The paint chip has grown since then. ******* CHEAP *** paint the previous owner did. Going to wait until I get a corksport type II 'kit' to re-paint it.

 

Does anyone know any major mechanical differences between hard top s4 and vert s4? besides the obvious of the top going down, like you mentioned about the fuel pump? isnt it the same as i have in my 87?

 

damn,

she is a keeper, drop to the knee and lock the ball n chain on my friend.

If you weren't so far away from me I would gladly come down and help you fix each and every electrical problem you have. My 88 FC was plagued by EACH and EVERY one you can imagine when I bought it.

- bad wiper switch
- bad alarm
- bad ECU
- bad logicon
- bad dummy light cluster

I resoldered the ECU and dummy light cluster, installed a new wiper switch from a Cali car, unhooked the alarm altogether and the logicon works but doesn't always light up.

Trust me with this one, scrap the OE stereo and stuff. Buy new equipment and wire it up with new wires, will sound 100x better.

If you find me a place to crash, I will make the trip down (3 hrs one way or so) and help you out with the projects, all for a ride in the vert and maybe a cold one or two

I have a personal goal to ride in each model RX7 built. Been in a FB w/ 12a. Going to get a ride in a buddy's 85 w/ 13b. Been in my S4 N/A, been in a S5 N/A. Have to ride in a TII and a vert to finish the FC class and then ride in a FD to finalize my list.

 

Hey we have two couches and keggers every weekend! just tell me when you wanna come down, im putting my ported intake in hers when i put my ported s5 in mine. ill just have a rotary gathering at my place! If anyone needs extra parts, i have a complete 90 gxl for a parts car minus the intake...

 

Don't use a coat hanger for the drains. If you have compressed air, use that instead. The drain tubes are getting old and if you puncture one it just drains somewhere into the body where it can rust. As for the alarm, if it is the same as the coupes, then open the trunk with the key the next time it goes off. The alarm trouble shooting section in the FSM is the largest part of the electrical section. PITA