Hi, everyone, I joined this site as a new owner of a 1988 RX-7 convertible, great shape, but with a blown engine caused by aluminum corrosion allowing water into the combustion chambers. No problem, says I, 'cause I happen to have a rebuilt 13B engine in my garage, that I previously bought off Craigslist, from a guy who had it rebuilt for a homebuilt airplane that never got built. So far, it's a 2 year project, as when I started to build up the engine I first found that the ignition had been altered to shared spark timing for the leading and trailing plugs (new/different crankcase position sensor needed), and then found that the primary fuel injectors had been blocked off (welded shut), which necessitated finding a new center housing and tearing the whole engine down to replace. Now to the point of resuming the buildup and figuring out what to put on the car, what to leave off, and how to hook up all the vacuum hoses and wires.

I actually bought a brand new red R100 coupe 2 weeks after the dealers opened in California in 1971. I had that car for 13 years, rebuilt the engine after it blew up at 7,000 miles (like they all did), with no knowledge or instruction, but didn't know enough to use a lower temp thermostat, so it blew up again in 7,000 miles. Mazda eventually gave me a new short block engine and installed it under their "Good Neighbor" plan, and I drove it for another 10 years after that. So I have always been a rotary freak.

 

Welcome to the forum! That's a very interesting story about the R100. I'm surprised that Mazda did not replace the engine under warranty at 7k miles. But to be honest, I'm not sure if they even offered a warranty at that time. I would love to see pictures of the R100 if you have them and of the 88 as well!!

 

Welcome to forum

 

Thanks for the welcome. I too am a vet, served 20 years in the AF. Had to give the R100 away to an acquaintance in Oklahoma City when I was transferred to Germany. Didn't have anywhere to put it, and the family had grown too large to use it for basic transport. I will try to find some pics. That was a long time ago. I paid $2,666 (or so) for the car in 1971. First boatload. I saw one for sale recently for $41,000. The only contemporary car I couldn't beat was the 240Z. I really did like the car.

 

Welcome to the club. You're the 2nd 88 Vert that I know of in this part of St Louis. This was a hardware test at 600dpi, but something tells me you might find it interesting...



Here's a quick translation:
Electrical Wiring Diagram for Savanna RX-7 Cabriolet 8/1987 (Shōwa Year 62, Month 8)

Pasting method
Attachment: Savannah RX-7 Electrical Wiring Diagram (85-9)
Documents to be sent: Ba.Cb.Eb.Fb.H.Ib.Ka-3.V.X system
Method: Paste as shown in the illustration between the previously sent material (pink) and the MEMO page.

Notification model: E-FC3S
Body start number: FC3C-100001-

Documents to be sent (yellow)
Electrical wiring diagram for cabriolet

Savannah RX-7 Electrical Wiring Diagram (85-9)
MEMO page
Previously sent material


The "Previously Sent Material (Pink)" is the other Wiring Diagram Supplement I have for the GT-Limited Special Edition and Infini 1/2 models.

 

Yep. Pretty dang interesting. I do have a shop manual and the wiring diagrams to go with it.

 

Smart man. One thing I would suggest doing sooner rather than later is throwing the stock alternator in the trash, in favor of a 130A Ford Taurus alternator. Takes a little fabbing to adapt the mounts, but having a car that is electrically sound and reliable under any conditions means a stronger foundation for any future mods you might decide on.

 

Thank you for your service in the Air Force! I added an Air Force veteran banner to your username as well. Best food I ever had in the military came from an Air Force base DFAC. Much better than Army chow at the time!

 

Appreciate the banner addition; wondering how to do that. Yeah, all the Army guys used to come to the AF chow halls in Germany when I was in the K-Town area (Sembach/Ramstein). Really good chow at Camp Arifjan, however, in 2004.

 

I had to go into your profile through the admin control panel and add the banner. It only takes a minute and I was happy to do it for a fellow veteran.