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One of my neighbors up the street has had a FD on blocks and under a tarp since I moved in my neighborhood. The RX7 FD started overheating in the early 2000’s and it was parked and put on blocks for the last 15+ years. When he was moving it was uncovered and rolled on the street to be donated and scrapped. After a few days of negotiating and arm twisting I convinced him to sell it to me instead of scrapping it.
Don't Scrap Me
The forum and search have been a great guide to getting it back on the road. Fuel tank Clean-out, new Fuel Pump, Fuel Filter, Coolant flush, then starting in on replacing the entire brake system. Master Cylinder, Clutch master/slave were all dried out and shot.
After brakes, and the car could roll around, and it stared up after 15 years. I set in on the standard maintenance and reliability mods, Radiator, Sensors, thermostat, Plugs, Wires, Silicon Hoses, Rats nest, Electrical fixes, Cooling fan repair. The car now runs and cooling issue solved after all the suggestions from the forum. Life with the FD is good……
Back on the road
Last weekend I changed out the downpipe, and then added a Power FC. After a 20 minute drive…it started to idle rough. Now its running on one rotor, with lots of White smoke from the turbos and exhaust. Hoping it is just the turbo lines, but the seals might be shot after all this time sitting. It might be time to find a rebuilder in GA.
Great to read all the posts, which have solved every problem I have had and hope for a local meet-up once she is back to 100%.
Its amazing that someone would just let it sit like that. It's awesome that you were able to rescue that car and bring it back to life and make it look so good!! Keep us updated on what you find out with the coolant consumption. Be it a bad coolant seal/corroded housing or if it's a failed turbo set.
We have an amazing community here and I truly believe this site will continue to grow and to help people for years to come. There's a wealth of information here!
Awesome story! My gut feeling is that you've had a soft seal let go or had an iron crack on the seal apron causing the soft seal/coolant seal to fail. Depending on your budget and the condition of the car you might want to consider a brand new short block from @IRPerformance. Also, consider yourself warned- rebuild time can be a deep modification rabbit hole!
