Just got an RX7 have some basic questions
04-05-09, 01:56 PM
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Just got an RX7 have some basic questions
Ive read around, and used the search function but I could not really find anything as broad as I was looking for so I am just goin to make my own thread. All help is appreciated . 
Anyway I just bought a 1988 turbo II in February. Asking 2000 got the man down to 1500. Anyway. The car is in mediocre-subpar quality. The interior is all cracked and dirtied up from the years of use. The paint was in the process of being sanded off so it is not looking to good. A lot of the trim is falling off or has fallen off. Also the heat/air conditioning does not seem to work as the air does not really fluctuate in temperature the way it is supposed to. The windsheild has a huge crack in it so I guess I will have to replace it. Also the Windows do not go down, however the sunroof does work. Im not sure if the connections are just old and worn down or what. This is a huge problem for me because I am trying to get the car up to snuff to try to drive from Colorado to Maryland, wishfull thinking I know probably. Also the front door does not open from the exterior, annoying but not the end of the world.
Well anyways on to the engine. I have a videoclip of me revving the engine I just put on youtube so it will be a few before i can post a hyperlink, please excuse my noobness. Anyways engine allways starts unless I stall out then the car will not start for 2 days unless I pull a fuse closest to intercooler and car hear somthing drain out, I guess its engine flooding however when I start the car after not stalling it will turn right over pretty strong. Again the sound is on the clip from youtube. Belts seem stable haven't given them a strong tug but they seem to be working. Compression still needs to be tested. Tried to do a poor mans test by listening but I didnt really know what I was doing, I am aware this was a stupid mistake however I figured that the engine would need a rebuild or a replace sooner or later so I am prepared to pay the cash and put in the wrench time to get her running up to snuff. Anyways, oil dipstick seemed normal. Don't really know what I am looking for in the realm of problems. Any help again would be appreciated.
On to the exhuast, This is a weird part of the TII. For some reason, at some point down the line someone made it into a single exhaust. The components are leaky, make popping noises and sag alot. Again sound is on the clip. and I feel like its leaky but who knows.
Any advice??? I know compression will be done now that I have insurance on the car. Oh yeah I am an idiot with html but some pics are on my username.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbgZ_6wq2Ew
Anyway I just bought a 1988 turbo II in February. Asking 2000 got the man down to 1500. Anyway. The car is in mediocre-subpar quality. The interior is all cracked and dirtied up from the years of use. The paint was in the process of being sanded off so it is not looking to good. A lot of the trim is falling off or has fallen off. Also the heat/air conditioning does not seem to work as the air does not really fluctuate in temperature the way it is supposed to. The windsheild has a huge crack in it so I guess I will have to replace it. Also the Windows do not go down, however the sunroof does work. Im not sure if the connections are just old and worn down or what. This is a huge problem for me because I am trying to get the car up to snuff to try to drive from Colorado to Maryland, wishfull thinking I know probably. Also the front door does not open from the exterior, annoying but not the end of the world.
Well anyways on to the engine. I have a videoclip of me revving the engine I just put on youtube so it will be a few before i can post a hyperlink, please excuse my noobness. Anyways engine allways starts unless I stall out then the car will not start for 2 days unless I pull a fuse closest to intercooler and car hear somthing drain out, I guess its engine flooding however when I start the car after not stalling it will turn right over pretty strong. Again the sound is on the clip from youtube. Belts seem stable haven't given them a strong tug but they seem to be working. Compression still needs to be tested. Tried to do a poor mans test by listening but I didnt really know what I was doing, I am aware this was a stupid mistake however I figured that the engine would need a rebuild or a replace sooner or later so I am prepared to pay the cash and put in the wrench time to get her running up to snuff. Anyways, oil dipstick seemed normal. Don't really know what I am looking for in the realm of problems. Any help again would be appreciated.
On to the exhuast, This is a weird part of the TII. For some reason, at some point down the line someone made it into a single exhaust. The components are leaky, make popping noises and sag alot. Again sound is on the clip. and I feel like its leaky but who knows.
Any advice??? I know compression will be done now that I have insurance on the car. Oh yeah I am an idiot with html but some pics are on my username.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbgZ_6wq2Ew
04-05-09, 02:37 PM
#2
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single exhaust if preferred by many because from what i have read the flow is better than a dual exhaust. Other tip is do not rev the engine past 4000rpm until it is up to normal operating temps.
04-05-09, 03:23 PM
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Ah, yes I bearly rev it. It probaly was a little cold in that video so thats my fault. Also the car starts up at about 1500rpm. Then it works its way down to 1000rpm but then ill have to move it to get it to drop to about 750. However some strange things happen like the cars rpms will fluctaute by about 200rpm when you move the wheel, push brake or clutch turn on lights etc any suggestions?
04-05-09, 04:40 PM
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04-05-09, 04:52 PM
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The Firestarter
Sounds like you have to check a lot of items, but 1500 for a running TII isn't to bad, i just hope the body is good and hasn't been to molested.
As you stated before definitely check your compression. I am sure you can find the link to do it on your own.
A larger single exhaust may give you some power and with rotaries you expected to hear some popping and possibly see some flames as well. The sagging exhaust may be due to worn exhaust hangers or no hangers, please fix that immediately. If you have a stock cat or cats in place you might want to check those for rust or bad gaskets.
Your some of your RPM fluctuations can be fixed, such as, testing for vacuum leaks and replacing those worn or torn rubber seals. Servicing or replacing your alternator, I would suggest finding a shop to rebuild your stock alternator for higher amps as your stock s4 is one of the lamer of the bunch. This will help with the electrical draw when you turn on your lights or any other accessories. You can also use a multi-meter to check the voltage on the battery while the car is on, off, running, and with accessories on.
Moving the wheel left and right activates the RPM based power steering pump and you should see a jump in RPMs.
On a stock S4 TII cold start actually starts at 3000 and moves it way down to 1500 and then when engine temps are normal it should fall around 800. If your car starts at 1500 cold i suspect that your cold start system has been eliminated or is not working properly. Id check to see which emissions equipment you have left on the car.
You can do several things to trouble shoot your flooding issue. All which can be found in several websites relating to 2nd gen rx7s or even the Search button in this forum may warrant you some good information. I would suggest inspecting your fuel injectors first if they leak, once you are ready to reinstall injectors be sure to use new rubber O rings. Next is spark plugs and inspect your coil operation.
Another thing i would check along with your inspection is the operation of your Fuel Pulsation Dampener located on the firewall end of the primary fuel rail. If the plastic cover it looks worn, brown, or cracked. Its a good indicator that the FPD needs to be serviced.
Pushing on the brakes takes vacuum and you should see some RPM drop when you use apply them. Disengaging the clutch and seeing a rise in RPMs may also be an indicator of the life of the clutch disk or operation of the clutch fork or clutch slave and master cylinder. If either one is malfunctioning you might not get any feedback from the clutch pedal, which would be obvious if you had taken the car for a test drive prior to purchasing it.
**IMPORTANT NOTE**
Do your other routine maintenance checks and purchase yourself FSM as its an extremely important guide to learning, maintaining, repairing, and eventually upgrading your RX7.
Congrats on your purchase and have fun
As you stated before definitely check your compression. I am sure you can find the link to do it on your own.
A larger single exhaust may give you some power and with rotaries you expected to hear some popping and possibly see some flames as well. The sagging exhaust may be due to worn exhaust hangers or no hangers, please fix that immediately. If you have a stock cat or cats in place you might want to check those for rust or bad gaskets.
Your some of your RPM fluctuations can be fixed, such as, testing for vacuum leaks and replacing those worn or torn rubber seals. Servicing or replacing your alternator, I would suggest finding a shop to rebuild your stock alternator for higher amps as your stock s4 is one of the lamer of the bunch. This will help with the electrical draw when you turn on your lights or any other accessories. You can also use a multi-meter to check the voltage on the battery while the car is on, off, running, and with accessories on.
Moving the wheel left and right activates the RPM based power steering pump and you should see a jump in RPMs.
On a stock S4 TII cold start actually starts at 3000 and moves it way down to 1500 and then when engine temps are normal it should fall around 800. If your car starts at 1500 cold i suspect that your cold start system has been eliminated or is not working properly. Id check to see which emissions equipment you have left on the car.
You can do several things to trouble shoot your flooding issue. All which can be found in several websites relating to 2nd gen rx7s or even the Search button in this forum may warrant you some good information. I would suggest inspecting your fuel injectors first if they leak, once you are ready to reinstall injectors be sure to use new rubber O rings. Next is spark plugs and inspect your coil operation.
Another thing i would check along with your inspection is the operation of your Fuel Pulsation Dampener located on the firewall end of the primary fuel rail. If the plastic cover it looks worn, brown, or cracked. Its a good indicator that the FPD needs to be serviced.
Pushing on the brakes takes vacuum and you should see some RPM drop when you use apply them. Disengaging the clutch and seeing a rise in RPMs may also be an indicator of the life of the clutch disk or operation of the clutch fork or clutch slave and master cylinder. If either one is malfunctioning you might not get any feedback from the clutch pedal, which would be obvious if you had taken the car for a test drive prior to purchasing it.
**IMPORTANT NOTE**
Do your other routine maintenance checks and purchase yourself FSM as its an extremely important guide to learning, maintaining, repairing, and eventually upgrading your RX7.
Congrats on your purchase and have fun
04-05-09, 05:03 PM
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After compression check, check for vacuum leaks, adjust TPS, check timing. You're probably going to want to install a fuel cut switch until you get your injectors cleaned/figure out what your compression is. It'll save you the hours of trying to restart the car after it stalls/whatever else.
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04-05-09, 05:31 PM
#8
get a haynes manual, and just start tearing into the engine bay. remover everything and replace all the **** thats broken. best way to remove a crap ton of prolems IMHO.
also, when mashing the brakes or turning the wheel all the way will indeed lower the idle some. dont worry.
also, when mashing the brakes or turning the wheel all the way will indeed lower the idle some. dont worry.
04-05-09, 05:46 PM
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Nice, sounds like a lot of great advice. Well I just have one question. I was looking online at alternators and i was thinking either hi-test or a boshce 70 amp. Probably go with the boshce because I know the name. Sounds good? well I am going to check for which emissions equipment I have I think catalytic converter is pretty rusty and dinged up but hopefully it can be salvaged or somthing. I think the standard emissions equipment is still in the car. Also how long does checking for vacuum leaks take, seems like it could be a legnthy process? I mean is there somehwere I can look to find out like a basic idea of what to do? what is TPS also. A fuel cut switch would be great, I mean fixing the problem would be good too but I dont think I have enough time iwht car here....again how detrimental is this to the engine...is it somthing I should try to fix before the alternator or can I put it on the backburner? Im goin look for a compression test of sorts. thats first then alternator unless anyone has some further suggestions for helpin out.
04-05-09, 05:50 PM
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/\ I have the chiltons for a bunch of models I had the hayes but I lost it and didnt buy another because the reviews online werent great.....should i try and find it or will this one be fine?
04-05-09, 06:08 PM
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Chilton sucks. Get the Haynes, and with everything you need to troubleshoot, you should also get the factory service manual if you can afford it.
04-05-09, 06:18 PM
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http://www.rx7city.com/88manual.htm does this work as far as factory service manual?
04-05-09, 06:46 PM
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Start here: Change Plugs, Fluid, Filters
Next: Check vac leaks/fix exhaust, locate/install boost gauge (if you dont have one already)/check & adjust tps/timing/idle
Then: Fix everything else as needed.
Next: Check vac leaks/fix exhaust, locate/install boost gauge (if you dont have one already)/check & adjust tps/timing/idle
Then: Fix everything else as needed.
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