Moving to DC area from Germany next month
 

Hey all, my name is John I am moving with my family to the Washington DC area in the next 1-2 months. My '94 RX-7 will be on a boat headed that way soon. Since I have never been to Virginia before I have a few questions I am hoping to get answered here.

1: emissions were not tested here in Germany so they have never been done since I bought the car in 2012, I have a downpipe and high flow cat installed but I doubt it will pass. I already called the DMV and was told the area I am moving to has emissions requirements every 2 years and the cutoff price is $780. Does anyone have suggestions or tricks to help a good running rotary engine pass, or a trusted shop in the area I could go to to have them assist me in passing?

2: the car runs awesome, rebuilt engine when I bought it and about 15,000 miles on it now but the rear suspension needs help. I don't have much time to work on or drive the car anymore since my daughter was born so I'll be looking for a good shop to at least diagnose and possibly do the repairs on the suspension. I suspect most of the bushings are needing to be replaced as well as the struts.

3: I have another post in the classifieds section but the car is for sale. The repairs to the suspension will be addressed as I get time and money to get them done, probably within the next year or so but right now I am asking $13,000 as is. The car should be stateside sometime in September. If anyone is interested you can search the classifieds for my post from a few months back or feel free to send me a PM and I will be glad to answer any questions you have about the car.

Thanks in advance for any help, can't wait to get there and explore a new area!

Where are you moving to in VA?

1. If you are in a emissions area, you may be fine with what you have if you still have the air pump and stock ECU. I will confirm that in a couple of weeks and can report back.

2. There are not too many shops around here that work on rotaries (like 0). There may be some that can do the suspension, but it's not that hard to do yourself, especially if you have someone press the bushings. That said, one of the most recommended bushings to replace is the differential, and that one is a pain.

3. If you are selling it, you may want the new owner to deal with the suspension.

I pass in VA with a downpipe and highflow cat... barely. Still have my airpump.

Stock ECU?

It's not around the corner, but check out IRPerformance | 55 Prospect Street, Metuchen, NJ 08840 Tel. (732) 662-1794.

Rotary specialists that have over 20 FDs at the shop for various work right now :icon_tup:

.....one of the guys is also ex-military :patriot: :D

I would be VERY thorough when you inspect the car for pick up... When I had mine shipped back from the UK they had cracked the shit out of my bumper and the company tried to claim it was like that when I dropped it off, showing me the inspection sheet that they had modified to include damages... MAKE SURE you keep all your documentation so you can call them out if they try some shady crap like that (I had my copy of the inspection sheet and pointed out how theirs had been fraudulently modified).

Rich mentioned IRP up in NJ. Another damn good shop is Speed1, they're located in Lenhartsville, PA (Speed1 - Race & Street Performance, Lenhartsville, PA). Dave has been in the game for a LONG time and will def look out for you. Plus he gives a pretty decent military discount :icon_tup:


An option for the emissions... If you're working anywhere close to the Potomac River (aka, inside DC itself) you could just live in MD (but AVOID Prince George County like the plague!!) and register the FD with historic tags. I believe that may help you be exempt from emissions testing.. Or, if your home state (permanent residence) doesn't do emissions tests you could just get plates from there...

I heard that dudes some kind of badass powerlifter!!! :lol::lol::lol:

I have passed with an M2 ECU and a PFC. I've not needed to load any special map on the car to get it to pass, but it was really close to the limits with the current tune.

We are being stationed at Fort Belvoir but we don't have a place to live there yet. I looked at the map for VA emissions testing and anywhere around there I have to test. My home of record also tests emissions so that wouldn't help me, and it is not quite 25 years old yet so I can't get the waiver for that. The only mods are the exhaust and a Greddy intake no tune, still has the air pump hooked up.

Thanks for the advice and information from everyone!

You should be pretty good then :) On the plus side, you'll be JUST up the road from Malloy Mazda and Ray Crowe. He's probably the single best OEM parts supplier for the rotary community :)

Think Stafford is the Mason Dixon line for testing (you have to be south of Stafford). With your mods, you should be fine

Welcome Jon, great to have another 7 enthusiast in the area, although it seems you are trying to get out of the game.

My biggest suggestion is do not consider living in Stafford if you will commute to Ft. Belvoir. It's not worth it. If you can at all afford to, live north of the Occoquan River. Yes things south are tantalizingly cheaper, but if you commute at normal times you will quickly realize why. When researching housing, pay close attention to what direction you will be driving and where traffic will be. Check Google traffic during your expected commute time and pay attention to what is consistently red.

As per the car, you will only need to pass one more time (maybe two if not '93). Once it is 25 it no longer needs to pass. If it were me, I'd just go for the test as is. If it doesn't pass no big deal, just do some minor tuning and you should be fine. With a good compression engine and a well warmed up, functional cat you should be able to pass. If it doesn't, some new plugs, wires, fuel injector cleaner, should do it. Don't pay any attention to that $780 number. To qualify for that the work needs to be done by an 'approved shop' and that means dealership or worse. There are no rotary shops in the area that would qualify.

Good luck with the car, and let us know how things go. We all usually chat on this thread: https://www.rx7club.com/ne-rx-7-foru...ryland-941319/

-Rocky

VA is a pretty nice state , but the auto inspection standards & Police are a bit over the top IMO. You should pass fine with the set up you have now.

If you fail just post a thread and I am sure someone can help you out. We have several heavily modified 7's here that pass or are registered in a county that does not require emissions testing.


"I know a little German "

Hey welcome to VA. I live very close to Ft. Belvoir and have a number of RX-7's. If you have kids (I don't), West Springfield is one of the best elementary schools in the state and the high school is rated pretty high as well. I know a realtor if you need one.

We do have a daughter, but she is 1 year this month so we are more concerned with day care than school. We have already been offered a place on post in Ft Belvoir, should be signing for it by the end of August. Thanks for the offer of assistance though, good to know there are quite a few RX-7s in the area there are not many in Germany here.