MikePhillips

Before I get into this, I will offer my apologies for making this so long, and asking several different questions at once. I'll try not to do this twice.

Ok, I have a 90 rx7 (GXL, I think....has a sun roof but no turbo, so..) and it won't fire at all.

So, here's my take on it so far:

Pulled a plug from each rotor, turned it and listened. From the rear rotor I get three good squeezes. From the front rotor, I get two half-assed whooshes and one solid squeeze.

So, knowing the basics of a rotary and having a good understanding of all things mechanical, I deduce that I have either 1 bad apex seal, one stuck apex seal, or one bad/broken apex seal spring. Can't think of anything else that could cause that in particular. If anybody can think of anything else, I'm all ears.

Now in my opinion, it should at least fire a little when I hit it with starting fluid, maybe just bump a little at the very least, but I get nothing at all. Good spark from coils, so that's probably just bad plugs/fuel or whatever. That's not really a concern for me right now, considering the compression problem.

Anyway, from this point, what I'm looking for is options.

If it's just a stuck seal, is there a way to un-stick it that is fairly certain to work?

Failing that, and having looked at the difference between a complete motor and a rebuild kit, is there any reason I shouldn't go with a motor from Tiger Japanese for under 800 to 900 rather than a rebuild kit for around 600? After all, there could be other problems/bad parts.

And even more importantly, is there a place where I can get body parts (interior and exterior) relatively cheap? I need a passenger side mirror, some window switches (not an emergency, but would like to have them before I decide to drive it), and a passenger side fender. Everything else I think I can fix without too much trouble.

I hate to get rid of the thing after going to the trouble to have a key cut (I'll tell you guys about that particular pain in the butt another time), but if I can't find a fender, mirror and switches somewhere other than the dealer and without paying dealer price, I may either part it out, or just haul it to the salvage yard and cut my losses. I've always wanted an RX7. Rotary engines fascinate me, and I think they are probably the best possible engine design for most applications (especially aviation...been looking at building a small twin and powering it with a pair of 13b turbos for years), but I hate to prank with something that will be counterproductive.

So, again...any advice appreciated.

Mike.