hey all, well i found a really clean FC for sale close to me. its a '91 FC with 110,xxx miles, new drive shaft, ground control coil overs, Racing Beat exhaust with header. he's asking 1500 for it. it needs 4 new tires, new shift bushings, and it seems to be leaking coolant. what do you all think?

i'm planning on buying it this weekend unless anyone can enlighten me to a reason why i should steer clear of it. thanks for any input and criticism.

 

If the engine's leaking coolant, it will need some serious work. Check where it's leaking first, then compression, then drivetrain, then rust, then look for any subframe or body damage indicating an accident.

 

i don't know if its leaking form the engine or from the radiator its self. the weird thing is that there isn't any puddles on the ground where it may have leaked.

 

It might be the coolant seals consuming coolant, in which case it needs a new engine. So far it sounds like a good deal (Well...in California it would be). I'd like to point you out to the FAQ: http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm

 

oh yeah, this is one has the stock blue paint (in great condition) and still has stock rims on it.

does anyone know the name of the stock blue on the 91 FC's?

 

awesome link man, i have a link like that bookmarked for the FD's but couldn't find one for the FC's.

 

Definetly find out where its leaking from. If its coolant seals (the engine would burn coolant and the exhaust would have a sweet smell to it), then you need a rebuild. I would shoot for a FC with a fairly new rebuild if possible.

 

when you go see the car make sure it is COLD and you are the first to start it that morning.....you will see white smoke if it's the coolant seals.....it will be white and sweet smelling..... make an appointment with him at 9 AM and show up at 8:30 to make sure he doesn't warm it up before you get there...that happened to me and I was/am broke cuz of the damn rebuild....

 

thanks all for the warning and info. i'm going to see about looking at the car one more time, probably this sunday or monday, before i buy it. i'll definately make a morning appointment to see it though cuz i don't really want to have to rebuild as soon as i buy the car.

just say it was burning coolant and needed a rebuild, would it still be ok to drive if i carried a gallon of coolant with me at all times and kept the lvl up? if so then i could still get it, save for the rebuild, and still enjoy having a very clean and cheap FC. does anyone think that would be the wrong thought path?

 

im going to buy my fc this weekend to. but, my liscence is suspened so i cant drive it untill my 18th b-day which is 7 months away. so im not gonna drive it until then. but, if you are going to drive yours (like everyone else but me) then i would make sure that it passes emmisions. if there is an o-ring leak, then the coolant is leaking into the engine. this isn't good. how much coolant is it losing when you drive it? if it's a lot, but you don't see any puddles, then its probably getting burned.

 

i ran mine with bad coolent seals for several months....you should still be able to drive it and still have fun, but it will need a rebuild.
my engine went dead while doing mild driving on the interstate (constant speed of about 75-80mph), so it can go at any time...

my engine had seen better days when i got it, so you may have quite some time left in that engine.


BUT

i am by no means a guru (obviously) so dont assume the engine is fine...listen to the other board members and gauge the average response to better make your decision