Hey there guys, I'm in a similar situation as another thread starter a few posts down. I am looking into purchasing a 1991 Mazda RX-7 here in SoCal. The car has 97k miles, auto, power everything. I read the "manual on purchasing an FC" but since I don't have much(any?) knowledge about the rotary engine I figured I would see if someone on here could help me out a bit before I make this investment. I did get him to do a compression check for me and the results were this: "compression check - 1=180; 2=175; 3=155; 4=160." Now, I have NO idea what that means. I am assuming he was using a standard gauge, correct? The guy who is selling the car isn't a street racer or anything, and in fact, he doesn't even know whether his car is a turbo or non-turbo. I am not purchasing the car for race purposes either, just as a solid daily driver. Exterior wise and interior wise the car looks to be in very good condition, especially for a 13 year old car, but none of that will matter if the engine is going to start acting up. Also, I am hoping that it is a non-turbo because I assume that like other car models that have a turbo/non-turbo like the MK3 Supra, a non-turbo will give me far less problems than a turbo. I am going to check out the car tommorow and then I will see if it's a turbo or not after I look under the hood.

Can any of you rotary/FC experts help me out on what I should be looking for to make sure this engine is in solid shape? Is purchasing an auto, non-turbo FC with 97k miles a solid investment for a student looking for a daily driver? Thanks for any help guys, I appreciate it. Oh yes, and sorry for "thread-jacking" you here bro, but hopefully both of us end up getting an FC!

 

Nice repost for your second post, lol. Check the original thread.

 

I love post whoring.

 

you even own an rx?

 

Yes, i will update my name, when i update to my new life (my new aim, email and all other accounts will be: blck_s7n.)

 

OH GOD I JUST TOLD THE RX& COMMUNITY MY NEW NAME THAT I HAVENT REGISTERED YET. sorry about the caps. not really sorry. here is the link to my car, which looks completely different due to the painted blakc rims, hopefully soon to get pics, that and the front lip im working on. https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...t=finally+pics

 

thanks for your response(s) drft 180sx. If anyone else could chime in with some info it would be greatly appreciated. One of my main questions was about the compression check. Were his results good? ok? bad? Just give me some feedback guys, thanks.

compression check - 1=180; 2=175; 3=155; 4=160

 

Sorry for all the useless crap posting, but at least you get a free bump. And as far as the compression goes, shouldn't there be 6 compression readings??? 3 faces for each of the 2 rotors. and those numbers seem a little high anyway.

 

That is why I was asking, I'm not sure how these compression readings are supposed to be read. Those are the results he gave me. Can someone explain it to me? I am planning on checking out the car tommorow(Friday) and wanted to know what to look for before I go down there so I don't have to make too many trips(it's about an hour away from me). Come on all you FC experts, help me become the next FC owner!

 

here's a link to Aaron Cake's website, it has a very good "How to inspect a Rx7 for purchase" section. http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/

About the N/A vs. Turbo thing. It is true. N/As are more reiable than turbos. Generally. A well maintained turbo is a rather reliable thing in and of itself, but a N/A is just generally more reliable.

About the compression, drft_180sx is right, the test should have 6 numbers (three faces x two rotors), so i'm guessing he didn't do the test right/know how to do the test, it's a bit trickier on a rotary, you have to remove the check valve and watch the bumps. you can't let the check valve "stop" on the highest number.. Average readings are between 90-115. 115 would be about the best you'll see.

Other than that, inspect it like any other car you'd be looking at, check all the normal things, etc. If you get it, welcome to the club. You'll find this to be a very good source of information

Make sure you take a look at teh FAQs up at the top of this forum.

unfortunately, I won't be able to answer any other questions tonight, as it's already 1:10 on the east coast, and I have work/school tomorrow. Good luckl!

 

WonkoTheSane- Thank you very much for your input. I will talk to him about his compression test. Yeah, I am REALLY hoping it is a non-turbo, as strange as that probably sounds to you tuners. I just need a fairly reliable car that I enjoy driving, and since my dream of getting an FD will remain a dream until I get started in my career, the FC is a nice start for while I'm in school.

If I do indeed end up purchasing the car, I'll definitly be a regular poster here, and it seems like there are quite a few very knowledgable people who are willing to help out. If anyone else would like to drop a few words here, it would be appreciated. Thanks guys.