I'm now the proud owner of an Black 89 RX7 GTU. Got it for $700 - parking it for a few months and getting the engine rebuilt and a turbo charger hooked up (if possible.)

 

VendettA,

Hey welcome to the forum.

The GTU is one sweet rx-7, especially in the 89-92 years as yours is.

Remember if you decide to get a minor-turbo upgrade don't run more than 4 - 6PSI as the GTU's drivetrain is not designed for 300 - 600HP like the Turbo IIs is.

There's also several forum members who have added a supercharger to their GTU and GTU-S'. This is a great upgrade but requires a little bit more research to determine the best one to get.

The supercharger gives you instantanious boost especially at lower RPM range. Either option though would make a great upgrade.

-- vaughnc

 

Congrats and welcome to the board. Keep us updated on how everything turns out.

 

I've been driving a 92 Ford Probe Lx (Mazda made, 626 equiv.) and love that car. This is just like a step up. My car club buddies have fast cars (Mustang 5.0, '71 911S, '87 924S, '72 Opel GT) and I'm looking forward to having racking up the wins. :p

vaughnc - I wasn't planning on a huge turbo, I don't need to kill myself. I raced my 95 Impreza to destruction (blew the torque convertor, and the car's tranny is a b*tch,) and the Probe has racked up the miles (256,000 so far!) Next month the RX gets taken to the Mazda dealership for a complete checkup with the defenite engine re-build. Then the 17" Momo wheels and racing seats.

Thanks for the welcome


edit-what's this I hear about flooding/cranking the engine? I'm afraid I'll probably end up in this situation a few times.

 

OH GOD PLEASE DONT TAKE IT TO A MAZDA DEALER, MOST DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WORK ON A ROTARY ENGINE AT ALL.
There are many horror stories on this forum, don't worry we'll help you out, just don't take it to the dealer!!

and btw nice job on the car, I want a 89+ GTU (since I don't want the hassle and cost of a T2 and GTU is nice and stripped down )
but anyways, I'll find some links on how to fix flooding if it occurs. It happens from an occassional short trip where the engine doesnt get up to its operating temperature and the ECU floods the engine sometimes

Anyways there are ways to fix a flooded engine, it does not seem very hard

 

Welcome aboard. Just my opinion, but check the reputation of your local dealer with some of the forum members in your area. Often times, local shops that dedicate themselves to the rotary engine are your best bet. It has been quite awhile since the Rotary engine was "sold" in new cars, so depending on th age of the service staff, you may not be getting what you think you are. From a day to day operation stand point, the flooding problem can be avoided by letting your engine warm to operating temp before shutting it off. A lot of people get in trouble when they back the car out of the garage or move it out of the driveway then shut it off. Avoid short operating cycles.

Again, welcome and have a blast!!

 

Well, does anyone know of a place near Richmond, VA to do it? I want the re-build to cost less than $2,500.

 

911S and that opel GT are VERY sweet cars! Funny, I only found out recently that the Probe was made by mazda. Excuse any possible ignorance, but are you sure it's a 626 equiv? I thought the 626 was bigger, eg. had more room in the back seat?

 

Since I can't find where I copied this down from, I'll type out how to unflood a rotary. BTW I'm sure there are plenty of good sites that have this info but I'm not gonna search for em right now ;-)

Engine Un-Flooding Procedure
Make sure battery has a reasonable charge.

1) Locate Main Fuse Box. Pull innermost fuse and leave it out.
Lid will have fuse labelled as:
86-88 "EGI Comp"
89-91 "EGI"

2) Get back in car. Hold gas pedal to floor and crank 15-20 seconds. Car will not start.

3) Turn car off and replace innermost fuse.
Try to start car like normal w/o using gas pedal at all.
If car does not start within 5 seconds, it will not start without repeating process.
Sometimes takes 5-6 times to unflood.


Complex Engine Un-Flooding Procedure
Same as above except for following

Remove spark plugs and wires and move to safe area. Make sure to mark the hole where each wire went, as this is important they remain in the same hole.

After step 2 place 1oz Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) into each lower spark plug hole

Clean and dry spark plugs if they are still good. If not replace with new plugs.

Reinstall spark plug wires in same positions as when taken out (L1, L2, T1, T2)

T=Top
L=Lower
1=first rotor (front)
2=second rotor (rear)

This complex procedure will produce LOTS of smoke, and it should work on the first attempt to restart it.

 

Welcome to the family!

Keep the shiny side up.

 

I THINK he means MX6.

Brad