I'm looking at an 87 Turbo II and am wondering what I should be looking for when I pop the hood. It was raining out today when I went and looked at it so I didn't keep the hood open long.

The only thing I found with the car to complain about is the clutch. When you press the clutch pedal down, it sticks to the floor. I did some looking around on here and found that bleeding the hydraulic fluid might help. Is there anything else I can look for?

The TII has a dead battery (but will be replaced under warranty beforeI take the car), good tires, the interior looks clean, the paint has a little oxidation, but nothing I dont think I cant get out of the paint.

The car has been sitting in the driveway for a couple for atleast 5 months, which worries me. Are there any nasty side-effects with rotaries sitting there long? Flooding maybe?

Otherwise the car checks out as far as I can tell. No oil leaks as far as I can tell from looking at the top of the motor. Because of the batery I couldnt start the car today to make sure the car is getting boost, and there are no strange noises. The owner and I are going to work on the car and get it running again (he's a friend of mine) so I'll hopefully be able to test drive it soon. Thanks for helping the noob!

 

See the "How to Buy" link on this website:
http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/tech1.htm

Pay special attention to the compression check, which is the best indicator of how long it will be before you need to blow $2,000 on an engine rebuild.

Pricing:
http://www.kbb.com/

The clutch sounds like it may have a bad slave cylinder, which is very common. To find the clutch slave cylinder, simply follow the hydraulic line from the master cylinder. The line will run across the firewall, and to the slave cylinder which is mounted on top of the transmission. You can't see it well by looking in the hood, but you can feel if the boot is broken and/or if it is leaking. Sometimes the master cylinder can also go bad, but it's usually the slave. Also be sure to check the hydraulic line, as it tends to wear on the firewall. A replacement slave cylinder can be purchased at your local generic auto shop for a lot less than getting one from Mazda. There are also rebuild kits available. Note that the TII clutch slave cylinder is different from the non-turbo cylinder, but the pistons are the same. Therefore, a TII cylinder is required for the TII, but the rebuild kit is the same for the TII and non-turbo cars.

Yes, the RX-7 can have nasty side effects from sitting, but it's basically the same problems as any other car that sits.

The flooding problem is caused by an ECU design flaw. If the engine is started and then shut off after a few seconds, the car will flood the next time you try to start it. This mostly happens when people move their car from the street to the driveway, or from the driveway into the garage, etc. Just let the engine get up to operating temperature before shutting it down, and you won't have a flooding problem.

 

Cool. Thanks for the suggestions. Charles (the owner) said he thought that a clutch rod was loose, which didn't sound right to me. Neither he or I are mechanics (why I'm on here), so I wanted to double check with the people who know about these cars. That would make sense about the slave cylinder. How hard is it to replace in my driveway? Do I need any special tools? I'll be sure to always let it warm up to N.O.T. before I shut it down, I don't like to do that with my Nissan as it is. I can't think that it would be all that great for piston motors either.

BTW, I just looked at nopionline.com and they have a clutch slave cylinder, clutch master cylinder, and release bearing (is that not the same as the throw-out bearing?) on there. Would I find any particular advantage installing these aftermarket products versus an OEM style replacement from Autostoned?

 

Ted has a "How To Buy" here for a TII. http://fc3s-pro.com/TECH/h2b.html

 

Just be sure to identify the problem before you start buying parts and tools. The clutch could have some major problems, but it is usually best to check the simple things first. Yes, the clutch slave cylinder is extremely easy to replace. The Factory Service Manual shows the procedure and the tools required. If you are new to working on cars, I recommend that you invest in a good metric socket set and metric combination wrench set.

These sites have links to online service manuals. The 88 manual will work for the 87 Turbo II 99% of the time.
http://www.fc3s.org/how_tos/manuals/88_fsm.html
http://www.iluvmyrx7.com/

I don't know of any significant difference between the aftermarket clutch items and the OEM items. However, some vendors offer some nice stainless clutch lines that you may like if yours is worn.
http://66.216.67.51/subcatmfgprod.asp?0=206&1=334&2=-1

The main thing to watch out for in aftermarket items is the thermostat. Always use a Mazda brand thermostat.

The release bearing and throw-out bearing are the same thing. These are difficult to replace, and they are usually replaced along with the clutch because of all the work involved. If you are new to working on cars, this project is best left to your local mechanic.

 

Well, I'm not a mechanic per se, but I do most of my own maintainence on my Nissan. Stuff like clutch replacement I leave to my mechanic, though eventually I want to learn how to do that on my own.

Can I still obtain an FSM from Mazda brandnew, or do I need to search around for one?

Stainless steel lines = good

I wasn't sure about the terminology there. I've always had the throw-out bearing replaced with the clutch. I figure it'll save me $$$ in labor having it done then.

Thanks for the help guys, I do appreciate your time in this. If you think of anything else that might help me out, please post it. hehe The more I think about that car, the more I want it.

 

You can order one from your local Mazda dealer, or from Mazdaspeed if you are sponsored. Note that there are two types of manuals:

1) The small (approx. 6" x 8.5") bound workshop manual that includes both the workshop manual and wiring diagrams.

2a) The large loose-leaf workshop manual
2b) The large loose-leaf wiring diagram

The small one is about $100 ($70 from Mazdatrix), and both of the large ones together also sell for about $100. The large manuals are better unless you want something small and compact. Note that a private company now makes the manuals for Mazda, so dealership prices may vary from what I have quoted.

There is also a Haynes manual available that covers both the S4 and S5 RX-7. It is nice to have because of the pictures and techniques covered, but the factory manual is better overall IMO.

BTW, here is the info for Mazdaspeed:
http://www.mazdamotorsports.com/weba...et/TeamSupport

 

Both of those prices seem close to what I was expecting. Most of us in the Nissan world get our FSMs for around $75-100. Worthwhile investment as far as I'm concerned. I'm not sponsored, this will be my daily-driver.