Hi,
I have a question about a FD I'm considering. I have been researching FD's for a good month and a half now. Ok, well the car has about 140k on the body. The engine, transmission and turbos have been rebuilt with 10,000 miles. He did say the engine smoked upon start up because of the mods and the street port. Should I be concerned with this?
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...or=&cardist=20

Thanks in advance,
Jacob

 

depends what color smoke. seems kinda cool.

 

A little on start up is usually the norm,i'd keep an eye on it after that though.

 

At first I thought the price seemed a bit high for that mileage...then after reading all his mods and the mileage on all the parts it looked a bit better. It seems like he did a really nice job with the mods. Every area is covered. I'm just wondering what type of rattles and noises that sucker is going to make with 140K+ on the clock. I have seen single turbo cars with less miles going for similar prices lately. Are you close enough where you can just go test drive the car?

 

I'll answer my own question. 20 miles. If you've never driven an rx7 this one is going to seem like a rocket

 

A friend of mine has a 7 w/ about 300 to the wheels. I am also currently trying to sell my 360 hp WRX. So I'll be ready for the power. Thanks for the replies....

 

It looks very good to me. Rebuilt tranny (new bearings ain't cheap) is great - ask him if it has the updated 5th synchro, select spindle, and new shifter bushings. Newer turbos and engine another big plus. Assuming it wasn't beaten, this car is probably more solid than most single turbo cars you're comparing it against.

As far as shakes and rattles ask about these items: suspension bushings, suspension pillow ***** (spherical bushings), differential mount, engine mounts, powerplant frame, trailing arms and links, front sway bar and supports. Those are common squeak/crack/break/upgrade items.

Dave

 

^Good advice. These can go bad in cars with half the mileage and can really affect the "fun factor" once the exitement wears off after getting the car.

 

Anyone recognize the front turn signal lights. I like those and I might have to get a set for my car.

My car smokes on start up when it had 33K miles on the clock if it sits for a couple of days. I worried for a couple of years about it, but nothing every happened.

 

A little smoke on startup is different than a lot of smoke for the first few minutes. Make sure you clarify what he is talking about.

A "smoke" test to try is rev it up to a high rpm in gear and lift off the throttle. If you see clouds of smoke say bye-bye.

 

Thanks for the input. I'll definately check out all of the bushings and mounts when i look at the car.

 

It's gonna be nearly impossible. Ask the guy when they were last changed. He does mention replaced pillow ***** and toe links in the ad.

The common white 'smoke' at startup is often condensation - just steam. If the car was driven within a few hours, there should be zero smoke, black, blue, or white like TJ said. However, he's got a straight-thru exhaust, so expect it to smell like hell.

Dave

 

Dan Stevenson... the turn signal lights look like the ones on rx7store.net. They look like the turn signals with black housings...

http://www.rx7store.net/index.asp?Pa...ROD&ProdID=804

 

That is good that he mentioned that the car will not pass emissions. I would only be concerned with that if I lived in an area that performed emissions testing. The car looks very clean. Looking at the pics I would think it would have 1/2 the mileage.

 

turbojeff, does the car need to be cold for the "smoke" test?

 

It is worse on cold cars than warm cars. Start it when it is DEAD COLD, don't let them warm it up before you drive it. Feel the engine BEFORE you/he starts it.

Do the test when the engine is warm.

My car smokes a little bit when you start it and when you first drive it but only for about 1-2 blocks and only when it is dead cold. The smoke is more of a light haze not a thick blue cloud. My motor has 3000 miles on it, I've owned 20 FDs and I think it is normal.

 

20!?.... I think I better listen to your advice then. lol. Thanks for the help.