stik6shift00

They had a buying guide in the march 2003 issue of sport compact car, besides the three recals the listed some other problems, although they said there not so common, i just want to know how many of you have trouble with these:
- No boost above 4500 rpm
- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
- Hood squeaks and rattles
- hand brake light comes on while driving
- low coolant alarm goes off
- radio flashing "err" code
- Paint problems
- battery failure and leakage
- brake rotor warping
- suspension clunk
- cracking factory wheels
- oil pan leak
- interior parts cracking and breaking

I figure if i buy a highly moded car most of those problems would be eliminated butnew problems might occure.

and does Mazda still take care of the recalls? (fuel line, cooling system, brake recall) I thought even if the warrenty has expired they still must take care of the recall problems
besides these few problems they said it was a great sports/ touring car.

Scrapiron7

I have had:
- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
- interior parts cracking and breaking
- suspension clunk

I consider most of those minor fixes on a car that's 10 years old. Any car 10 years old will have some issues.

Quickfini

iTrader: (6)

I have a 94 FD, and the only problem with mine from the above list is probably that I'm only getting 5 psi of boost above 4500rpm.

Other than that, it's been pretty good for me. I have about 51k miles on original engine and body.

rynberg

Yep, almost all of those problems can/or will occur over time. Quite a few of them are just maintenance issues.

I wouldn't believe anything most of that type of mag has to say, especially about RX-7s. The research they do is pathetic and the amount of errors is vast. I'm not talking just about SCC, but most of the "tuner" mags, in general.

spurvo

- No boost above 4500 rpm
Yep, till I tightened the clamps! Split coupler, anyone?
- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
Yep, crappy sender, and the hot oil pressure is pretty low.
- Hood squeaks and rattles
Yep. Axel grease works wonders.
- hand brake light comes on while driving
Yep. adjusted it.
- low coolant alarm goes off
Yep. Replaced radiator, 14 coolant hoses, thermostat, water pump and housing, upgraded the sensor, upgraded fan control, upgraded to new engine. Alarm silent so far!
- radio flashing "err" code
Yep. Some CD's just weren't meant to be heard in my FD.
- Paint problems
Yep, and I even had a factory repaint/overcoat. Need body work, too...
- battery failure and leakage
Yep. Caused the radiator to look like an Alien had bled on it. Lot's of corrosion all over the place too. Fun of the highest order.
- brake rotor warping
Nope. Just replaced the fronts though.
- suspension clunk
Yep. Stopping, starting, turning, you name it, it clunks!
- cracking factory wheels
Nope. Probably goes along with the warped rotor, which results from driving at the oh **** level
- oil pan leak
Yep. Oil metering pump and two turbo leaks as well (secondary down the face of it, rear oil return line)
- interior parts cracking and breaking
Yep, looking like **** in there..

11/13 ain't bad

They forgot motor mount failure, coolant system plastic failure, significant risk of engine fire (fuel and/or coolant related), transmission failures, and air conditioning leaks. Bad interior smells, weak headlights, weird hesitations, bad sealing materials...

Love it like that pretty girl you just KNOW is gonna break your heart.

keynote22

brake light--yep parking brake handle bounces a bit causing light to come on

battery leak--yep i have an alien in my engine bay as well

oil pan-- yep $400 but hasn't leaked since props to AIM

radio err--yep mine hates burned cd's

clunk--not yet but bushings are aging so its coming

paint issues--yep mines a 93. looks like someone painted it with a brush.

motor mount--yep

enigine fire--nope but my injectors are leaking. Yikes!!

jetmech77

I had the ENGINE FIRE!!! Watch out even after the recall has been repaired.... The heat will still crack the fuel lines...I wrapped mine with the heat sheld insulation foil wrap stuff rated at high temps.. hope it works this time....I never want to have to redo the rats nest again!!!
oil temp very low after warm up

stik6shift00

Wow, you guys are scaring me away from buying one with those enormous lists of problems
For the most part are they easy to fix?
Im concered mostly with oil pan leaking, suspension clunk (where does it come from, what upgraded suspension parts would fix it) and that little thing about the car setting a blaze would kinda suck

as far as: oil pressure gauge, hand brake light, radio error, those dont seem toooo hard to fix so

Knifeboy

I've only had:

-Suspension clunk
-"Possible" brake rotor warp
-Battery failure cuz it was an old battery


Jason

BoOsTin FD

i had/ have boost problem above 4500

Suspension clunk

oil pressure gauge reads 0

Suspension clunk i know that could be fixed if you get new bushings but for oil pan leaking i have no idea.

911GT2

Where's the "ECU sucks so you get a blown motor" problem? Thats what I had, along with:
no boost about 4500 rpm
handbrake light comes on
radio doesn't play CD's, ever!

patfat

One more the damn glove box light stays on. After all it's idiosyncrasies it's still my baby and worth every penny. Penny HA... try entire paychecks but once it's running you'll be glad you own one.

stik6shift00

yeah not to mention the stares your guys get....and the fact the built ones can blow anyones doors off!

racerfoo

boost problems, non-seq fix
paint problems, repainted
interior squeak/panels chip, repainted
5th gear syncro, grrrrrinds
cracked AST, new motor and aluminum AST fixed it
cd player problem..fixed with aftermarket radio
oil pressure gauge sucks, still sucks.

none of the other problems yet...*crossing fingers*

elmo908

I wish all those dumb magazines would totally trash talk the FD though in a way so people who actually appreciate the car will end up owning, not someone who has to have what Vin Diesel has. Sorry I just had to get that one out. I admit though, those ricer magazines are really entertaining. Intake Header Exhausts are as technical as it gets.

Meiogirl

iTrader: (2)

i am under the assumption that the original oilpan gasket is that goo crap and fails or has failed in most cases. there is an aftermarket metal one that some people have put on thiers. i would check into this when you are looking for your 7.

as far as my list

- No boost above 4500 rpm
yes, my second turbo went out, go figure it didnt work
- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
sometimes, about 20% of the time
- Hood squeaks and rattles
no
- hand brake light comes on while driving
no
- low coolant alarm goes off
sometimes, if you keep an eye on your coolant though you should know if its crying wolf or not
- radio flashing "err" code
i dont have the factory
- Paint problems
no, mine is a 94, that was only 93's
- battery failure and leakage
went my battery went bad it hissed and spattered but no juice came out
- brake rotor warping
no
- suspension clunk
no
- cracking factory wheels
no
- oil pan leak
yes see above
- interior parts cracking and breaking
just the defroster vents and the drivers seat.

robbys rex

im so depressed reading this thread ive had all those problems and more. ive got about 35g in it and right now its sitting in the garage with a poped engine lol these cars are a love/hate relationship

Tomarx7

I bought my 93 three years ago and was the sixth owner I think. The previous owners (the ones that I actually have receipts from) replaced airpump and had a problem with water in the airfilter? I have replaced the rear struts but now my bushings are gone. Radiator replaced last year at 125,000 miles. The sucker goes through tires pretty fast. CD player replaced three years ago. Had the dealer replace and fix some vacuum hoses. (Try to avoid them if possible.) But sometimes the dealer is the only one that will know what to do. I have to pass inspection this coming thursday, its been running o.k. but always has aliitle smoke when I start it up. Oh yeah there's a oil leak right now under the oil pan too. The trick to owning these cars is driving them sparingly but when you do drive them drive for awhile and it seems built to be driven kind of hard. Gas consumption is around 11 around town and 18 on the highway if you don't drive too fast. Which in these cars is very hard to do. Interior pieces are crap. My door handle broke, my gas cap is gone and my power antennae I think broke a long time ago. But the Rx-7 is still the most incredible car I have ever owned and everytime I drive it I feel like a superhero or James Bond. I think that element of owning one of these is what makes them so popular. When driving these in the rain you have to be ginger with the accelerator, I have wiped out twice because of bad right rear tires and stepping a little too hard on the gas. Both accidents involved spinning into a curb. The car sustained minimal suspension damage. I think they really did a good job building a strong suspension but they did not build a lot of the little pieces very well. I probably will hang on to mine until gas gets really expensive and then I'll probably just mothball it.

Domestic513

- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
All the time at idle

- No boost above 4500 rpm
Until I went non-seq.

- low coolant alarm goes off
Put more in it

- interior parts cracking and breaking
Driver side door handle houseing thing, still broke.

talljosh85

iTrader: (3)

-Oil pressure likes to jump around about 80psi
-paint is chipping/cracking/fading/failing
-bose cd player was retired
-1st motor melted down (supposedly)
-clunk was fixed, has now returned
-fifth gear synchro likes to go out a lot
-weird interior noises at different temps
-coolant sensor kind of bi polar
-leaking oil
-makes boost (I think)
-sheared off my front sway bar mounts
-needed new rear struts at 63,000
-windshield cracked on the inside above the mirror
-coolant hoses like to fail at inoppurtune times (ie on the way to traffic school)
-sun roof gets stuck
-overheats pretty easily, just sitting in traffic on a hot day, even without a/c on
-AST is still alive(it will be replaced soon)
-battery hasn't failed much (no meltdown)
-vaccum hoses do weird things
-eats up tires (and ricers too)
-brakes work fine
-wheels are in good shape
I guess thats all I can think of right now. Its good to be free of true financial responsibility, like a mortgage or family, or a real job. I love being a student. Josh
-

OneBadRx7

- No boost above 4500 rpm
Had boost problems, not this one but it was a split coupler which is no biggie.

- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
Yep, crappy sender but I dont care enough to replace it since I know the oil pressure is ok, regardless of what the gauge says.

- Hood squeaks and rattles
Yep, a little electrical tape around the latch took care of that.

- hand brake light comes on while driving
Nope, never had this problem.

- low coolant alarm goes off
Had this but it was my own fault, I accidently cut the level sensor wire but its great now.

- radio flashing "err" code
Replaced the stock radio right away so wouldnt know.

- Paint problems
Yeah but all CYM's have paint issues, the fade in different stages, mines looking pretty good now.

- battery failure and leakage
Never had this one either, stock battery is now relocated to the rear of the car anyways.

- brake rotor warping
Nope.

- suspension clunk
Oh yeah, I finally went ahead and bought 6 new rear pillow ball bushings since they are the only thing I havent tried so far, waiting to get them installed though but I know it will eliminate my clunk, finally!!

- cracking factory wheels
Nope.

- oil pan leak
Yup got that too but its pretty minimal and the lost of oil isnt near significant for me to fix the seal yet.

- interior parts cracking and breaking
I have a couple but nothing you can see, I fixed the major one on the drivers side door panel, peeling panels however is a whole nother story.

There are others that the magazine missed like others stated but hey, all in all I still say it was definitely worth getting rid of the little flaws for the end result!! Dont let that magazine scare you away from buying an FD, like any 10 year old car its most likely going to need a little TLC.

insomniac

iTrader: (5)

I had almost all the problems you listed except for the brake rotors warping.

- No boost above 4500 rpm
Pissed me off, I went single

- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
Replace o-ring around the oil filter base, tighten sensor

- Hood squeaks and rattles
Grease

- hand brake light comes on while driving
Fixed it self sometimes

- low coolant alarm goes off
Replace ast and check fluid level
- radio flashing "err" code
Replace bose stereo with aftermarket

- Paint problems
Need a new paint job

- battery failure and leakage
Replaced

- brake rotor warping
Been lucky, not yet

- suspension clunk
Replace bushings

- cracking factory wheels
don't care, I'm getting aftermarket wheels anyways

- oil pan leak
still leaking

- interior parts cracking and breaking
repainted to match exterior body color

Plus had fuel smell in the cabin, replace fpd and injectors

I think the list will never end

dubulup

I wanna try:

- No boost above 4500 rpm
No - non seq
- oil pressure gauge reads 0 PSI
no
- Hood squeaks and rattles
no
- hand brake light comes on while driving
no
- low coolant alarm goes off
yes...probably the failed O-rings
- radio flashing "err" code
yes - Spruvo you the man...Blue Note and Verve labels just weren't meant to be heard...why am I listening to Jazz anyway???
- Paint problems
no
- battery failure and leakage
yes - good to replace 7 year old battery
- brake rotor warping
no
- suspension clunk
no
- cracking factory wheels
no
- oil pan leak
no
- interior parts cracking and breaking
no

Total = 3

Plus some weird addiction to blowing cash on parts that make the car more reliable (paranoia???) and some strange urge to take the car apart if I've got nothing better to do.

apneablue

- No boost above 4500 rpm (broken Check valve fixed it)
- Hood squeaks and rattles (fixed it by adding tape to the latch)
- low coolant alarm goes off (coolant seals are going)
- Paint problems (I have new paint)
- suspension clunk (Still have it)
- cracking factory wheels (I don't but my buddy does)
- oil pan leak (No but my engine rear main seal was leaking)

All in all, my experience has been pretty good.

airborne

Only problem i've ever had with a stock fd was no boost, and that was just the dang y-pipe coupler coming off, free 2 minute fix.

heck even after i jammed it under a tractor trailer it still ran AND boosted