I have an 88 convertible RX7 that I purchased not long ago. Just a couple days ago I began noticing that if I have the gas pedal down very far at all in 3rd, 4th, or 5th that the revs on the engine will rev higher then they ought to go, briefly, and then drop back down. It's the same sort of effect as depressing the clutch ever-so-slightly. I would have thought that there was something wrong with the clutch, like it never quite goes fully out, but it absolutely will not do it in 1st or 2nd gear. Is there anything else that can cause this sort of behavior?

 

Im no expert but it sounds to me like your clutch is starting to slip.


Maybe Im not thinking correctly, but it seems like your clutch would slip more in higher gears, than in lower gears. Since the higher the gear, the lower the ratio, and the harder it would be to turn it.

You know ... Like if you had a bike, and somehow the pedals were attacthed the the main gear by a clutch device of somekind, the "clutch" would be more likely to "slip" if you punched on it in 18th gear as opposed to 1st gear...You know?

 

Weird things is it slips less in 5th than in 4th. But yeah, you're probably right, the clutch is the only thing I can think of that could could cause that sort of behavior. Its about time for the clutch to be going anyway.