Hi everyone,

My name is Jeff and after four years of saving up and searching, I finally got an FC TII! It's an S4 (1987), so it's just as young as I am ! It's a nice sunfaded red (which is just my way of saying the clear coat was gone and the paint is jacked up).

I've been browsing the forums and whatnot for a long time now... kinda just reading random posts and absorbing information. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute now that I actually have an FC!

Take care everyone!

- Jeff

 

Congrats!

 

pics!!? my first rx7 was a faded red 87 s4! :P

 

The body is straight. There's this scratch on the driver's side though that may have rusted... any way to get it off nice? The interior was quite clean when I got it, so that's exciting. All the electrical stuff worked like power windows, mirror, sunroof, etc...

I'm going to remove the back to the future-esque wing like thing on the hatch (what is this called?). It's gonna get painted... any recommendations on colors? So far, I've seen a majority of red and white FCs.

I had time to check all the fluids today and my results were less than stellar:

motor oil - low (at the last X before L) o.O
clutch - low
power steering - low
brake - low
coolant - dirty... really really dirty.
water reservoir - dirty -__-;;
windshield fluid - empty (hehe, not that it matters in SoCal...)

I have to check the tranny fluid, so I'll be using the search button to figure out how to do that. Anyone care to point me in the right direction?

oh well... it's never too late to start proper maintenace right? Time to check the PD and other stuff that I found on another thread.

Take care all!

 

Wow... hatch louvers(sp?). Don't see those too often.

 

Clean interior! Very nice. Good to see another 7 owner on the road. Keep that baby up and running, and it will treat you well. Welcome to the club.

 

loose the louvers

I love these threads - congrats. Now leave the computer, go outside and sand the rusty scratch to bare metal, apply etching primer (bodyshop supply) so it doesn't rust anymore, then bare metal primer. Rust is like cancer. Been there, done that. Even if you can only paint it next month or next year, you want to stop the rusting now. Go get the car oil sprayed inside and underneath, especially the rear wheelwells, rocker panels and rear inside fender. Oh, and top up that oil now (preferably change it. Turbo's don't like low/crappy oil.

 

sounds like you are just the kind of owner that RX7 needed. Cangratulations, you just saved another 7 from the grave!
Damon

 

My recommendations...

-completely drain old oil, put in about 4.5 (or until it's at F) quarts of castrol GTX high mileage 20w50 (green container)

-unplug your radiator drain plug on the bottom of the radiator, drain, run a hose through the fill plug at the top of the engine, make sure it's clear coming out when your done, run hose through the upper radiator hole (its small) drain for a few minutes until clear, fill, run engine for a few minutes letting it drain out of the bottom plug with hose running water through it still. do this for about 15 minutes until it is completely clear. WATCH YOUR TEMP. GUAGE!

-replace thermostat with Mazda brand only (from dealer)

-change fuel filter

-check fuel lines for leaks and brittle parts, replace if needed

-bleed your clutch lines until clear (new fluid color)

-bleed brakes until clear (fluid color) start at the furthest caliper away from the tank. have someone help you who knows what to look for air bubble wise. someone has to be inside the car pushing the brake pedal.

-get some lithium grease and grease up the sunroof track and power window tracks/pulleys.

-check your brake pads

-check the o2 sensor, replace if it looks old or rusted

-sand/grind any rist spots down to the bare metal and spray a bit of primer over the area to keep it from being exposed to more water.

-replace your shifter bushings (cheap and easy fix for a sloppy shifter)

-have your fuel injectors cleaned by Mazda (expensive, but worth it)

-air filter if needed

-take off the starter/alternater/battery and have them tested at an Autozone type place (free)

-replace belts if needed

..... I guess that's about it really. You just have to play it by ear and see what needs to be done and what doesn't. The only need for replacing fuel related stuff is if you gas mileage is suffering (biggest sign).

 

Hatch louvers are pretty rare, i would take it off sell it and then buy something else you need. It seems like you are off to a good start change every fuild in the car first. Also how many miles, compression #'s and how much did you pay?

 

I got my first '7 this week, too! Also an '87 TII! Congrats, I'm sure you'll love it!

 

Congratulations man. I wish my TII came with a interior that clean! Geez. Hope you enjoy your money pit! Lol

 

Hatch louvers.... either you love them or you hate them.... and i ....... well if they come as an original option perhaps.

I hope your rotary ownership turns out great! i have a 88 T2 myself.

 

There is a reason for that.

Good car though. You'll love your 87 TII. I have one as well.

 

First of all, thanks for everyone's help and support . There is about 123k miles on the engine, which could mean a rebuild or not depending on how abused it was. I don't know the compression #'s... how do I check? I paid $2800 for the beauty, which I thought it was a pretty good deal... was i right? How much do faded hatch louvers go for?

Oh, I forgot to mention last time I have some erratic idling, which from what I've read seems to need a TPS adjustment. I've read the guide from fc3s.org, and I think I can do that myself.

As for the fluid tune up, I'm kinda hesitant to do it myself. I'd love to because it is my dream car after all... but to be honest, I've never done half of these things before. I'm relatively new to all this. I'm in the Rosemead, CA area if anyone wants to help or knows a good shop hehe...

- jeff

 

If you take your time to read up on how to maintain and repair it yourself, you should save a lot of money and get the satisfaction of doing it yourself and (hopefully) knowing it was done right. Saturday I spent all day changing fluids, belts, and checking other things. I'm still a little sore from being on the ground and bending over the engine so much, but I had so much fun getting it working better.

 

may i ask what you prefer to use for your fluids? more specifically the motor and tranny... i'm about to go out and get some... i read the FAQ so I know i'll be gettin some high end synthetic, but which... *clicks search button*

 

Dino oil (as opposed to synthetic) for the motor is what I've heard to use, especially since it's GOING to burn some anyway, so topping it off is hopefully cheaper. There may be other reasons for using dino oil... maybe I should see if the FAQ says anything about using synthetic for the motor.

Tranny: 80W-90 gear oil is what my Haynes manual recommended, so that's what I used. I used the same for the LSD as well. Since both were shockingly dirty, esp the differential (tons of metal flakes... kinda pisses me off. I tried to flush it a bit with some fresh oil), I may change the tranny and diff fluids again the next time I change my motor oil.

 

Ok I don't think I really answered your question very well, sorry. Personally, at least until I can afford high quality synthetic oil, I'll use 20W-50 dino oil for the motor and probably K&N oil filters (that's what I used this time, also my first rotary oil change, so we'll see how it holds up).

From FAQ on oil:
"My car seems to use a lot of oil. How often do I need to check it?
Everytime you get gas, you should check your oil level. The Rotary motor by design is supposed to inject oil into the engine based on throttle position. If you keep your foot on the gas a lot, you will use more oil. It is normal to use about 1 quart of oil every 1000 to 3000 miles.


Can I use synthetic oils in my Rotary engined car?
Yes and no. Mazda offically does not recommend the use of synthetic oils in rotary engines, however, long term and racing use has shown that the better synthetics (Redline, Amsoil, Neo, Royal Purple, Mobil1) are perfectly fine to use in a rotary engine, and will generally result in a 1 to 2% horsepower gain. However use of poor quality synthetics (like Valvoline, Castrol Syntec, Havoline, Etc) will result in build up due to high ash content left from these oils when they are burned. It is believed that is why Mazda did not recommend synthetics, because the couldn't pick favorites.

Other notes:
The Mazda Factory racing departments recommend and use ‘synthetic’ oils including the winning 1991 Leman’s 20-G 4 rotor Mazda 787B.

MazdaComp USA printed manual (now Mazdaspeed) recommends the use of synthetic oils for racing conditions.

Redline, Amsoil and Royal Purple Synthetic Motor Oils have been used in rotary engines (both race and street) for ten plus years with excellent results.

Most Synthtic Motor Oil is compatible with the bearing material, sealing elastomers, and combustion seals used in a rotary engine.


What oil should I use in the FC?
According to Mazda:
In starting and operating temperatures below 20F, use 5W30
In starting and operating temperatures between 0F and 80F, use 10W30.
In starting and operating temperatures above 30F, use 20W50

As far as brand any good quality oil that meets the API SL or SM standards should be fine."

 

castrol GTX high mileage 20w50

end of story have a nice day

 

gg. i went to get some today.

 

Should I just drive it out until it blows or get a rebuild right away. I'm debating on the tune-up vs. rebuild... but alas the rebuild is expensive. Any suggestions?

- jeff

 

you dont need mazda to clean your injectors.
http://witchhunter.com/
have always been good to me!

 

I would buy a junkyard engine and rebuild that one so when/if the current engine blows you can swap them out in a weekend and have very little down time.

 

Welcome!