Finally picked up an Rx7 but with issues
 

So I finally got an opportunity to pick up an Rx7 with obvious issues, but here are the pictures first but here is the ad

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...474956784.html

here are addition pictures of the interior

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/photo-3.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/photo-2.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/photo-1.jpg

Now the issues, so when I went to pick up the car the girl who owned it told me
she has not started the car for like a month so it was just sitting there but before she
let it sit she was having this issue

She said that it would occasionally kill the battery so after a while she got tired of it. She so in order to make it run they would jump it. So they took it to a mechanic and he said it was the alternator.

So when I got there being the battery was dead we tried jumping it but I think we screwed up because we let it charge for a few minutes and then we would attempt to start it, well after about 20 minutes of trying I decided to switch it with my girls battery out of her altima which seem to have been really close to size and spec to the fc's

Well needless to say we couldn't get it to start, at which point it occurred to me that we probably flooded the motor and there would have been no way to bring it back.

So I ordered some new spark plugs and alternator from Autozone and will attempt again on friday when it gets here. So if you guys have recommendations i'm all ears.

I am unsure of rotaries but on most piston engines you can just remove the spark plugs and the fuel pump fuse and crank it a few times to flush it out...

I had the same issue. Bought an alternator, brought it back to PepBoys 2 times. Long story short, get a new battery. There's nothing you can really do about your automatic transmission though.

good luck on the automatic trans issue! a new battery does wonders from time to time, it might be what the doctor ordered.

On a side note I've never been in a 7 with an auto.....

You don't want to flood it either. If you do, pop the hood, pull the GREEN EGM fuse and crank it for a couple second. Replace the fuse, and it should turn right over.

lol, thanks guys for the infor the alternator comes in tomorrow thought I would order it just in case but what do you guys think about a battery from autozone?

I totally forgot about pulling the fuse to flush it out, I'm going to try that. I was a little bit weary about it being an auto too. But I saw the condition of the outside and it looked really good except for about a baseball sized dent on the passenger side fender and a scratch on the door overall everything looked good no bubbling of the paint in any areas and didn't really see any rust on the wheel wells or hatch.

Being that it is super dirty once I get it running and give it a wash I will post pictures of the outside.

How hard did you guys find it to replace the alternator, it would seem to me somewhat easy since it's sitting on top

Easy! Find the 3 bolts, and 2 electric connections. Take off the negative terminal, and undo the electrical connections to the alternator. Then you just undo the bolts, ant the belt will slack off, and you can remove the alternator. If you're inclined, you can put it on yourself by putting the hinge bolt on finger tight and pull up on the unit to tension the belt. Then while still pulling up on it, tighten the hinge bolt, and reinstall the other two bolts. It's easier with a second pair of hands though. Reconnect all the electrical connections, and the negative battery terminal, and yer done!

A new battery is probly necessary anyways, along with that oil change! I'm a bit partial to Pep Boys, just cause they treat us good at the shop, but whoever is closest will do.

But seeing as a woman had the car, she probly didn't realize how much oil the car uses, and how often it should be changed. Read some literature about you car online, and get a Haynes book.

Luckily I'm pretty mechanically litterate. And fortunately I was able to find a haynes manual at autozone.

I've worked on my SRT4 and Tiburon GT so this alternator replacement would be the easiest ever.

So being since a girl had it I would have hope she would have put oil in there every so often.
Unfortunately, I got the 2 leading plugs but they didn't have any of the training for who knows how long. Should I attempt to install those now or should I wait?

I'm doing reading alright but it's mostly random stuff.lol. Reading the Haynes manual like it was the bible.

So i'm trying to figure out what model fc I have, but I'm confused I mean it has A/C and it has a sunroof that looks to be power, but it doesn't have power mirrors or power door locks?
Has the 4 lug bolt pattern

Would you guys be able to help me differentiate

So my girl and I finally got the car running.

Autozone lost the alternator I ordered so I got refunded used the money to buy a brand new battery. O e went back and after about 30 minutes trying to start the car did the whole egi removal then crank and replace and reeat then my girl was like put oil in it so sure enough, after the starter got unstuck finally started blowing smoke fo a few minutes which I assumed was normal.

So after it warmed up, it wouldn't idle normal at all tried adjust the tps screw and noticed it was all the way so adjusting it only increased the idle. So took it aroun the block.

Lo and behold suspension felt loose, stumbled while accelerating. So when I parked it, idle fluctuated so I'm assuming it needs a really good tune up, and new tps sensor

lots of lots of work..... haha, good luck

Good luck! I wish I could help you but I'm no expert on rotaries.

that car looks really good!

Well as of right now, I'm leaving the battery unpluged but it seems to fire right up now. Funny, took it on thehightway and yeah the suspension feels soft, no surprise but it does feel better on the corners.

So pretty excited if all it really needs is an alternator, cuz then that would make on hell of a deal

is this who i think it is from palmdale.... MOTHA FUKKA haha

<---ian bro

too bad im selling mine :(

No way, why you selling it. But umm... I might be the wrong person dude?

your engine bay is very clean everthing is there and your interior is good too! welcome!

Thanks, I will be bringing it home tomorrow at which time I will wash it and post bigger pictures of the outside as well as how much I actually paid for it. I think some of you will be surprised

Better pictures, So I just drove it home which was about an hour distance, and she did okay seem to bog down a little above 3k like it needs a good tuneup.

SO issues I think it has or needs to be resolved
-Sunroof doesn't open (motor seems to run)
-Cluster half lit
-Really good tuneup (diff flush,Tranny flush, A/c recharge)
-figure why it idles high once i drive for a while and put it back in park.
-Passenger side rear view
-Better alternator
So overall not bad I think. I ended up paying 550 bux for it so heres better pictures from the outside

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-13114137.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-13114150.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-13114204.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-13114224.jpg

Dang it. Should of cleaned the lense before taking pictures

Seems pretty straight! What are your plans for it?

Thanks dude

Well took sunroof apart and attempted to clean, was moderately successful, needs a little bit of help going up but once it gets it opens fine and closes okay. I think the motor might be going out.

Also replaced the non working stereo with a basic stereo and works now.

As far as my plans well I want to get it running right, then I want to possibly convert it into a 5 speed. and then a better suspension so I can go canyon carving and learning how to drift.

That Manny tyranny conversion is gonna be a pain in the ass man, but necessary if you wanna drift it. I got an. 88 N/A FC that has been stripped, caged, and modded to be a street drifter. I'm bout to drop a new clutch in her for some more bite, not that she needs it, bitch grabs as it is! My moon roof had the same problem, I forked out a few hundies for a carbon fiber replacement, and she doesn't struggle anymore! This car is amazing to drift man, just invest in some bump steer eliminator bushings, and some tower braces, and you're ready to go! I got an 89 targa up here at the yard I could pull the all manny tranny shit off of for a good price! Hit me up and we can get it out to you whenever you're ready for it.

I've read stuff on the difficulty of converting, and your proposition sounds awesome but being that your in texas sounds like shipping would be a pain

Dude, I so hate you right now... $550 got a straight title FC with back seats... Atleast I still have my 5speed. Lol. J/k You got a great buy from someone who didnt know what they were selling. Good luck with it.

Hey Thanks slobalt, Im jealous cuz you have a 5 speed. I'm almost tempted to sale or trade it for one with a 5 speed. because converting is going to be such a hassle butt I don't know yet.

on another not: That slight stumble it had early seems to have been gone I guess it was the stale gas and the old plugs.

If we werent on other sides of the country I would suggest a trade but I dont know if I want the back seats for the rarity or the 5speed for the fun...

Damn it, I just a puddle of fuel from under the transmission, so now I gotta check that out

not exactly sure what it is or where from but it does explain why i ran out of fuel so quick. I know it's not the PD because that's in the front so I took a picture of the area where it was coming from
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-15202757.jpg
and then this on the transmission
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-15202743.jpg

It's nothing we don't deal with at least once a week, Palmdale is a bit of a stretch. We usually ship around TX, LA, OK, and AR. But customer service is my specialty, so I'll try to get it out to ya at good cost. The car's gotta be crushed sooner or later, so if you want I'll pull the tranny and hold it for ya.

Well if that's the case let me know how much its going to run for everything to do the swap

Good Luck! Looks like a pretty good car!

Ewww, what is that on the tranny? Looks like a wire JBwelded to a large hole...

Well unfortunately I took the intake manifold off and well of course it turns out the PD from and I think one of the injectors is leaking too, and so I have to replace the intake manifold too. It all seems easy enough to work on.

To find the parts is another story, Autozone and Pepboys don't seem to have the parts so my only resort is the damn stealership

I found that jb weld in various parts of the car which seems like someone before used it to secure connectors in place and stuff.

Now you're scaring me about mine, I'm gonna jack her up tomorrow and take a look... Mine was owned by three women before I got it and if they took it to some shade tree mechanic I might be in a similar situation...

The irony though is that my RX7 is from Cali too...

lol, yeah so I went to check out the alternator too and found out it was a 70 amp unit even if it said 80 from the outside. Still didn't understand why it said 80 if they tested it for 70.

But it turns out it was good although it was a little low

buying parts from stealerships and autozone will bankrupt you quick, check the boards for used parts before doing something of the sort :)

Yeah, I've been checking but kinda hard to come across say like an IM gasket and a PD, and I need my car up and running as soon as possible.

PM or email me the parts you need, part numbers if possible, and i'll see if i have them in bins or if we still have it on the FC we're parting out.

Nice the engine bay looks mad clean, but the auto transmission is a major bummer. I hope ur profile pick is ur lady b/c those butt cheeks would make anyone a happy man LOL

hey if u have the driver side headlight assembly i'd buy it from u for a reasonable price! My car is a cyclops right now!!

I know it seems a bit oxymoronic, but I've worked at a salvage yard for the last few years, and I have nothing but NEW parts on my RX! with a car like an RX7, you don't know what the owner of the salvage car did to his ride before parting it out. The parts you get may have diminished functionality, or lifespan. It might be more expensive to buy new, but you get your moneys worth

^^I would believe that as well because many people don't know the quirks of a rotary engine and so would probably get rid of it when they don't know what's wrong or it will cause to much to fix.

So coming across an rx7 at a junkyard that might possibly have descent parts is highly likely. I was lucky that tri point is somewhat close by because I was able to pick up most of the parts except for the Pulsation Damper. I was thinking about doing the banjo bolt mod too, but that as well is hard to find at hardware stores.

Bay 2 going to send you a PM.

And just for Shits and giggles here's some eye candy for you guys.
Here's the one from my pic
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...gejpeg_2_8.jpg
Here is my other Chick
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...7-15164942.jpg

EDIT: IF It's too much mods let me know and I will remove the pictures.

banjo bolt:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EAR-997591ERL/

i sent you a PM.

check out this page for PD reference:

http://fc3spro.com/TECH/FAQ/pd.html

Hey thanks unfortunately, I'm stuck looking at autozone and small shops around here and I can't order anything using paypal or ATM card.

But I do have everything off from the intake manifold and waiting for the PD or banjo bolt. One question is the Crush washer how many do I need or do I just need one

Another issue I run into is what car can it be used for as a reference? Would anybody kno that?

what do you mean by this?

if you're going to get into working on your car, you should download the FSM (factory service manual) or at least pick up a Haynes manual for the FCs, i just picked one up off Amazon so i had a hard print reference.

http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Rep...dp/1563920077/

:icon_tup::icon_tup::icon_tup::icon_tup:

PM'd about the PD i just pulled off my 50k 87 tII

oh..sorry what I meant is when I went to various speed shops as well as regular auto parts stores they didn't know how to look up the banjo bolt that I needed they wanted a reference to a possible car that it might have came from. so I gave up. Took the plunge and spent the 5 bux to buy a moneypak card from wally's world to load unto my Paypal, and ordered the banjo bolt from summit.

But I returned your PM

Onto better news I installed the 626 lip I just acquired since I was bored. still needs some adjustment but her it is basically side by side comparison.
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...ontcompare.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/...lipcompare.jpg

Welcome to the addiction.

Best of luck straightening everything out.