1982 RX7 (What do I do with it?)
 

Hi everyone, I have an original 1982 rx-7 that my parents purchased new off the floor. It has been sitting in a garage for 20 some years. My father passed away and my mom handed me the title. I am trying to figure out if I should put some work in this car and then use it or if I should sell it off.

I am not very mechanical, so I would have to have all the work done to it. It hasn't been fired up in maybe 18 years. It has really low mileage, I think under 20k. IS this car worth putting any money into?

What issues will I be looking at with this vehicle trying to get it into road worthy condition?

If I sell it how do I determine a value for this car? Where would be the best marlet to sell it?

Thanks for your help...

I looked the car over today and it has 9170 miles on it.

Anyone have any input as to which direction I should go with this car?

Take some photos and post them up. Overall condition of the car will determine your choices. Since it has not run in so long, you are probably looking at extensive repairs (motor rebuild, carb rebuild, all rubber hoses and vacuum lines, brake calipers/cylinders/lines, etc.).



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Its sad when I read stories like this (Im sorry about your dad, I was just 17 when I lost my father) when a ridiculously low milage rx-7 sits in a garage for years not being started. The only benefit is the body is probably perfect but it is almost no different then leaving it sit outside. One way to determine the value is look on kelly blue book, Im not sure if they have SA/FBs on there. Try to see if the eccentric shaft pulley will turn by hand BEFORE trying to start it. If it spins suprisingly it is not carbon locked and you can try to start it after flushing all fluids and replacing all filters. If it does not sping by hand do not try to start it or you will damage in the internals on the engine. Rx-7s are great sports cars and a blast to drive. If you feel like you want to step into a project then do it because it will be worth it to drive such a classic. Goodluck

if you want to sell i will buy it

Get it running and drive it...You'll never look back. Its how I started 25 years ago when I briefly drove my friend's 82.

Well I decided to try and get this car running. I will have a friend who is a mechanic help me get it going. I also have another neighbor who has some experience with the rotary engine. I have printed off some of the sticky's to give me some reference, really good information. I will try to get some pictures taken of the car easter weekend. I will be hauling it to my home then.

My dad kept logs of when he started and ran the cars. He had 15 corvettes in the same garage all have mileage under 500 and have all the original stickers onthem. They are all in running condition as he had a fellow going over weekly and starting them and maintaining them. Not sure why he did not do this with the rx though. It was last started and run in 1995, about mid summer. The battery went dead on it and he did not replace it. He also has a note about the clutch not working properly when he drove it around the block a time or two that day. Not sure where this will lead.

My mom was excited when I told her I was going to throw some money in it and try to get it up and running. It was like a new chapter in her life was opened. She told me she hasn't driven it since 1992 due to a hip injury which prevented her from getting into the car. I can remember driving the car when they first bought it and I loved it. My hope is to be able to get it running and keep it in working condition to give it to my son.

I forgot to add that my neighbor mention that the apex seals would have to be replaced on this engine. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

That is awesome good luck with the car! I bet it the body and interior are mint!!! But yes you can compression test the engine with a normal compression tester hold the bleeder valve and plug it into the spark plug holes and depending on how high each bounce out of 3 is per rotor tells you what is wrong with the engine and compression. Youll have to look it up on here how to exactly do it. It is hard to tell the apex seals are bad just by looking at it but since the car did sit for so long it may need a rebuild due to seals becoming weak which would replace those seals and all inside the engine. The apex seals are the seals at the tips of each rotor.

i'm glad you're going to keep it, whether it's for yourself or your son. :)

about the apex seals, don't get ahead of yourself. first confirm the engine turns by hand, then you do a compression test. with it being garage-kept and having only 9000+ miles, i'd bet on it not being a problem, but the point is, you won't know until you check it.

as for the rest of the car, i know you said you'll be having someone else work on it, i would say choose the shop VERY carefully. you have a true gem in this car and some people out there can be less than honorable.

I vote you dont trust ANY shop with this. You have the knowledge of this entire site at your fingertips. Plus it would honor your father's memory to do this yourself. It'll be good for ya.

u can take the intake manifold off and squirt some oil into the combustion chamber and let it soak overnight. could help if it wont turn by hand

I have dealt with a few that sat for long periods of time. if it turns freely by hand, take the spark plugs out, fill them with marvel mistery oil. pour more down the intake and keep turning the engine. make sure you have a catch pan under the spark plug area as it will be pushing oil out. Put the plugs in and let it sit for two or three days.

After a few days, remove the spark plugs and turn it by hand to remove the marvel mistery oil, put a catch pan under the car to catch what is coming out, this will take some time as it will be every where in the engine. the results are to free any carbon and to lubricate the internals of the engine.

After you have cleaned the entire fuel system including the fuel tank and supplied fresh fuel to it, and replaced all fluids it will be ready to do a start up. Make sure it is outside as it will smoke very baddly for some time after start up. Once it is running let it run for about two or three minutes and shut it off or you will have an exhaust overheat from it trying to burn the mm in the exhaust. it will take a few cycles to get it to stop smoking, run it longer and longer each cycle. two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, and look for leaks everytime you run it.

some times it will take adding a little engine oil in the intake to make it restart until it runs for some time. Also make sure you let it cool off well before trying the next run cycle. This process has worker for me several time in the past. Others may have some ideas, but give it a try, might save you a rebuild. After you get it cleaned out and starting on its own when cold, go drive it for a minimum for 20 minutes, No hard pulls and no lugging, 2k to 5k running, moderate driving and see how it does. I feel you will susprised at how well this process works for freeing up stuck apex seals and saving an engine.

Joe

This is very good advice, but I would recommend Seafoam over MMO. Seafoam will clean any carbon deposits out of the apex seals, allowing them to move freely. MMO is basically just a liquid wax, which will lubricate things, but not clean them. :)

I am going to clean out the tank this week and replace the battery. I will add some seafoam, as I had already planned to do that. I will add some to the new gas as well. Will I have any issues with the plugs frozen and not coming out without breaking them?

I took a couple of pictures of it today and am getting really excited to get it running again. of course my son is on a major high about it, knowing at some point i will allow him to drive it.

My neighbors both of which are mechanics, looked at it for the first time today and about died. They could not believe the condition of the car, the fresh new car smell inside, and the overall shape of the vehicle.

I was also told by my mother that the car had some clutch issues. She told me dad had a tough time getting into gear. Anything I should check immediately? Ideally, i would like to drive it home, about 12 miles to my garage instead of trailering it, but whatever it takes.

So, it looks like I have a new summer project, one which I really didn't have time for but will make some time to work on.

It really depends if whoever put the spark plugs used anti-seize compound on the threads of the spark plugs but I doubt they will be frozen to the point of breaking them. Lol if I was a kid I would be excited to drive a perfect condition first generation Rx-7 too. The way you describe it is probably the exact same way I think of it, showroom floor condition. You can check the clutch once it starts up and see if it feels spongy or if the car is hard to get in gear it can also be the shifter linkage. It would be a good idea to replace the clutch but I doubt driving it to your garage will be impossible. I cant wait to hear and see more progress on this, good luck with everything

remember this dearly, do not let any shops work on your car unless they are a reputable rotary shop, one that has been around for a while and can show you stuff that they have done and has been on the road for a while. These cars are kinda expensive to work on and even more expensive to have worked on, but very well worth it. Keep the car you got a diamond in the ruff and cant wait to see the pics.

Clutch issues could be (and probably are) related to the hydraulic system. Could be as simple as a slave cylinder. Good luck...

Well I have been really busy and anxious working on the car. I bought a new battery for it. Pulled the drain plug out, which came out like it was installed yesterday, no rust no problem removing it. I have drained the gas tank....super nasty! I added some seafoam and several gallons of gas in the tank. I noticed the fuel gauge is not working, at least right now.

I pulled each plug and put oil in each one, let it sit for several days, then turned it by hand. No issues so far. Today: Sunday, I have spent most of the day working on it. I tried to fire it up and it coughed and sputtered then died. ran about 30 seconds. tried to restart with no luck. I checked the carb and had gas inside of it so I removed the carb. I took the carb apart and with the help of my neighbor, we cleaned out the carb and he put it in an ultrasonic heated cleaner. It had some nasty gunk in the float bowls and one of the floats were sticking...go figure. I reinstalled the carb, man talk about alot of hoses...geez. I pulled the plugs and turned her over several times. Installed old plugs, new ones are on order. I tried to start it but she would not start. I pulled a couple of plugs to check for fire and they were flooded. Cleaned them up and again checked for fire in them. Pretty weak looking and they were not sparking at the end, so it appears the plugs are bad. Oh well, I was hopeful. Monday I will be charging the new battery up and installing some new plugs. I hope she will fire up so I can run it for a few minutes.

I also added air top the tires and blew off some of the dust as well. Had a couple of neighbors who came by that knew the car was in there. They were curious if I was going to revive it.

in all pretty confident that she will fire up and run. It sounded pretty damn good running for a short spell. Just like I can remember it running when I was a little younger.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Clutch-Master-Cy...item45fa0f2fa1

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Mazda-Clutch...item56301e4874

I'd be almost anything if you replace both of these & bleed the clutch you'll get it back in no time (the clutch that is)

I dont know if this works on first generation rx-7s for deflooding then engine but it works for second generations. (Difference is carb vs. fuel injection (12A vs. 13B) if you didnt already know) But you can take the two bottom spark plugs out when it floods and Im not sure if there is an EGI fuse on first gens. but you would take that out too if there is one and crank the engine say 3 times for about 3-5 second each time. The point is that whatever gunk is in the engine will be spit out through the sparkplug holes. Put a couple drops of oil in the holes like before to build compression. Clean the holes and plugs and reinstall them and the fuse and then try to start it up. Again Im not too sure if this works on first gens. because Ive never worked on one just second gens. so hopefully someone with more first gen. knowledge can step in and let you know if Im right.

You're right other than the EGI (ELECTRONIC GAS INJECTION) part, as it's carb'd. You'll always be pulling fuel in through a carb unless the floats are empty, so disconnect the fuel pump, or its respected fuse & go from here. G/L! Your'e close!

Thanks for all the information so far, i really appreciate it. I am off to work on the car for a little while. Maybe, she will start.

Good luck! All I ask for in exchange are some pictures & that it gets enjoyed =)

Awesome! goodluck with deflooding hope it works out for ya

I have some pictures, I just need to upload them someplace.

Here is an update on my project as of 5-14-11.

I finally changed out the plugs and she fired right up. Ran a little sluggish but sounded really smooth. I had a slight fire, located in the exhaust cover from a critter building a nest in there. I spent 10 minutes with a hose and was able to remove the nest materials. I decided after allowing it to cool off to try a drive around the block. The short drive went well and I took it to the gas station. I added 5 gallons and the gas gauge was not working. All other electrical aside form the power antenna was working.

The car did die on me and was not getting any gas to the carb. i used a car dollie and towed it home. I blew some air threw the line and was able to restart it. I decided at that point to pull the tank. I found out why the gauge didn't work...yuck. the sending unit was shot. The inside of the tank looked like crude oil. it was a miracle it even started with the nasty junk in the gas tank. So I am having the tank boiled and cleaned. I removed the carb and have it in a solution tank and will rebuild it...again. I have blown out the fuel lines and injected some sea foam in them. I am hoping that by weeks end, I will, have the tank reinstalled, carb rebuilt and installed, plugs back in and ready to fire it back up. I forgot to add that the car did not smoke at all when it fired over. I had no missing in it and it actually ran very smooth. Someone is watching over my shoulder on this as I have never done anything like this before. So, if I can do it, anyone can.

I will be adding some pictures real soon as soon as I find out how to post them. I am anxious to share these with you. I am really enjoying this project and I was skeptical starting it as I didn't want this to blow up in my face and be a disaster. My neighbors are amazed at the condition of the car, and my 10 year old has stars in his eyes, dreaming of the day he can drive it. My mother, who the car was purchased for as a 40th birthday present, had tears in her eyes hearing the car run. She even commented that she never thought I knew anything about cars. We both had a good laugh over that one.

I really appreciate the suggestions everyone has made. This site has been a world of knowledge base for this car. I am learning more about this wonderful car than I ever thought I would.

Great to hear that you got it to run and drive! It sucks you have to rebuild the carb again though but whatever it takes I guess. You can post pictures by uploading them to an image hosting website and then copy and paste into here. I am looking forward to seeing this beauty lol. This website is a great help, I started with little to no knowledge of any car and from my Haynes manual and this site alone I have learned more then I ever thought I would know about cars and rotary engines. Goodluck on the rest of the project! I started exactly where you did and I am still having fun learning.

Here goes...I hope these links work out ok for some pictures

This was the first time in 15 years it saw any light:Attachment 716566

Here it is sitting outside running.
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The Motor:
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the sending unit.

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Another view sitting outside:
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Once the car is detailed you are going to have a mint first gen. rx-7, well actually you do already! Nice 7 man

Looking good man! :)

When it comes time to clean up the paint, I've had great success with McGuire's Cleaner Wax. Takes off oxidation and crud like nobody's business and really brings the shine back. Follow up with some good wax...

I seen an article about that McGuires stuff in Modified Mag it worked amazing

The dirt has been driving me crazy. i have a friend that owns an autobody, as soon as she is up and running it goes to him for a full detail. I am going to have them clay it out as well. Aside from the dust which was set in by a quick rain shower, the paint is in excellent condition. It is hard to tell from these pictures.

Awesome, post pictures once the detail is done too

I was going thru the car last night taking a little break while working in the carb. I pulled out the paperwork in the glove box and guess what I found. I have the original window sticker and all the service records from the dealership. I also have all the original state registration papers, and all the warranty papers. Everything that came with the car from the dealer. I was really excited. I think I will have the window sticker laminated to preserve it.

The carb was a mess. This is after it was cleaned out originally. Some of that bad gas was still in the lines and junk was in it. The accelerator pump is working some I hope some ultrasonic cleaning and maybe a replacement will help.

I keep getting more anxious to get this car on the road. I seem to have gathered a neighborhood following now. Whenever I am working on it lots of people stop by to see if it is running. Lots of people from my younger days that remember the car.

Very awesome !! Your pops would be proud, she is the same color as mine :)

What an inspiration! You have a real gem. Makes me want to go out and work on my baby. I had a 72 celica that I worked on as a kid. My dad taught me everything about that car. If you can do it and I did it with a 72 I can do it again! Can't wait to see the new pics!

Cool!! Thanks for posting the pictures! Look forward to seeing it detailed & shined up :D

My car came w/ all the paperwork yours has- I had it all laminated. I'd highly suggest doing so, it's only a few dollars & will definitely protect it all!

Landon

This is one of the best posts I've read on this site to date. I'm definitely going to watch your progress. I have very, very little experience with cars and just bought my first 7, and I'm so beyond excited. I can't even imagine what this project means to you. Seriously NEVER sell it. You have a gem, and it's part of your family history now. Good luck, and definitely keep posting.

I have a 83 in original condition that appraised for $9,000.00. Not that it would sell for that, but as a collector status car is only costs $110 per year to ensure for the full appraised value.

My advice, keep it as original as possible!!!

Hello, I'm new to this as well. Bought my uncles 86' GXL with only 60k on it. Was stored in a dry garage since 97'. Got it home - interior still smells new, no rust at all since my uncle had it rust proofed. I'm having trouble starting it though. I replaced what was already mentioned in your posts. Waiting for the new fuel pump to be delivered. Hopefully that will do the trick. Glad to see you decided to keep yours! My uncle is very excited to see his 7 running again as I'm sure your dad is to see yours. GL

keep it stock and keep it forever, you have a nice gem there.

So how about a little update as of June 10 2011.

I took a little break from the car and had to end up replacing the gas tank. To much junk in it. I found one that came off of a running car and bought it right. It was installed on the car. It seems to be ok at this point. I had to pul the plugs because she would no fire over. I was having some carb issues and I still am but now the car will fire up and run. I had it out driving it around the neighborhood and it would die on me. It acts like it is not getting enough fuel. I also notice an accelerator pump issue. I am going to pull the carb and go thru it again and replace the diaphragm for the accelerator pump.

So, here is a question for anyone who may know. Since the car is starving for fuel, it runs out of gas under a load and in a short distance. it will fire back up but will have the same problem again. Ok the question: I replaced the fuel pump with an aftermarket, could the fuel pump I used not have enough gas flow or the same amount of pressure as the oem pump? If this is not the issue then where do I look next? I am going to replace the rubber diaphram for the accelerator pump and hope that will fix my first issue. Do you think it will fix the other, not getting enough fuel? I am stumped about this one.

i drove the car to the local carwash, about 8 blocks away and rinsed it all off. I drove it home and let it sit and idle, it seems to draw down and run rough then will smooth out a little bit and repeat the cycle. The motor sounds nice aside from the fuel issue. I have not noticed any smoke or anything else at this point.

Any ideas????

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How does she look now??? June 11-2011 the first bath in over 15 years

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Tucked in the garage

Its really tough to say if that new pump is causing issues. It would help if you had the specifications for it.

However, most aftermarket pumps will produce way more pressure than the Nikki carb can handle. You might want to order a Holley 1-4 psi fuel pressure regulator. I think they run around 20 bucks from Summit Motorsports. Here is a writeup I put together when I installed mine (along with a Carter fuel pump): https://www.rx7club.com//showthread.php?t=529605

I replied with a few other thoughts in your other thread as well. Best of luck. :)

Hey, sorry to hear of the circumstances that you acquired your 7 but gotta say she looks stunning- keep up the good work.

Here are the recent pictures taken. Check out the drivers door, do you remember when the service companies placed the sticker on the door for oil changes?


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Here is a before and after picture. After 16 years in the garage.

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After

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Wow! She looks awesome. Bet you are thrilled to have kept her! I know your son is. LOL You are an inspiration!