driftin8ez

We'll I'm driving a 240sx right now and before you say oh bandwagon ricer i've had my car for about 2 years now before it became so rice. I've got a bunch of mods to make my car drift better and not much more. Now here is the problem 240sx's are popping up like civics in my area and I’m not used to it. They have big wings and body kits. So I have decided to sell my car in favor a more lets say rare car in my parts. The fc is a great chassis to drift on and is pretty well balanced however I know nothing about rotary and would like to learn. Anyway, i'm reading as much as I can and here is the car I have found. Please let me know what you guys think.

1991 fc non turbo
It has power sunroof package with the 4 piston front brakes
resprayed the car is white and it is an ok job. No overspray.
nice meat on the tires and white five spoke rims
Potential problems:
Wipers only work on speed 1
Brakes don’t stop the car.
Shifter is sloppy as all hell.
Rear wiper doesn't work
It have a cone filter and there is some weird hose left over just sucking in air not sure why.
Mods:
TII Trans, driveshaft, LSD, Clutch, Flywheel, Suspension, Cluster
120k on chassis questionable
65k on new engine questionable still a 13b non turbo
Overall impression:
Car drove ok brakes when floored barely stop the car. Maybe needs new pads, Clutch dump at 6k from a 10-15mph role yielded a nice chirp out. Def. Lsd followed by a nice second gear chirp. Clutch is good. Umm. Only got up to third and no grinds or weird noises. Friends told me a small puff of whitish smoke came out when started.

Just let me know if there is any other thing I should have checked maybe I did but didn't list them. Also how bad are the things listed under potential problems?
Thanx and looking forward to having a nice drift car that isn't associated with the rice boys in town.

DREYKO

sounds like you came out ok, wiper prob is most likelt a bad switch or relay, check for sale section, rear wiper is probably a wiring problem. might need new brake pads, new fluid or need to bleed brakes. shifter needs new bushings, get them from a mazda dealer for 10 bux. hose is for air pump, just emmissions, remove it or get used to it. t2 stuff is ok as long as it all works white smoke is coolant, could be a prob, keep an eye on it, if its bluish, it oil dont worry bout it.
note: do a full tune up ALL fluids and stuff. pm me if you have q's
ben

Syncro

iTrader: (1)

Do a full tune up like Ben said. If you don't, a certain mod will eat you alive.

BlaCkPlaGUE

I started out the same way. I wanted a car that no one had, and an engine that no one really knew about, the rx7 was totally in for me. Its good to see a real non-bandwagoner, usually this is always the case with 7 owners. welcome.

This is a common problem. There is a guy here named ICEMARK, search for some of his posts and you'll find his site in his sig. He sells re-worked logicons, wiper switches, anything electrical that goes in the FC. The rx7 has a really shitty electrical system, and the solder points in these devices such as your wiper switch on the dash, no longer conduct electricity after 20 years.

If the car has ABS it could be a bad unit. You need to be more specific though. Is the pedal sloppy, as in you can press it all the way to the floor and it still doesn't brake good enough? tell us more.


Very common as well. Buying new shifter bushings will fix it. You can get those and almost any other part for the car at www.mazdatrix.com


We'll need pics in order to understand what your talking about. Im guessing its the air pump thats been left without a filter. But pics will verify that.

Thats a really really nice addition to the car. Those particalur components are alot stronger than the stock parts that came with the NA. They are also getting harder to find. Although they weigh more than the NA parts, really you would benefit with a turbo swap with this car, and since almost everything is already done, it will be much easier.

Keep in mind that if you use the 'search this forum' feature on the top right of the forum, you'll find alot of answers to your questions. Some questions, like turbo swapping, get asked daily here it seems, and asking questions like that will get you banned becuase they are so common.
Search first, post questions later.

Read the FAQ its extremley usefull, also check out the archive, there are a shitload of WICKED mods in there that benefit the car quite a bit.

have fun.

Madrx7racer

don't bother........a NICE 240 will make the ricers and drifter wannabe's away............The FC will not last you very long.

driftin8ez

Thanx hopefully i can scoop it up tom. if no one buys it. Also about the brakes. I floor them pump them and basically it just comes to a slightly accelerated coast stop. Likes its comeing to a coast and a half stop. Also i have been reading the faq thread for three days now and still learning more. Great site. Cant wait to pick it up.

Madrx7racer do you want me to sell the 240 before it breaks down? I dont understand. That 240 engine is solid as a rock.

What can i wind the 13b non turbo until. it has a turbo II cluster so i assume the redline is lower on the turbo engine so the cluster is no help.. My 240 redlines at 6500 so thats where i shifted on the test run.

DREYKO

screw that^ 7's are fun! get it if its less than 2500-3000 unless engine is pristine and interior is just as good

Madrx7racer

i edited it....I thought u had already bought one.....stay away is my advice..............stick with the 240.

Kouta

Turbo redlines are 1000rpm lower than thier N/A counterpart at least on the S5.
Edit:
Also with FCs they can be as cheap or as expensive as you want... and as with everything if ya buy cheap upgrade parts... its going to kill the reliability so just go with some good stuff and mod it properly and you will have a nice ride.

patman

iTrader: (3)

^^ youre an idiot.

obviously he's into drifting and performance cars, and the fc is one of the best cars available on a late 80s-early 90s budget.

heres the question:
are you mechanically inclined? in other words, can you fix ****?
a fc is a like a mg, if you treat it right, and fix it right, and mod it properly, it will be the best car youve ever owned. BUT if you dont know **** about cars and do half-assed repairs and ricey ****, it will never run and you'll hate it.

if youre good at wrenching but dont know how to do stuff, dont worry, you can get all the advice you need (plus some) on this site.

if you are the type that goes to the mechanic for an oil change, dont bother unless you want to buy a pristine fc for high $$$$. (and/ or youre screwing your local mechanic's daughter )

pat

EDIT: you beat me to it, insult directed at mazdarxracer, not kouta.

Funkspectrum

iTrader: (5)

I'd keep the 240 as a daily driver and buy the FC for teh uber-fun **** that you'd only achieve in a rotary!

Madrx7racer

i'm crying.......your "insult" hit me hard..........don't bother with a rotor anything..........and it's MADrx7racer....

driftin8ez

dont worry im not afraid to get my hands dirty and from the rumors i hear about rotary engines i will be very often. Joking. Any truth to these rumors about rotary being unreliable and sucking? I dont now much about the rx but i have done almost everything on my 240 including a full bushing ket from energy. Which was a pita. Just need some direction and i can do almost anything tools permitting. today is the day. Hopefully he did not sell it.

idsigloo

I bought my 7 (88 GXL) about 1.5 years ago. I've probably only drivin' it for.... 6 months tops. The rest of the time it was sitting at the shop from when it burned down and when the coolant seals went. Within those 6 months of driving time I realized that I loved the car, and in about 1-2 months it will be back on the road with a complete t2 swap. Just some warning. But if you don't mind learning EVERYTHING about a car then go for it. If you got any questions, PM me.

jl1rx7

iTrader: (1)

dont listen to that moron about rotaries, i've driven them for over 12 years for a living, and never had major problems that you wouldn't normaly have in any car, just some advice do a full tune up, change oil 3kish, check very often since you will burn a quart about 1kish depending on driving and DONOT let it get hot, if the gauge goes anywhere near the hot turn it off and let it cool, other than that these cars are very good, i got near 200,000 on first before i wrecked it and dam close 300k on my second, and now over 200k on my third. also with 7 you can let it spin 7 8k on rpm gauge with series 5 with no major problems, but if you stay up that high upgrade water pump and put underdrive pulleys on and you should never have any trouble. pm if you like if you have any more questions

NOPR

to be honest, you are the smartest sounding 'n00b' ive ever heard, so i dont think youll do to bad here. The brakes most likely have a leak; low pads or air in the lines wouldnt be as severe as yours sounds. A very common spot (which is where my leak was) is between the caliper and the ebrake line. Fluid likes to leak out right where those two attach, but only with the ebrake off which makes finding it real tricky. Mine was fixed with simply a new caliper, but that doesnt always work.

Also, since you already have the turboII drivetrain, you can go ahead and throw in a turbo engine whenever you want, and it will be a lot easier. Or, you can put in a nice LSD and some good suspension, knowing that you'll be keeping the same drivetrain if you go turbo (if that makes sense).

Good luck and keep us updated when you buy it!

inflatablepets

Welcome to THE forum. I think this is the best place out there for info. This car sounds decent. What kind of price is the seller looking for? Just be careful, it's an older car and might not be the most reliable. And one more thing. NEVER NEVER NEVER let it overheat.

aznpoopy

both cars are fine, just pick whatever car you want.

13B is more finnicky then a ka. that being said, do a good job maintaining it and it should be fairly reliable.

and the bandwagon was well underway 2 years ago... lol. i got my s14 three years ago and even i got flamed for being a bandwagoner. don't sweat it.

Madrx7racer

ok, fine......looks like you're not your avg. ricer.https://www.rx7club.com/lounge-192/how-keep-ricers-away-7s-460568/

ignore everything I said above. LOL

I'm on my fourth FC and NONE of them has broken down on me.........make sure you do routine maintenance and I guarantee you that it will last you just as long as a pinton engined car. It's a good idea to start with an NA because it tends to last a little bit longer than a TII (motor-wise) but if you are the type that likes power then you should look into a Turbo FC......again, ignore my commments before (link will explain it).......check sig.......i know I gave you a hard time but you do not know how many good FC's are lost to idiot ricers every day......some idiot comes in here and says: OMGWTF BBQ!!!! i saw initial D and I want an FC NOW!!!!! be careful and I hope you go to the track instead of drifting on public roads..........here is my latest mod on my GTUs Turbo: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...60#post4757060


<edited for extreme sig violation>

Madrx7racer

piece of advice: the rotary uses oil to lubricate the internal gears....the harder you drive the more oil it uses.....check your oil every 1500 miles( more often if you push hard more often) and add oil accordingly........most people forget this or don't know at all and that's where you get the motor failures..........check fluids constantly and replace any hoses that need replacement and I can guarantee you a long rotary life..........

oh and don't be a ***** like the majority of RX7club ppl.........when you give a negative feedback leave your name.......I don't give negative feedback without st least letting the person know who it was........lol.......enjoy and GET A TII

BlaCkPlaGUE

Yea so does every other gasoline based engine

$100T2

iTrader: (1)

New switch. $20

New bushings. Simple fix, takes 20 minutes.

New switch.

Somebody took off the smog pump and didn't block the hose off.

driftin8ez

Ok going to pick up the car friday now if it isn't sold by then. A few things. How can i tell if the tranny and lsd are actually from a tII? Also anything else i should check before i fork over the $2200 for the car? I'm going to check the rad while it is cool for bubbles. If there are any bubbles the engine is screwed right.

BlaCkPlaGUE

The TII tranny uses an 8" LSD and the NA is a 7". I believe the flange for the driveshaft on the TII is also bigger than the NA counterpart. You'd need to compare visually between the NA and TII LSD underneath the car and see wich one has the bigger flange. I BELIEVE this is correct, but please, someone correct me if im wrong. I don't want to spew out misinformation
Finally the TII tranny is also larger than the NA. I don't know of any distinguishing marks to tell you the truth.

driftin8ez

So there is no markings stamped into the case or a diff. bolt pattern on the pumpkin or anything like that? also is there anything i can check that i didn't before i comit to the car? I mainly car abiut having i mainly car about the engine lasting so what should i check in that regard? I know other things and pretty may need to be fixed but the engine is something i cant deal with becouse i need a reliable car to get to school whicjh is about 30miles a day round trip. Aslo dare i ask how the mpg is on the nonturbo? What about the suspension. He says it has tII suspension. Anyway to tell that. The cluster is pretty simple so i got that covered.


Madrx7racer no offense taken. I tried to tell everyone not to get a 240 in my area but i didn't exactly work. Dont worry this rx has found a good owner once again.