Hi,

I've been to see a UK spec 1990 Turbo II convertible (S5?). It's in good condition and seems to be an honest car ie it's very nice but not too perfect.

The body is rust free and straight, the leather interior is good except for a rip on the drivers seat (covered with black duct tape!) and the wheels are original and perfect as is the hood and cover.

There are no signs of oil leaks from anywhere, there's no transmission whine and it changes gear with no sign of any slop or syncro issues.

So far, so good!

So what are the issues?

First, the idle stayed high even after a drive, it didn't settle below 1500rpm. The idle was steady, no hunting or misfires or anything but it was high.

Secondly, what boost level should the stock gauge go to? It went up to one or two notches before the max readout (45?) but it didn't feel quite as quick as I thought it would. It didn't feel slow or struggle to rev or anything, I just expected more, but I've never driven one before so didn't really know what to expect.

Thirdly, there was a constant tick-tick-tick that sounded like it was coming from somewhere below the area between the alternator and power steering pump. When I stopped the engine and turned the ignition back on it became a rapid ticking.

Lastly, I think the previous owner has looked after it but the current owner has done about 600 miles in it and I noted that the oil wasn't particularly clean and was below the hatched area on the dipstick (the level was halfway between the bottom of the hatching and the end of the stick), should I be overly concerned by that?

I realise this is a lot of questions, but I don't want to buy myself into a ticking time bomb. I plan on getting a compression check done too.

Many thanks for any answers!

 

I would try to see if you can pull any codes and make sure the check engine light is functioning. I'm more concerned with rust when buying a car, all the mechanical stuff to me is much easier to deal with then rust. There may be a reason why the owner is selling it after 600 miles of owning it

 

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...x7-**-1039188/

 

45 psi?? boost?
the engine idling high might be covering a problem or have an air leak/bad tune
definatly get comp test and go from there

 

Ticking sound may be the baç valve.

 

High idle might just be idle adjustment, but also likely to be a vacuum leak. If the motor is fairly stock then chances are it has a few vac leaks.. 22+ yr old rotaries have cooked the rubber hoses by now and they get brittle and weak. In my opinion, all those things you mentioned don't seem like there is anything major. I'd be doing a compression test, that will tell you more about the car's health than anything else..

You will learn enough just browsing this forum and reading to fix those other problems.