I've been eyeing the older gen rx-7's for quite some time now and i've finally found a 1987 RX-7 in good condition (it was previously owned by an elderly woman). Everything with the car is fine except for the struts, which the owner is changing as we speak. Now the only other thing that bothers me about it is the shifter. I know shifters wear out with cars over time but this shifter was pretty effing loose. It was to the point where i could barely tell which gear i was approaching and i couldn't feel fifth at all. it shifts fine but it still bothers me. i saw on a faq somewhere that the bushings do come loose over time, is that the problem? would replacing it with a short shifter work?

 

its the bushings, mine flops around alot too

 

just out of curiousity, the struts the owner refers to are the struts that reduce body roll right?

 

you should buy a better suspension setup than OEM, buy the racing beat springs and the KYB AGX for a very nice setup, or search the Wheel/Suspension section for other options, and I am not sure what you mean by struts reducing body roll, of course new suspension is going to reduce it, but there are many other things that can reduce it even more

 

Does the shifter spin around? If so, remove the upper and lower boots... There's a pin at the front of the shifter thatcomes out of the tranny and locks into a notch in the shifter... Sometimes the pin works it's way out of the shifter notch... Once you see it, you'll quickly realize how to fix the situation... Oh and definately replace the bushings whether it spins or not...

 

Dont forget to put oil in the cavity where the bushing goes. I've had trouble with the bushings before too. Hey, Now would be a good time to get the short stroker. be the same amount of work to put in.

 

i'm curious as to where one can find a good short shifter. my shifter i can spin about a quarter of the way around each way.

 

You need to check the pin out if it spins... You can use the ebay Miata shifters or they make a kit on ebay for cheap...

 

I just replaced the bushings on mine today, but instead of being really loose it's really tight now. Granted i forgot to check which bushing goes on top and got the blue on bottom instead of top like mazdatrix FAQ says, but i also had problems getting the white in while the blue just went in...

 

yeah i got the same problem the short shifters come with bushings right and the miata shifters work the same?

 

wow thanks for all the info.

 

oh and i dont want to start another thread since i'm still noob status but i'm stuck between a 90 CRX DF salvaged but in excellent cond (for 2600) and a 1987 RX-7 in the condition stated above for 2300. i absolutely love crx'es but i've heard tons of good things about the rx-7. PLUS i'll be using the car for mountain driving and to introduce myself to mountain drifting. i know this is an rx-7 board and all but could you guys give me some good/selling points for the 7?

 

crx is a honda.....jk thr rx is fun fast and different and you have a great forum like rx7club.com supporting you when you need it and the crx are front wheel drive....hahaha

 

AND the rx has A/C AND heat (my 87 crx hf has neither) and um...it's longer and...

any specifics?

 

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/frequently-asked-questions-2nd-generation-rx-7-faq-fc-494667/
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/specifications-what-did-2nd-generation-rx-7-come-w-options-standard-features-249616/

Almost everything you need to know at this point can be found in those two threads (or the corresponding links)...

 

okay turns out it's an 87 rx-7 turbo FI. what is that?

 

Turbo fuel injected

 

good? should i jump on this car?

 

it runs and dosnt smoke you miss, everythign works, and you need to do very little to it to make it mint. Yes....wait let me reprase that...HELLS YA

 

O_O

i've got 2 grand, i'll let u guys know.

i do have one question. when i was looking into a 2nd gen crx, i found out that a fuel pump kill switch could be easily installed and hidden in the trunk. are there any free security options that i should be aware of? i live in a theft-ridden area and i would hate for my rx-7 to get stolen.

 

A fuel cut switch is almost necessary anyways once your compression starts to drop and you have to unflood it more often...

 

Whats wrong with the stock suspension setup apart from it's age? I'm on my third pair of OEM shocks.

 

well the seller didn't catch what the mech said that well so all he got out of it was "struts" and "200 dollars to replace". he says that the front of the car takes bumps really hard.

and 13b4me, i dont quite get what ure saying. i need a fuel kill switch but whats that got to do with compression and engine flooding?

 

You kill the fuel so you can turn the engine over and blow the fuel out of it...

 

ohhh no i didnt mean that. i dont even know what that would do. what i meant was something i can switch off (on a hidden switch) so i can leave the car without having to worry about it getting stolen.