1988 13B here in Albany.

Can anyone tell me the best place to have their RX-7 worked on for clutch and idle issues in Oregon?

Thanks.

Hi DeeLux, can you go into more details? Do you need the clutch replaced? Does the car idle/stumble/not idle at all?

Hi Spyder, thanks for the reply. Please bear with me, I am not a car expert by any means. I do love my RX-7 though and have been driving it since 07-08.

So I paid for a full engine rebuild on my 13B manual, including a new clutch and all new seals and plugs in 2018. I've only put a few hundred miles on it and it was operating very well until recently.

Two major issues stand out.

1. Idling and engine stalling. When I start the car, it dies immediately. After re-starting it, it will hold a charge and idle at about 1700-1800 revs for a few minutes before eventually dying in neutral. I restart the car several times and it continues to die in neutral. After the car warms up, it will idle around 600-700 rpm and hold enough charge for me to feel confident enough to drive.

When I drive, the car dies whenever I stop. It will also die in high gear if I brake hard enough, say before a turn. The car will start up again and go easily enough, but it's a real pain to have to roll through stop signs in first gear to avoid the engine dying at a stop. Is this as simple as needing to increase the idle? When I don't have to brake or bend hard, the car flies like a charm in 4th and 5th.

There also seems to be an issue with the starter. Despite having a new battery under warranty, I often have to charge the battery every few days to get the car to start. Sometimes, I'll drive it once and it won't start the very next day. Other times, I'll drive it once and it will start 7-10 days later.

2. Clutch. After recently driving the car for three days in a row (no problem the first two days), I got stuck in 5th gear on the way home and could not shift into any other gear, including neutral. The clutch pedal had very little pressure and resistance and I heard the dreaded grinding sound. I somehow got home in 5th gear (not too far), where I was able to shift the car into first gear and park it in the garage.

I checked the clutch fluid level. It is about 80% full but dirty. It looks grayish-black rather than clear/yellow. I've been monitoring the level ever since and I don't think it's leaking. It's been 2-3 weeks now since I last drove.

The first few times I started the car in the garage, it lunged forward as if the clutch wasn't disengaging. It also struggled to get into gear, neutral included. After the car warms up a bit, I am able to shift into gear much easier than when first starting the car.

The last two times I started the car, it did not lunge forward and I was able to shift into gear almost immediately rather than waiting for the engine to warm up. At this point, I have no idea if it's a clutch plate, pedal issue, hydraulic problem, or if the fluid needs to be changed. I am reluctant to bring it back to the guy who rebuilt the engine and may need another expert to help me out.

UPDATE: Just started it for the third time in a row without the lunge. Was able to shift into all gears immediately but am still worried about driving it anywhere.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

UPDATE:

After starting the car in the garage for several days in a row and being able to get into all five gears with the engine running (without the lunge), I finally took it for a spin for about 20-25 minutes. I did not have any problem shifting into all five gears, plus reverse, and never got stuck in any gear while driving. It's as if getting stuck in 5th that before that one day (above) never happened. Clutch fluid is still at about 80%.

Perhaps it was a clutch pedal that got stuck or maybe it's a drivetrain issue? Whatever it is seems to be minor and/or preliminary.

Any info would help!