I'm in the process of buying a 87 rx7 non-turbo, i'm getting it for a very good price. however the car does not crank. the engine spins over but will not start. is this a common problem that can easily be fixed? i know it's kind of vague but was just wondering if it's a common problem. also i would just like to add that the rest of the car is in really good shape, i.e paint and interior frame and everything else. the only problem is the engine not starting.

thanks guys

 

This is a common problem, has about 100 different possible causes.
Start with the basics though, look for spark, fuel and air. Also, you need to do a compression check (read the FAQ for info on how). If the compression is low then the engine will need a rebuild and probably won't start. Low=0, btw.

 

thanks alot. i've got a friend who owns a performance mechanics shop so i'm sure we won't have any problem figuring it out. just wanted a little back ground before i got into it.

 

87 n/a that doesnt run isnt likely to be worth much, make sure your not spending too much money. Shop around in the for sale section and look at some members cars for sale and you can get a good idea of what the car wil be worth.

 

better yet, bring your friends who knows about rotary motor with you for closer look.

oh, and don't forget carfax... PM me with VIN and i can run it for you
(unlimited 30days)

 

flooded, i had the same problem. search for the unflooding writeup and go to town, make sure you're gettting the same price when it fires up and pours white smoke

 

well i bought the car, it was in the process of being turned into a v8 car. but i saved it... it has brand new tokico blue struts, sloted rotors, and calipers. the motor was pulled from the car but i'm in the process of buying a 89-91 turbo motor, transmisison, ecu, and wiring harness. can i use the same driveshaft and rear end? i'm gonna add a lsd if i can use the same rear end. and will i have any problems converting to the turbo motor? everything is gutted from the engine bay but i have all of it in a box... the only thing left on the car is the brake resavoir and a few high pressure lines. one looks like it's for the clutch but the resavoir is gone...

 

oh and i noticed that the rpms only go to 8k on the tac. but i saw other cars that go to 9 k...

 

Check ground wires.

 

the engine is out of the car. i bought it gutted. i'm just gonna do a s5 turbo swap. was wondering how hard it is.

 

N/A drivetrain is weak. I learned the hard way.

 

i'm getting the motor with the transmission, ecu, and wiring harness. it doesn't come with drive shaft and rear end. so do i need to change the rear end and drive shaft?

 

Just outta curiosity... Where did you get the engine? Most J-Spec engines need to be rebuilt because they have been sitting for many years. While you have that bad boy apart you might look into a little porting if you are looking for more power.

You will need the drivesaft and rear-end with half shafts. Mazdatrix sells a turbo to N/A driveshaft so that the rear-end will still work but I suggest buying a TII drivetrain, TII rear-end with halfshafts and skipping Mazdatrix's driveshaft.

I'm going to suggest reading every single thread in the archive. They are there for good reason. I would read over the FAQ while you are at it, there is a lot of good links, and lots of good information. That is, unless you already have.

There is tons and tons of information on this site. You just have to search for it.
Start with the Archive and FAQs and then search for any other questions you have. I'm almost positive that you will find what you are looking for.

Welcome to the rotary world. Try not to go crazy.

 

S4 tach goes to 8k. And if you're getting the 13BT, make sure you've got the ECU, harness, transmission, diff, the whole nine yards...

 

yeah i'm looking into doing this swap... i already have everything out of the car so i might as well. and i'm getting the engine from jspecautosports they have great reviews and cheapest i found. i've looked through the faq's and some of the archives. so i guess i need to find a drive shaft and rear end. ha