Totaled my 99 Civic Si, buying RX-7
 

Hello Everybody,

I recently totaled my Si and want an RX-7, i've always wanted one and think it is a good car.

But anywayz, i have a few questions:

I'm planning on buying an 88 GTU, it runs good except for a couple of things:

When i tried to start it up the first time it didn't, the owner told me that i flooded the engine cause it was sitting around for a couple of days?? Then he did this weird pulling of a fuse thing in the engine, is that something that you have to do?? Or is something wrong????

And another thing is the stick gets warm, is that cause it is hitting the heat shield???

I need your help, please any replies are appreciated. It has 103k miles on it and he is asking 2500, the exterior is in good condition.

Is it worth buying??? I'm kinda worried about the starting thing.

Thanks,
hashsi

nah the starting thing is a common problem with the 2nd gens, if it doesnt start, or if it doesnt run for long enough it will flood, when it does flood you have to pull out the EGI fuse in the engine bay, get in the car floor the gas pedal and crank the car for 17 seconds, then put the fuse back in and start it up. The heating of the stick is normal, all of the RX-7's ive had have done that. any more ?'s just ask away :)

So is this going to be a problem in the winters?? Or will it be okay when i get used to it???

So i just keep letting it crank until it starts the first time, no matter how long it takes??? and is that a good deal??

Sorry for all the questions, i just need a car and hope this is a good one.

is there any need to change the seals that i've heard about, and how much does it cost to do all of that.

Oh by the way, he showed me some belt that was loose, how do i fix that???

Thanks,
Hashsi

anybody?

hashsi,

The 89-92's have an in-car bypass for that. You just push the accelerator to the floor when cranking to force more air in.

The 86-88's do not have that feature OEM - but there are several websites that have a "do it yourself" incar fix and how to create / install it. I think it's just a fuel cut switch.

The seals (also known as Apex Seals) are normally replaced with an engine rebuild. On the 86-88GTUs, that's done normally around 170K-180K (correct me if I'm wrong on the mileage people).

Best advice - get your friends engine "compression tested" by a Mazda dealership. The results are a good indicator on the state of the engine. Low compression - don't buy it. high compression - in good standing.

If the compression test is good - then get the 60K mile and fuel injector services done. That should take care of the belt as well.

Any more questions?

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Not at all. I suppose the only reason it did this (as Agent_D mentioned) is because it has been sitting for a while. Technically the car hasn't been used in a while, and here you are probably stepping on the gas trying to get it to crank like crazy, and the engine ends up getting to much fuel in it. That's why the owner of the car pulled out the EGI fuse, so that the fuel pump would be off, and the car would crank off no fuel until it removed the fuel that was in the engine - thus unflooding it. Thereafter you reinsert EGI fuse and try starting it up again. After running the car for a few miles you shouldn't have to do this again.

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So i just keep letting it crank until it starts the first time, no matter how long it takes??? and is that a good deal??

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No, you try the method shown above

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is there any need to change the seals that i've heard about, and how much does it cost to do all of that.

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Most likely, no. If the engine seems to idle smooth, and does not smoke (the O-rings cause this), then it means the engine is most likely in good condition. Just don't forget to do all your spark plug, and oil check ups. And if you really want to know if the engine needs to be rebuilt - then do a compression test.

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Oh by the way, he showed me some belt that was loose, how do i fix that???

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C'mon man...the replacing of a belt should be logical on any car. Which belt is it?

it wont be much of a problem, the cars dont do it too much anyways, especially standards, ive never flooded my standard rx but my auto likes to do it a lot :)

it shouldnt take more than 5 seconds to start, it depends on how much he wants for a good deal :)


nah, not at 103k, the 86-88's last 180k-220k and there has been one RX-7 owner that got 367k out of his, thats awesome

depends on which belt it is, the P/S and A/C belts can be tightened by the small tigtening scres on the brackets, the others you can move them by loosening the adjusting bolts and moving them out a little, like the altenator and the air pump.

Thanks for all your replies guys, itz good to know that there are people out there willing to help. On my old club nobody was willing to help, it was a Civic Si club.

I think i will be getting the rx-7, finally after many years of wanting it, hopefully it will be a good buy. And by the way how much for the compression test?

lol yea most of the honda boards ive been to are like that, the comp test, i have no idea how much those are

How will this car compare to my old car, will i be able to keep up stock??? What can i do to get more HP for not that much money.

My old car had intake, headers, exhaust, and i was running about 14.8 at the track. Will the stock rx-7 be close to that?

By the way my old car was a 1.6 liter, dohc vtec engine, that was 160hp stock.

stock it wont keep up but give it a few good mods and it will. stock its 15.9-16.1 with 146hp/138tq 1.3litre Rotary engine. I had a black 1986 RX-7 that was running 14.7 with custom intake, modded TB, header, and custom made exhaust by me :) i could beat stock 5.0's rather easily.

I don't know if 2500 is a good deal for an N/A unless its in good shape over all. I paid 1600 for mine with 100k mi but it ran good, had a good exterior & pretty good interior & cold A/C. Might want to look around. Just my thoughts.

Chris

If the compression checks good.. and everything seems in working order, I'd get it! Main reason? Rotary Engine =) Oh yea...

2nd reason.. who DOESN'T have a civic? now all those civics on the road will most likely not even know what you are driving.... (unless they can read.... most civic drivers here in NE can't read I don't think..that's why they have huge shift lights.. can't even read their TACH)

with an RX-7, you have to give it lots of care .... The usual RX-7 maintenance... Low oil (of course) = NO NO... keep it filled up always.... (20W50 seems to be the most popular... I use it as well..) When you change your oil... inspect oil lines , fuel lines... everything... or else you could regret it when your oil pressure goes to zero and your engine locks up.....=)

If you buy it , and your engine EATS IT RAW... no biggie.... They are quite simple to rebuild.... I'd suggest doing it yourself... 2 reasons.... A: less money.. B: wow you learn so much... and you know what's been done to your engine... =) I spent about 1400 for my rebuild... and I went all out... housings (used) a rotor (used) all NEW apex seals, side seals, corner seals, (and springs for all) new oil control rings (the metal rings AND rubber inserts) a new gasket set was in that.... Can all be installed in one day and started up right after you pop it back in =)


you'll appreciate it more than your civic =)

hold on thier turbo
 

My 89rx7 was sitting in mechanics yard for over 2 months. I got it out and fixed the problem myself, thanx to this forum but as soon as i cranked my car over in one second it shot up like a motha. No flooding. My engine was rebuilt 5000 miles ago or 5 months ago and have no starting trouble. If it has starting trouble I would be werrie. Either low compression or leaking injectors. Mabey you should ask him to lower the price so you can buy a fuel system. One that prepares you for future mods to. A 103.xxx miles , it can still be bad because he might of overheated. Anyways it sounds like it needs a complete service tune up. Belts, fuel, exc . I was selling my near mint 89fc for 2400 a wile ago. No one bought it because it needed the harness to be installed when I shorted it. I fixed it in 4 hours and runs perfect. What I would do is find a perfectly electronicly good rx7 with no motor or blown motor for around 400 or so. ive seen them . And get it rebuilt. My complete engine rebuild cost 2300. Youl have a new car for like 3000 total. Its worth it because I dont have to wory about mine and I rev the piss out of it. My friend in his 87rx does 14.3 with just a couple grand in bolt ons. Hes na too. His list goes . fuel. elec box. fan. ud pulley. tires. Custom intake. Headers streight pipes. all emisions removed with some comp tuning and 161.xxx miles on origanal engine. He would beat your civic for less then you spent on it.

Compression test is I believe either a flat $75 fee or 1.5 hour labor fee.

note the rx-7s are true sports cars designed with 1 thing in mind - performance. Most civic owners are 1st time carbuyers - but I think the rx-7 is a better buy if you want to trick out / mod a car myself. Cheaper upfront and cheaper in the long run.

Best thing about these cars is they have the HUGEST potential for reliable performance gains - moreso than any other cars. There are a TON of performance upgrades and, accessories, bodykits, etc.. available as well.

The GTU has a great combination of low cost and high output - more so than the GXL, SE, and Sport models. It's also has more engine life and therefore more reliable than the turbo II.

Any more questions?

I will tell you this man!..I drove my friend's 99 SI and it didnt have any torque compare to an RX7. You can keep putting stuff to a CIVIC and it will not make any difference except some ridiculous sound!..ROTARY (RX7) are known to adopt to any mods you do with it!..for example, you put some good exaust in it and you will definitely feel a big diffenrence. As long as you take care of the fuel part it will keep the motor HAPPY. Since its your first time owning a ROTARY CAR i would stay away from TIIs unless you have money to spend. Im not trying to say they break EZ. Its just that when owning a TII you start modding the car and will soon put you to debt. Im having that problem now. I bought a TII as my first rotary and its been sitting for almost 2 years now because i want it to be really FAST!..I have collection of GO FAST PARTS and i will soon be building a NEW motor. Im aiming for atleast 350Hp and with that POWER i will definitely beat MUSTANGS and have CIVIC SI for BREAKFAST.:)
Here's a pic of my project car::dragster:

What do you mean i have to take care of the fuel part, somebody told me that i have to mix oil with the gas??? What is that all about??? What are some basic maintenence tips i need to know?? And what kind of oil do i use?

Mixing oil with fuel is the well-known "pre-stage oiling". Nothing to do with fuel. What he meant was that you need to take care of fuel supply in order to do proper upgrades to a rotary engine. This is more so with turbos. If you do some minor mods, the stock fuel pump and injectors can keep up, but after that you'll have all sorts of things to worry about. You dont want to force more air in the A/F mix and make it too lean, cause then you have detonation, and you can say bye-bye to your motor...:(
Maintance tips: follow the service schedule to the letter, and better yet check oil, coolant, plugs and wires as often as you can (even with every fuel fill-up). Oil: 20/50 mineral, I use Divinol (because the Mazda shop does), many people swear by Castrol.

So if i just want to upgrade the exhaust and intake, i can leave everything else stock and not have to worry about detonation??

Sorry for all the questions, i'm one of those honda guys. Or at least i was.

Many guys on here run a little 2-Cycle oil to help out with lubing and to extend the life of their engine. It certainly can't hurt, especially when you start running a higher-mileage motor (rotaries can take the revs even when they've technically been around the world and back).

Oh, one of the best parts about owning a Non-turbo rotary is that they LOVE lower-octane gasoline...which is great in this day and age. :D

pretty much...but I would install a A/F meter and a FCD just in case. A friend of mine has full exhaust, cone filter intake and a wastegate and no problems (well, actually he has replaced his turbo, but it had nothing to do with pressure).

I'm going the same way as you (downpipe, catback, cold intake, TID mod), so I should see more or less 2psi increase, which is 15-20HP. I'm installing a FCD just in case, but I dont think that I will have any problems with the stock pump and injectors (4x550 seems enough).

hashsi,

Yes, getting a performance intake, exhaust, & catalytic converter is fine.

I always recommend though if you do ANY mods - get some gagues including air/fuel, boost, exhaust temp, and coolant temp.

You may run slightly above stock boost with the setup above, but shouldn't run lean.

Any more questions?

Its a GTU ;)

But on a side note, im picking up my TII today; any brand of gauge I should pick up or avoid?

TIA

Also what civic do u know that can shoot flames out the exhaust?

My 88 NA shoots flames with every shift when the car is heated up well (exh. system). I have no cats and magnaflow, stock manifold/reactor.

hey
 

How does those magnaflows sound. I have a long billit muff for 100 and sounds like a jet engine breaking the sound barrier. I was going to swich to mags when I get headers. Does it quiet it down any. I need it quiet.