Havanai

I have a 1988 RX-7 convertible. I am the original owner and for many years it was my only car, driven year-round in Chicago. Now I only drive it 1,000-1,250 miles annually. There are only about 66,000 miles on this almost 30-year-old car.

For a car this age, it is in really good shape. I do need some service on it though. When I start it up, after being idle for a few days, there’s a loud warning tone that sounds. Over the years I would hear this sound when turning corners if the oil was low. It was as if there was a float or device in the oil reservoir. And if the oil level got low, maybe sloshing a little bit when I rounded a corner, it would emit this warning tone. But now, the oil is not low. On the dash there is a warning light telling me to add coolant. But the coolant is topped up too. When I drive maybe a half mile on the city streets, the loud warning tone stops. Has anyone else been afflicted with this? Does anyone have an idea of the cause of the warning tone?

That’s my “burning issue”, but the car could probably use a precautionary or preventative maintenance check-up. Can anyone recommend a good honest mechanic to work on my 30-year-old beauty in the Chicago area?

The third thing is that I am reaching the age at which I want to start divesting of my accumulated possessions. Though this car has been a love of my adult life, it is time to think about selling it. Is there an active “car for sale” section here in the club’s web-site? Otherwise, how would you go about marketing this classic?

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Hot_Dog

I am surprised the body looks so good considering you are using the car as a daily driver in Chicago. I was born and raised in Chicago, and lived in SW suburb for nearly 25 years. I am very familiar with how those harsh Chicago winters take their toll on a car's body. After all, that's why they call it the "Rust Belt".

First of all, make sure your fluids are all topped off. If that doesn't help, than it might be that either one of those sensors (i.e., oil or coolant) are going bad or perhaps just a bad wire/connection. You need to start checking somewhere and the sensors are the best place to start since they are the most susceptible to failure. The oil level sensor is just a float mounted on the left hand side of the oil pan. There's a short lead with a white connector coming out from this sensor. When the wire becomes old and brittle, the insulation will crack and the wire will eventually break where its attached to the oil level sensor. The coolant level sensor is mounted atop the radiator. Check the wire for breaks. When the sensor wire is grounded, the buzzer will sound.

Sorry, but can't help you with a recommendation on a mechanic. BTW, this forum does have section for selling cars.

Havanai

Thanks Hot Dog. Very helpful information.

Havanai

Would it be crazy to take my car to a dealer for service? I imagine most of the mechanics were even born yet when I bought my car.

Enthu

iTrader: (1)

I had a similar symptom and it was caused by air bubbles in the coolant from a bad water seal. it wasn't bad and there was no coolant smell in the exhaust for a long time. eventually, my S5 NA gave out and started spilling coolant into the engine. Do the old champagne bubble test. take the cap off your coolant filler neck and run the engine. as it warms, watch for bubbles or champagne bubbles coming up. I you see them, you likely have bad water seals or perhaps a pinhole leak somewhere in the coolant system that's suckling in air.

Molotovman

iTrader: (49)

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The Spirited Rotary

Did you top off only at the filler neck? I would check the overflow and fill it to the full line if low or empty. Run the car while filling up to get rid of any air. Also did you remove the bleeder screw?

Also check for leaks around the radiator especially around the plastic bits and any hoses that may be leaking. This includes the heater hose too.

Also I would check the condition of the coolant and have it flushed if not done in a while.

I've run into this situation before and had no issues afterwards. 88' Turbo 10th Ann owner.