good day... nice to have found this site...

i just bought a 365 dollor 87 rx7 with a manual tranny... with 200,000 miles... the car in the pics looks fine with a few rust marks... nothing to worry about... but from the pictures it looks great... little clear coat pealing on the hood but for it's age... ok...

but down to the dirty... I have been told that it blows smoke like a chain smoker... and that they not run it for about 2 years... so... now i dont know what needs to be done... i think that tranny is ok... sent a email asking about it but he didnt meanin it... it's just that the motor ran poorly at the time and they didnt do anything but garage it till now...

oh yea it needs a new muffler.... big whop... how much can that cost me....

so i guess what have i gotten myself into... i would think that i could rebuild the motor myself with a good repair book? or would a new motor with out a tranny be the best way to go? i am at a lose here... i have not taken on something this new or different... i did help do some work on my 72 vw karmman ghia... but this is a different beast...

 

First of all, welcome to the club. You have just found your new best friend.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, down to buisness. The fact of the matter of is that your engine is dead. It probably wasn't too bad two years ago, but sitting is worse on these engines than pretty much anything else. So, now that the worst is over, you can start planning on how to fix this.

right now, go and download the Factory Service Manual (FSM) from the FAQs in the top.

There's TONS of threads on rebuilding. be sure to read the FAQs at the top of this section. Your best bet is to go (right now), and order the "How to overhaul your Mazda 13B" video by Bruce Turrintine. I believe Atkinsrotary.com also has their own video, but I can't vouch for it, as I haven't seen it. I used the Bruce T. video, and it was very, very helpful.. definately worth the 30 bucks it cost.

After you have that, take a watch, you'll understand how the rotary works. now you should be good to crack open the engine block and start the inspection process..

As far as cost: There's no way we can tell you. you may only need seals, you may need all the parts. once you get it tore down, you can see what the damage is.

Good luck!

 

thanks for the info....

i was talking to my father the other day and he swour that this was the worst car in the world... and others here swear they are the best???

also i will be driving this in colorado (thin air) would it run ok up there?

 

Your father is either A) A domestic man, who hates imports, or B) Someone who has known people with Rx-7s that try to mod/tune them like they're a piston engine, and can't figure out why they keep blowing them up.

Of course, you're going to get a biased opinon here. This is the Rx-7 CLUB We're a club based soley on owning Rx-7s. There's some common appeal here, and it isn't the name

That said, Rx-7s are, in fact, excellent cars. They've got a lot of very advanced engineering behind them, leading to a great suspension and weight balance (essentially 50/50). And they are pretty light (for the time they were built), and they've got a completely unique powerplant that's a marvel in its simplicity.

The naturally apsirated ones are pretty bulletproof. It's the Forced Induction that gets a little hairy on the modding side. The problem is that people get a brand new (to them) turbo Rx-7 that is now 16 years old, and decided they're going to go straight to a much larger turbo or something retarded like that without doing any supporting mods (such as fuel).. Just use your head, and do your research before you start modding... you'll be fine.

Rx-7s run all over the world. There's a regional section of hte board to ask if there's any great difference in their performance in colorado.. I wouldn't htink that there would be.

 

WARNING - The elegant simplicity & broad powerband of the rotary engine is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE.

I was seduced by the little 80 cu in motor that puts out >200 HP.

I have a mirror copy of the manuals at the link in my sig.
Download & print wha you need.

Welcome to the forum,
Bill

 

cant wait to go and pick this thing up... i am getting excited... too bad that i have work this weekend...

are there any key things that i should be looking for when i do get this thing? like wires or something with the axle that would hinder or damage towing it with a dolly?

and thanks for all the help...

 

do a search for towing, there's a lot of threads on the proper way to tow a rear wheel drive vehicle. There might be info in the FAQs or Archives, too, I forget

 

just thought that you might like to take a look at it...

i think it was a good buy... i was talking to the guy it's a one owner garaged all the time... and it's been sitting for 2 years.... and there are only 2 rust spots...

i asked him to try and start the car but i dont know if he did or not...

 

just thought that you might like to take a look at it...

i think it was a good buy... i was talking to the guy it's a one owner garaged all the time... and it's been sitting for 2 years.... and there are only 2 rust spots...

i asked him to try and start the car but i dont know if he did or not...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...DME:L:RTQ:US:1

 

thats a good buy man. the car is pretty clean. you will love the 7 man. i have owned a few cars in my days and this is the only car i have missed when i couldnt drive it. (its under a car cover right now waiting for a manual tranny conversion)

side note- wonkothesane that was the greatest run down i have ever seen to welcome someone to the club and let him know what he is getting into. very nicely done.

 

now all i have to do is go and pick up the thing and pay for it...

you know i was looking to get it on the road for about and extra 250...

but now it's looking like i will have to spend about 500+ to get it there...

i dont know what else i could do to get it going for less... looks like i will have to build it myself or go to a junk yard...

i was hoping like with other normal engines that i could get a rebuild kit for about 200 and be done with it... but that is not the case here...

i think that i will take the thing apart and see what i can use out of it...

wish me luck...

i have a week to pick it up...

 

if you think rebuilding the engine is going to be to hard you can always opt to buy an engine and do the swap. prbly cost like 600 bucks n/a.

 

I have the same exact car mine was given to me and was sitting for a while aswell. it looks a if i am going to have to rebuild my engine also but is a very good car. Im in New Mexico so the altitude is almost the same as yours and it seems to run very well at about a little over a mile High.

 

i have to say... that i am kinda turned off right now...

i would like to keep this car but i need to keep it low cost right now i can do the work... no problem... but there is such a high cost for a new engine... something like a grand for a new motor... something i am not willing to spend... i might be willing to spend about 650... but that would be my limit...

also i was looking to get atleast 25+ mpg... is this possible???

info would be nice before i turn to ebay for the Entire car...

 

If you want 25+ mpg sell the car... The RX-7 is a sports car.. Not a Economy car..


Good luck selling it.

 

ohhh i picked it up the other day... the battery is dead... a tire is low on air... the intiere is shot ... there is a good about of body scuffes.... nothing that really stands out 5 feet away... but you know...

so now i find out that this thing get's OK gas milage... i was hoping that i would get about 25+ but... along with the cost... i am starting to wonder if it is worth it...

 

HTTP://WWW.ENGINEREPLACEMENT.COM

anyone know them?....

they offered a 25g mi engine for about 650... best price that i have found...

sould i trust them? they are about 600 better then the rest....

 

well that looks like its probably just a jdm junkyard reseller. so the engine has probably sat for a while. just caveat emptor. might be cheaper to find somebody on here that has a used one that you can buy cheap and rebuild.

 

That car looks just like my old neighbor's car back in Chicago. It is sitting there (and has for the last 7yrs) but he won't sell it. Too bad you didn't but it 3 wks ago. I just sold a good compression low mile S4 NA engine for $400. You can find deals like that all day long in the FS section of the forum.

 

that's interesting i just got off the phone with a guy that says for 650 he has a turbo he would be willing to sell me except that one roter has Great compression and the other Has none...

and these are inports from japan...

what do you think gives?

 

If the rear rotor has no compression the engine is blow.

 

well the battery is dead... and i mean dead....

well i just tried to start it up using jumper cables... and the thing started to sputter once and a while... but it seemed that it was cranking slow... but it did spark once and a while... i dont know if it was that i needed a battery and it would crank stronger or... well... well will see tommarow when i get a new battery for it....

Very interesting sound... damnit... i can tell that i am starting to fall for this thing... but i dont need it... damn... oohhh well... guess... that i will have to sell off some of my other toys to work on this thing...

 

That looks like more trouble than its worth........... For the 400 you paid for that POS and the 500 you plan to spend on it...you could have gotten a running FC......

 

Firstly, welcome to the RX-7 Club.

I bought my X without even knowing it had a rotary engine. I knew nothing about the car or cars at all for that matter. I have found this forum to be very helpful and informative.

Understand that an RX-7 isn't a Camry, though. I get 18 MPG or so and that's more than some people. (15 MPG anyone?)

Stick around and search often. If you can't find what you're looking for, post and Icemark or another guru will be around shortly to assist you.

Have fun with your new 7 and don't give up - they're amazing cars.

iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

[QUOTE=WonkoTheSane]Your father is either A) A domestic man, who hates imports, or B) Someone who has known people with Rx-7s that try to mod/tune them like they're a piston engine, and can't figure out why they keep blowing them up.
**** my dad be like....are you done with that let me take it around the block.........then i hear tires chirpping 2nd and 3rd and the blow off valve blasting into the atmosphere