Greetings to all you RX-7 experts. I just got a 1988 GXL 2+2 about 3 weeks ago and I'm loving it! This is the first front engine, rear drive, fully independant suspension car I've had in about 10 years. Man I love it! I bought it off a co- worker that needed cash for new furiture in his house. ( $1,500 U.S.). I've done some research on this particular car and rotorary engines in general. Amazing! My only gripe is the gas consumption, but I understand that's normal for this car.

I do have some questions and I'll hope some one can help me out here. Here is some back ground on the car:

The car has had 2 owners before me. My friend, and the old lady he bought it from. It's got 153,000 miles on it. (just under 11,000 a year for it's model year) My friend managed to plow it into a pontiac on the freeway,
just superficial body damage which he repaired. But I do need to repaint it. Everything is working fine in the car; A/C PDL,PWD,CRUS, CD changer, pwr sun rf, etc. But the transmission sounds like a bearing is grinding/whirling when in neutral, and the engine is a little rough @5500rpm. I changed the plugs, wires, oil, and coolant.

Question 1) Do I need a new transmission? (5 speed)
how much rebuilt/new?

Question 2) The engine runs great but never rebuilt, no smoke or nothing. should I think about a rebuild?

Question 3) I don't want to race it, just cruise it. How long will the engine last?

Sorry fo the long post. I really like this car and I want to enjoy it on the road, not the repair shop. I'll post some pictures of it in front of where I workin a day or two. Yes there are casinos in Los Angeles

 

I also need to steam clean the engine compartment. Is this safe to do with this type of car? Any advise on what to look out for? The car also has a new altenator I don't want to fry along with the rest of the electronics.

Thanks

 

If you anticipate the trans dying then buy another one now and have it rebuilt to replace when your current one does. I've got a spare in the garage even though it hasn't been rebuilt. Price depends on where you get it and who rebuilds it.

If the engine is running good then leave it alone. Run it till it needs rebuilt. If you take care of it you could many years of use out of it.

 

Welcome to the rotary world!

1) Any problem when you are in gear? Any problem while changing gears? Maybe your pilot bearing, throwout bearing are gone. Good time to get a new clutch and lighten flywheel while you change the bearings.

2) If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Your 5500RPM hesitation could be due to six-port not opening or excessive carbon build up. Do the ATF trick and check out your 6 ports actuation. Or better yet, BAMBAM7 just posted a method about cleaning the engine with carb cleaner through one of the vacume lines, check that out first.

3) The NA engine will last FOREVER IT you maintain it properly! Cruising is fine, but remember to wind it out once in a while to burn of the carbon. BTW, this is a race engine, why would you only want to cruise? The engine deserves to be redlined all the time. You will learn to love it.

 

Ok, a good tranny shop is really the final word when it comes to your first question. Sounds like there might be a problem in there. If it seems to have trouble shifting into 2nd or 3rd gear, welcome to the club! The brass synchros get bent after 10+ years, and a tranny rebuild is $1000-$1500. The best fix for most problems is to drain the old tranny fliud, and replace it with either Redline MT-90 or Royal Purple anything from 75w to 90w. I am currently running Royal Purple 85w, and I love it. Next, the engine can last up to 200K miles, as long as you change the oil no more than every 3k miles, and do regular maintenance. Mine just turned 100k, but I do race/Auto cross her, so I am starting to search out a new engine for the next 2-5 years. Oh yeah, a rebuild will cost you AT LEAST $1000, so don't do it till ya need to! Have fun!!

 

BTW, if they car hasn't got any yet, add some engine grounds, it'll solve ALOT of problems!

 

Hephaestus,

Hey welcome to the forum.

On the engine running rough:

Get the full 60K mile services/tuneup, fuel injector cleaning, replace the TPS, and replace the exhaust if it's still OEM.

My convertible was running rought about 5500K rpms. Tuneup & TPS did help, but I could tell the OEM catalytic converters were clogged.

After replacing the pre catalytic converter with a downpipe, upgrading to a performance main catalytic converter, and adding a HKS catback exhaust - it's now smooth all the way to 8000 rpms.

The full 60K services/tuneup should help with fuel economy. I think just replacing the plugs, wires, & fluids is not the full tuneup and there's more involved.

Note I'm getting around 19/24 or 17/21 depending how heavy my foot is

On the transmission:
You might need a minor rebuild (syncros), but the actual gearing should still be fine. Try switching to redline synthetic in the transmission and rear differential, but stay with good old 10W30 in the engine. I wouldn't touch the trans till it breaks

On the engine life:
The 86-88's tend to last the longest. You might squeeze anywhere from 200-300K miles out of her Just be sure to rev the engine to redline now and then to shake any carbon buildup.

Either cruising or racing, they're great cars. Good news, you have a TON of ugprades, accessories, performance upgrades, bodykits, OEM and aftermarket parts, etc.. to choose from. That's because these cars do have an international following from manufacturers, tuners, racers, and enthusiest.

So take some time, look around at what's out there for your cars, educate yourself by checking all the good websites out there, and ask questions here.

After a few years you might also think about the sweet convertible or pick up a turbo II for some supercar/musclecar action

 

As far as the transmission goes; I had a fleet mechanic at work tell me pretty much what everyone else here said. I let him drive it. It shifts fine and the clutch seems to work alright. I'll save my pennies and look for a new trans in the next few weeks.

I'll try that 60k service that vaughnc talked about. Sounds safe and reasonable.

I read BAMBAM7's post pd_day, it sounds simple and logical but, I think I'll wait and see what the long term effects are. BTW, this may sound dumb but, what the hell is "engine grounds?"

Thanks every one. You all gave me a lot to think about.
I'll post a few picks of my new ride by friday in the photo section for generation 2's.

Peace.

 

Electrical grounds for the engine. They were pretty crappy when the car was new, so...Clean all of the electrical grounds in the engine bay. Go to an auto parts store TODAY and buy a Hayne's or Chilton's manual. It will become your new Bible. I take mine everywhere I go now!!

 

I just have a few things to add to all the good adcice you have received so far:

transmission: Being noisy in neutral does not mean immediate rebuild. If it is not anoyingly loud, it will last quite a while longer.

As far as engine life goes, the best thing to do is check the compression. Just use a regular one and check for the highest value and then hold down the release button to check for pressure while you hear 3 distinct pulses. Comparing it to maximum compression in the manual will give you a good idea of remaining engine life.
Oh yeah, one more thing, have a muffler shop do a back pressure test on your exhaust. It is real cheap to do. Clogged cats will destroy your motor in a hurry.

 

I'm no help, but I wanted to say "Welcome."

 

You'll find grounding info here:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=60669

ttyl,
Amur_

 

Oh, some good names to learn. These guys are THE authority around here:

-RETed. Hands down the best
-HAILERS
-Fexil Wankel
-Keith (actually Irv, Keith's Dad)
-Scott89T2
These guys have helped me out of a LOT of problems, and are always a great source of info. Also check out:
www.fc3s.org
http://www.fc3s-pro.com/TECH/MODS/mods.html (RETed's webpage)
www.teamfc3s.org

 

Nothing I can say that hasn't been said already.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the rotary!

- JB

 

Yo,

Lemme try this again.

Welcome aboard! Wow, you spelled RX-7 correctly and have mastered your shift key. Awesome! We need more of your caliber. *grin*

And you made me go look up Hephaestus! Quit making me /think/ dammit!

*grin*

KS
1989 GTUs "It makes noise at idle too, kind of a low humming..."

 

For some reason the last two rex's I've got have had bad throw-out bearings they tend to make a whining/whiring noise if the trany dosent have a lot of slop and goes into gear with some ease I would not worry about it till you need a clutch