I have gone through some hard times over the past 4 years, and as a result, my 1993 RX7 hasn't moved/or been started for almost 4 years.

Times are looking up now, and I want to resurrect and recondition this car.

Originally, for about the first two years, it sat in my garage but due to the need to convert part of that garage into a bedroom, about two years ago the car got pushed outside and has sat exposed and untouched.

Today, I removed the dead battery and attempted to shift the car to neutral(auto transmission) to at least roll it a bit, but can't get the tranny into Neutral.

SO, for my first question of many, does the car need a powered battery connected in order to move the shifter out of park and into neutral?

 

i dont have a auto bust most of the time you do have to have a battery and then you put in the key and turn it but not start it then press the brake and it shoud go into nuetral.

 

It's been a while since I've messed with an auto car, but there is a plastic tab thing just to the left of the shift lever. It is a neutral lock-out thing (forget the proper term). Stick a screwdriver or something similar in the hole to release it, and you will be able to put it in neutral.

 

Thanks guys!!!!

The auto tranny embarrasses me too... but originallly, it was a car I bought for my wife and our 25th anniversary is coming up and I'd like to give her back the only car she ever REALLY loved.

Thanks again!

 

Thank you.... car rolled back and stopped... so brake pads are NOT frozen?

Next up... jump it from my other car and see if it starts - OR, should I go and get a gallon of new gas and pour it in first?

 

Is there gas in it now? Really you want as much good gas in the tank as possible. In fact it would be a good idea to drain the old stuff and pour in new stuff.

Dave

 

What an amazing car!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Removed the battery, jumped it directly to the batter cables, and it turned over on the second try.

If I had a battery in it, I probably could have taken it for a spin to the tire station to get the tires up to par.

The inside smells a bit like urine, but the rugs and seats are being replaced by the ones I bought 4 years ago but stored them in my upstairs climate controlled gameroom. :-)

 

I have begun to try and resurrect a 93 RX7 with only 55K miles on it which has been sitting out in the open for the last 4 years, virtually unmoved. It has been started up a few times a year, the last time being about 4 months ago.

The battery was dead due to the brake pedal light missing gromet(fixed with a penny and some tape - Thanks Brian!). The last time it started with a jump about the third crank.

Now, I checked the oil and coolant, cranked her and NADA. It won't start. It keeps turning over but it doesn't even sputter. Nothing.

I checked the fuel pump and it seems to be clicking and I slightly smell fuel(I think?) but it won't start. Tonight, I'll go and get a gallon of fresh premium and see if that helps.

It has been parked in a driveway at a slight incline towards the rear of the car so I'd guess that the fuel lines are completely empty. How long do you need to crank it till fuel reached the carburator? Should I pump the accelerator while I crank it, or just depress the accelerator once and then let it up?

What next should I check and how do I check it if the fresh gas doesn't help? How can I easily check for spark to the engine?

Thanks for your help and I am looking forward to having you all walk me through the process of bringing this baby back to its' original glory.

Here are some "BEFORE" pics for this threads history. You can see this will not be an easy resurrection.





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Step 1 accomplished. 2 Fresh Gals of Premium gas and it started on the second crank.

Ran nicely and quietly in the driveway at idle. A few revs to 3000 sounded throaty while in neutral.

Shifted into drive and pushed on accelerator... and, ugh, car lurched and stopped and lurched and stopped almost stalling each time with only my pumping on the accelerator keeping it going long enough to turn around and get it back into the driveway.

During the drive, the HOLD light blinked even after I pushed the Hold button several times. It continued to blink back in the driveway after shifting into park.

Also during the drive, the ABS and check engine light flashed on and off in syncronicity with the engine almost stalling.

Since this trial drive was done with a totally dead battery, I am hoping that the alternator couldn't supply enough power to keep the engine sparking while in drive and accelerating and the battery was the cause of the lurching and sputtering.

Going to take the battery out of another car and see if a good battery solves the problems. (fingers crossed)

 

There is a section in the FSM on how to prime the fuel system. The diagnostic box on the drivers front strut tower is where the connectors are to jump it. Remember the 3 things you need to run; fuel, compression, and spark.

 

It almost sounds like it is in 'limp mode', where the fuel pump is being told by the ECU to not pump the high pressure needed to drive the car normally.

The flashing 'hold' light can mean many things, mine has kicked on a couple of times in the last 8 or 9 years, I have always just cleared it by resetting the ECU by disconnecting the battery cable and depressing the brake pedal.

Keep us posted man. Good to see you are getting her 'resurrected'. That poor car....it looks like hell....no offense.

 

Thanks for the help.

When I get home from work tomorrow morning, I'll unhook the battery(while replacing it with a new one) and push on the brake pedal to reset the ECU and then prime the fuel system before I give it another drive.

Is this how you prime the fuel system: turn the car to the "ON" not start position wait about 8 seconds then turn it off, and do it again. Repeat bout 10 times then it should be primed.

One more thing, the dashboard brake light remains on even when I release the parking brake. Does this mean I need brakes?

Thanks again!

 

your dashboard brake light is on probably because you are low on brake fluid. Your level in your resevoir looks to be very very low.

 

yours looks like its in better shape then mine...

 

Step 2: replaced battery, reset ECU, filled fuel tank with fresh gas, primed fuel system and started it again. RAN Perfectly! No dash warning lights whatsoever. Drove as well as first day I bought it.

Next up, flush/replace all fluids, replace spark plugs and possibly wires, replace brake pads, and paint calipers while I have the breaks apart.

Before that though.... clean it clean it clean it. find out what is making the nest under my carpet, although I doubt there are any critters in there anymore.

 

I would suggest if you are taking your calipers off and painting them that you do a rebuild on them as well. The parts are cheap.
http://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.as...m=49-2400-FB05
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hlight=caliper

 

I would also just go ahead replace the plug wires while you are replacing the plugs. This is really a good periodic maintenance thing once a year/two years anyways. Also those belts are looking a little worn. Glad to see you got it up and started again! Congrats!!

OH!! and I would DEFINATELY buy a new fuel filter...

 

After getting the old gal up and running, and flushing and replacing all the fluids in the car, it was driving as it did when new. I put about 150 miles on it yesterday and enjoyed every single second even though I have no A/C yet and temps here are 100+ degrees.

Last night, on my way to my second job, I noticed that when I started from a stop I heard a high pitched whine coming from my engine compartment, followed by the smell of burning rubber. I recognized it as coming from my pulley belts.

I had intended on taking the car to have the belts replaced by someone who knew how to do it this weekend, but didn't get the chance. On the way home this morning, about a mile from my house, the belt broke and all hell broke loose in the car. Seemingly every dash warning light came on and as I pulled into my driveway, the car stalled. I could hear the electric cooling fan running under the hood. When lifted the hood and looked, sure enough, one of the belts was totally missing. The other one was still in place but just as old and needing to be replaced as the other one.

I have searched and looked for a link to a detailed and illustrated instruction on how to replace the belts but haven't been able to find any? Although if it was less than $150 or so, I'd prefer to have someone who knew how to do it do it for me, now, I am afraid to drive the car without the benefit of the alternator, water pump, etc which depends on the missing belt to run.

Does anyone know of a site or url or link which has an illustrated (or video) on how to step by step replace the bests, or at least the one which I am now missing. As a mechanical incompetent, I don't even know how or where the missing belt should go?

I appreciate any and all help you can offer. Until the belt is replaced, my FD's resurrection is grounded.

Thanks!

 

Yeah do not drive the car without the water pump i hope the car didnt' heat up to much the the belt broke initially. Out of the FSM

 

Download the FSM (Factory Service Manual) from the link stickied in the first page of the forum. The procedure is in there. It is pretty straightforward.

Don't drive it w/o belts or you will overheat the motor resulting in the need for a rebuild $$$

 

Thanks for the help.

I did locate the 3 pages in the engine section of the FSM which were posted above. I guess the next step is to take them outside and see if I can understand what I am supposed to do by looking at the diagrams/instructions and the engine compartment too. Does the 3 pages listed show how to replace both belts or only the 1 which broke on my car?

How bout the belts themselves. Where is the best place with national store distribution where I can buy the belts tonight? We have Autozone and O Reilly auto parts stores. Or, do I need to buy the belts from the Mazda dealership?

Thanks for all the help!

 

make sure they give you the right belt theres a different belt listed for auto and manual, i dont know why , i mnot home rite now ...but i just found my slip the auto belt is
25-050538 thats a napa part number its a 53in 5 groove belt, i used this belt because i made a custom air pump bracket and needed a longer belt. opps forgot to mention this is just the airpump/alt/water pump belt not the ps ac belt. just double check the numbers my book is a few years old now but they usualy stay the same like the belt i used is for the auto as well , also nbh.

looked in my napa book and heres what i found
both nbh brands
manual air pump/ alt belt
25050532

auto air pump and alt
25050516

and for the ac/ps

ATM brand belt
6PK1045

hope that helps ~zach

 

It shows you how to replace both of them. The one on the water pump, alt, is the first set of instructions. The 2nd set with the air pump is the other belt. It's pretty strait forward i don't think you'll have any problems.

Call around see who has 1 then go pick it up.

 

You should be able to find the belts at any local auto parts store. It really is not that difficult to replace the belts. You should have no issues if you just follow the FSM.

 

Thanks for the help.

I'm gonna head out now to see if I can find the belts and will either try to do the install tonight or wait until I get home from work in the morning.

Is there anything else I should be doing to the car which you need to remove the belts in order to do?

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Thanks again.