Leah Breth

I have a 1985 RX7 GSL that I bought brand new in 1984. It has 65000 miles on it. It has never sat outside overnight. The body is in excellent condition. I bought a truck and slowly stopped driving my RX7. Over time it has just sat in my garage for 10 years. It doesnt start now even with a new battery. Is it worth anything? Is it worth taking to a mechanic to get it back on the road? I am at a crossroad on deciding whether it will be reasonable to get it running again or if it is even worth spending the money on it. I loved driving the car, but it was tiny and I was on the interstate daily so not a safe vehicle with excessive traffic etc. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you

Clarice

Does it turn over? I'm presently dealing with an '85 that sat for a long time, and research around here often suggests apex seals rusting to the housings, effectively seizing the engine. The more humid the environment, the more of an issue it is.

I assume you already tried to crank it given that you got a new battery, which might not be good (if it was like I just described, this can pop apex or side seals), but can you spin the motor by hand? Grab the largest pulley on the front of the engine and try to spin it... if it doesn't, pull the spark plugs and then try again (it's supposed to be almost no resistance at that point). If still nothing, look in the FAQs about using ATF, MMO, etc. to try and un-stick it, if you care to try and get it running. Some people have had this issue, gotten it unstuck, and then had the car start/run with almost no issue.

Or just sell it with a basically known-bad/needing rebuild motor; if the body is in good shape, it might be valuable to someone who would want to swap it anyways.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

Welcome to the board.

Well, an important question to answer is whether or not the engine is turning with the attempts to start it. If it does turn, then you should go through and confirm the basics: compression, spark and fuel. If I had to make a bet, I would say your ignition should be fine if the car was running well before you parked it. After 10 years of sitting you will want to refresh the fuel system if you haven't already done so. In broad strokes, you will want to drain, flush and clean the tank and lines. Check the pump and replace the filter. Eventually, you get to the carburetor, which should be cleaned and all linkage movements checked.

If it is not turning, then you will want to look at some of the things Clarice said above. A few adjustments I would make to her advice though are first and foremost, before even trying it by hand, you'll want to put a little oil down the chambers (easiest way is just pour it in the primary throttles). I like to use gear oil, but regular engine oil is fine. Also, i would recommend Seafoam (or maybe something like Berryman's or that GDI cleaner) instead of the MMO. Let it soak for a while before trying to turn it. For the Seafoam (whatever you choose to use), you should try to get it in each chamber so in addition to putting it down the throttle, try to get some in through the spark plaug holes and maybe (if you feel up to it), the exhaust ports.