Hey I am looking to drive back to Washington from Arkansas with my 1990 na rx7 and I am replacing the radiator, doing oil change and changing the spark plugs before I go. But I was wondering what I should check before making the trip. Thanks!

 

check to make sure that the oven wasn't left on...(sorry..vacation humor!)

If the car has been in good mechanical running order before making the trip I can't see any problems.
If you carry some basic tools and extra water,oil..etc then you should be fine!

 

I would do that work a week ahead and drive it hard to make sure everything is good to go. Take whatever tools and spare bits you think you might need just in case.

 

But the car has not been in good condition since it was driven from Seattle to Arkansas. It was in the midst of blizzards and having to travel through very deep snow to get here and I just don't want to be broken down in a random state.

 

what kind of issues are you having with it? traveling through blizzards in and of itself is irrelevant. what else happened?

 

Hit a black ice spot, spun around and the car died, ever since then the radiator has been leaking with constant overheating and when I start the car it sometimes drops down to below 1k rpm an sometimes it instantly idles at rite about 3.5k rpm. Noticed that when I got here so I have been making a point not to drive it often but now wanting to go back I am worried something else might be wrong with it besides the radiator.

 

Do the work that you are mentioning to it well in advance.
THEN if it acts up on short distances,you got your answer.
If it doesn't do well on short trips then you should figure out that a long one will be it's Last one.

 

What should I look out for on short distance trips? This car has been 100% reliable before driving down here.