I'm lookiing at buying an 84 rx7 and it has an oil leak. I thought at first it was a coolant leak as it was below the the radiator. I'm still not that familiar with rotary engines. Is the oil filter on the driver side? This is a 12a engine. I most likely need to make an offer tomorrow morning so any help will help. Thanks

 

There are two possible trouble spots for the '84 when it comes to an oil leak...this is assuming the car is still stock. If you're seeing a leak under the radiator, it is most assuredly originating very far away from that spot and "weeping" to the radiator....unless the previous owner has converted the car to the older front-mounted oil cooler (FMOC) seen in the years 1979 thru 1983. In that case, you have a cracked fitting or cracked FMOC leaking the oil.

If it is stock, you need to check on the driver's side of the engine. The oil filter is mounted upside down on these 12A engines and the oil filter mount is finned, hence the nickname "beehive" oil cooler, since it usually also has a yellow sticker on the top surface. Underneath that finned adaptor are two hard steel hoses that run up to the bottom side and those things are sealed with O-rings. That's one spot where oil can leak and then follow a downward path to drip to the ground.

The other is much more sad. On cars that haven't been run on a regular basis, there is an actual O-ring in the engine block right next to the distributor and under the cast-in "12A" letters that dry rots. Once the engine is started, oil leaks from that "12A" area and then down the side of the engine.

Take some rags and get ready to become familiar with the underside of that car trying to determine which leak you have. They're both a TON of fun to fix.

Mario III

 

hmmm... now I'm not as sure about the car. It seems to be a good deal for $1000, with the body being in good shape, other in need of paint. Leaking oil, brake light and lack of knowledge of the rotary. Decisions, decisions.

 

For a thousand bucks and a leaky engine, that interior better be spot on. The fixes are not too bad, but the steel hose O-ring repair is tricky and requires patience.

Make sure the owner does not start the car until you show up. Watch how he/she starts it. Smoke at start-up, as long as it's white smoke, is ok as the engine warms up...that's just condensation. There should be no smoke, even revving it, after it warms up and this will be true for a rotary that has been taken care of all the way up to the 180,000 mile mark.

Even at 199,000 miles, my '83 doesn't smoke once it's warmed up or when it was revving at 7600 rpm on a dyno drum...and it does have that internal O-ring leak...we call it the infamous dowel pin O-ring leak. Sure hacked off the dyno guys watching it bleed on the floor during the pulls.

 

The only issue with the startup was that it needs a starter but I didn't see any smoke and I drove it around a bit and didn't notice any smoke. Below is the add. Like I said I'm new to rotary have a wrx currently and want to get something to compliment what I already have.
http://boise.craigslist.org/cto/1827500777.html

 

The starter is a 20 min job and requires 10/12/14 mm sockets and a wrench at most. How was the car started and why does the Seller think it needs to be replaced?