tekneek

Hey. I just bought an 88 GXL for 500 bucks. Basically, the car runs kinda rough, but is generally decent. My last car blew its headgasket two days before xmas and I've wanted an RX7 for a while and I found a great deal, I hope. Since this is my first RX-7 I was wondering if you guys would be so kind as to give me some ideas as to things I should do/inspect first that are specific to RX-7's. I don't want to end up having it crap out on me on the way to work like my last car did. Let me tell you some of the symptoms and hopefully someone will know what's up.

- It runs farily smoothly, but while idling it pops or jumps a bit. Also when reving, it isn't smooth, it feels like there is some uneveness in the rev.

- Occassionally, the idle will drop low like it's going to stall, and sit there, then go back up to about 750 and sit, then 1000, then back down, etc. It acts like it wants to die, but it doesn't seem to be laboring or anything. The rpms just drop.

- There is a fairly audible grinding/rubbing/scraping sound when I shift into gear. It is accompanied by some slight bumping/knocking, like the clutch is dying. I don't know if there are other things that RX-7s tend to d o that would make a similar sound so I'm asking.

- The big thing is, the car smells strongly like gas or exhaust when idling and the hood is open, or I'm at a light. There are no signs of fluids leaking, except the brake cylinder, which leaks a little, that ends up coating everything.

- One thing i saw that was curious was the oil filler cap. It smelled kinda like gas. And the inside part of the filler cap had a greenish oily layer on it. It came of easy, it wasn't hard or anything, but it looked like there was anti-freeze in the oil that had then started to turn gooey. I know radiator fluid and oil make a sludge when mixed. Is it possible that some seals somewhere are going, letting the two mix?

Now, the car does run well once it's up to speed. The problems are only noticable when you're idling or at a light. Even then they aren't THAT bad, I just hope they aren't symptoms of a bigger problem.
Also, the car sat for about a year undriven. It billowed a decent amount of smoke that dissipated pretty quick when it started. I checked all the fluids and they're all ok, just needed slight topping off.

Do you guys have any ideas? Does it simply need a tune-up and a clutch? Or is something more serious like Apex seals or something going on? Oh, and I THINK it's a GXL, whats the easiest way to tell? Thanks alot in advance for any feedback you guys have. Tek.

DocMazda

well, i think the easiest way to tell it is a gxl or not is that it has AAS (automatic adjusting suspension). i believe there is a switch for that on the center console area by the shifter some where (i could be wrong, as i have only seen gxl's from the outside. I myself am a turbo owner, and welcome to the world of rx7's!). also, the FIRST thing you should do is get a tune-up. change all fluids, new spark plugs, fuel filters, oil filters, the works. you may find any problems with the car may be solved simply by doing this. also, if it smells like gas, you may want to check the injector rings/grommets to see if the injectors are sitting properly. it is pretty easy to get to. just take off the Upper intake manifold, and they should just be staring right at you. also, the plugs may not be screwed in all the way. in either case, you should check the injectors. chances are they need to be cleaned or changed. also, with the car sitting that long, you should change that brake master cylinder. with these cars, the seal that is in the master cylinder likes to bite-it when the car sits for long periods of time and it just gets really brittle. then when you apply pressure to them, they just burst. also, you need to smell your exhaust. if it smells sweet like engine coolant, then you have got a blown coolant seal. there are a couple of remedies for this i believe at the rotary ressurrection website.

www.rotaryressurection.com

the noises from your tranny seem to indicate to me that you have very little fluid in the tranny. you should definitely check that before your lose a synchro. also, the 5th gear synchros like to go in these cars. so, make sure you check that tranny. chances are that if youre not slipping, then the clutch is still good. but, it wouldnt be too bad of an investment to think about purchasing a new clutch in the future. also, if you have an analogue compression guage, you should check the compression of your engine. you can do this by taking out the bottom spark plug, taking out the ignition fuse in the engine bay, plugging in the compression guage, and check out the clicks on the guage. if you get 3 good clicks, then you are good to go (basically 95+), if you get 2 good clicks and 1 low click, then your engine is getting fatigued, and may require a rebuild in the future...but you should be fine for awhile since its n/a. if you get 1 good click, and 2 bad clicks, you should definitely invest in a rebuild. youve probly got a blown apex. but, since your car is idling, and it gets up to speed, you should just get the tune-up done and be fine. but, check that compression!!! do it on the front and rear rotors. you basically want to do maintenence mods first, before you start doing performance mods. also, check your oil lines and the such. try to prevent leaks instead of fixing them in the future. those leaks can lead to more expensive disasters later. if hoses look brittle, replace them. also, check the fuses in the drivers side floor-board by the pedals. i believe there is a link to the factory service manual in the 2nd gen section above this forum under FAQ's. other than that, i am not sure what else to tell you. should do that stuff first, then you can try to fix other problems that may not be fixed simply by doing that. also, if it smokes quite a bit while driving (and i dont mean when its cold outside), and its dark gray, then you have probly got an oil seal gone inside the engine. that requires tearing down the engine to get to them. so, you should definitely check the compression on that engine. if it is low enough, and you need to get inside to fix seals or whatever, you may just plan on getting a good used core (which for n/a's arent too bad....600 or so i think???) or get it rebuilt. either way, good luck with your car, and welcome to the rotary community!!!

Ry.

tekneek

Thanks for the great info. Yeah, tune-up, fluids, etc I am doing first as you should with any new used-car really. Then I'll see if any problems remain and take care of them then. Well, the car isn't in the best cosmetic condition, as you can imagine for 500 bucks but there are a couple pics for ya. Take it easy. Thanks again. Tek

DocMazda

not bad....I found mine out in a field in chattanooga, TN and had to tow it to Tulsa, OK. kind of a sucky drive, but i only purchased mine for 650....The engine was good, but was tired...the front had about 97 psi, and the rear had 105. so, since i could afford it, i just purchased a newer engine and plan on making the old one a monster with porting jobs and such. Mine is a turbo though. once the major kinks were ironed out, is a real blast driving around. i love this car!! well...good luck with your vehicle, and if you need any help, dont be afraid to ask around. you should do a search and look up the Factory Service Manual (FSM) first for common problems. anything a little more specific or odd, just ask.

tekneek

Yeah. Nice deal. Any old ebay compression tester will be fine right? So, I was thinking of taking it to a shop to get tuned up. Although, I'm not exactly sure what a Tune-up on an RX7 entails. I know they do the filters, plugs, etc, and I can do that stuff, but I wonder if they can do a better inspection of it than I can. I really want to make sure there aren't any other existing problems and I feel like having a "Professional" look at it will be the best way to tell. I'm finding a lot of the common problems are things like wipers, antenna, and antifreeze consumption. Electrical on the interior tends to go out too. Basically, that's it. Mechanically, the cars are pretty sound. Oh, another thing. I need to smog the car. I heard that CA smog regulations are tougher now and RX's need a three cat system? Is this true?
About the cosmetics. I like that as old as it is, it isn't missing any parts. My old car was missing this switch or that ****. It was annoying. So, with a nice detailing and a new fender, it will be in excellent shape. I will claybar the paint on it after the detailing too. Well, I'll be back I'm sure with random questions. Thanks again. Tek.

dorkman52000

I don't think you have to have three cats to pass, but the GXL and I believe all N/A RX-7s came with three from the factory. The turboII cars only have two. There are aftermarket high-flowing cats available as a one piece system that drops the number down from three to two, but simply bolt up in the same location. Or, if money's tight, you could go to Autozone or somewhere and buy aftermarket cats there. I did that for my older Ford Escort a couple years back when I put a header on it, and it passed fine! Make sure you have them do a pre-test before actually hooking it up to the computer, though. And make sure the car is hot (drive it kind of hard for 10-20 mins and don't shut it off when you get to the station or the cats will cool off...the hotter the better )

A simple compression tester should be just fine, make sure you get three good "bounces" like the Doc said. If you want to be specific on numbers, you could go to a Mazda dealer and have them test it with their special rotary engine compression tool, but that might cost a bit, so I wouldn't unless you know someone who works at a dealer.

Good luck with your car!

tekneek

Thanks for the info. Tek.

tekneek

Oh. I meant to ask. What do you guys think about Seafoam. I used some on my last car, which obviously wasn't a rotary. Do you think it's ok/good/bad to use it on my RX? I hear that Carbon buildup is a common issue in rotaries and I want to try to clean some of that out. Think seafoam will do the trick or do you guys have any other suggestions? Thanks. Tek

dorkman52000

If you go to Kevin Landers' site, he has posted on there instructions on how to remove carbon using water injection. I've never used Seafoam, and haven't done Kevin's approach yet either, but I would rather trust him and his info.

www.rotaryresurrection.com

There's all kinds of good info on there! I obtained an electric fan for my FC after reading the how-to on his site. Check it out

tekneek

Yeah, I was reading that. I was also thinking maybe seafoam wouldn't be good since it may help the degredation of some of the seals. I do know that the seals hate synthetic oil, so maybe they are sensitive to other stuff too. Anyway, thanks. I will check it out. I may just play it safe and take it to pepboys to get the fuel system cleaned. Hopefully, they'd know whether or not a particular product was good or bad for the car. Thanks. Tek.

tekneek

Well, Kevin Landers at RotaryRes. was gracious enough to reply to my email. I asked him what he thought, and he said it should be ok to use the seafoam, but has never had any experience with it. His point is: why spend money on a product when water works. So, I'll just use water. Heh. ok. Gotta sleep. PEACE. Tek.

tekneek

Oh yeah. My Driver's side door doesn't open from the outside. I've fixed exterior handles before by removing the interior panel, how hard is it to do in the Rx? Any tips before I start dismantling and break something? Thanks. PEACE. Tek.

dorkman52000

It's not too hard to remove the interior door panel. There's like 4 long screws at the base of the armrest, and 3 or 4 more at the base of the door hidden in the carpeting of the lower door pocket. Then there's one at the top corner towards the front of the car, and you have to remove the little screw that holds the interior handle bezel into place. After that, it's all clips holding it on, so just kind of pop the panel away from the door. Unplug the harness for the light, and the window switch, and "SHA-ZAM!" your door mechanical parts are now accessible.

To replace the actual handle itself, I have no idea. I need to change out the lock cylinder assembly on mine as well, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Good luck, let me know how it goes because I will be following suit very soon.

Edit: I just looked at my EPC and it looks like there's only two nuts that hold the outer handle in place. Never knew that....now it looks pretty simple.

tekneek

Yeah, in my experience, it's as simple as unscrewing it and removing the metal rod that connects the handle to the latching mechanism, once the interior panel is off. Think I'll get a new set of handles from Mazda. Honda handles are 80 a piece though. I'm hoping Mazda doesn't ream me on the price as well. Ok. Thanks. PEACE. Tek.