extremefb

Hi i just bought a `79 rx7 and would like to ask a few questions. For abought six months i had a `88 rx7 i fell in love with the first gens. A few questions the motor in my FB idals real low like 800RPM is that good? Also the motor seems a little slugish until abought 40mph whats up with that. The car has 66,000 original miles if that helps with the problems. Please be patient with me i am a newb thanks.

txredneckmedic

66000 original miles....not a bad find. how much did she set u back? oh and welcome...im a newb 2...hehe I pick up my 84 rx7 thursday

evil_motors

iTrader: (3)

first off its not an fb its a sa... second what kinda power are you expecting from the 12a thats 26 years old? i would do some general maintainance like plugs wires and oil change and maybe a new fuel filter and air filter.. then see how she runs.

extremefb

i told you i was a newb thanks i will do a complete tune up also i only paid $2000 for it. the body and underbody is very clean.

txredneckmedic

Ouch...lot more than im paying for mine

MosesX605

So long as the idle is smooth and the engine doesn't sputter or miss, your idle is fine. I believe the stock idle setting was ~750 rpm, so yours is essentially right on.

As for the car being sluggish until 40MPH, when are you shifting? Remember that the 12A only produces around 100 HP from the factory, and the SA model cars are the slowest revving of the 12A's because of their heavy flywheel. I typically shift at around 4k in the city for regular driving and at redline for spirited driving. Magazine tests of the car state that it had a 0-60 time of around 9.5 seconds, hardly a fast car by todays standards and a good second to a second and a half slower than a FC.

extremefb

Sweet I think alls well with the car then ill do a tune up and see how things are. its a bit different than my fc but i like it more. also what should the compression numbers be no a 12a/ thaks again for the patience in dealing with a newb.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Welcome! I have an SA (1980) too with 64K. If the mileage is any indication of what condition it "should" be in, it should move pretty smartly to 40 (and beyond). Was the car sitting a lot (as the mileage would suggest)?? Long storage, especially without putting her properly "to bed" could make for some rough running. Get thru the first tank of gas, if you haven't already. Definitely change the fuel filter (in front of driver's rear tire, easy to get at and change). likewise oil in engine/diff/tranny.
If you don't know it yet, rotaries use oil much quicker than conventional boingers as part of the lube process. There is actually an oil pump at the front of the motor that feed oil into the carb via a pair of lines. This means that you should be CHECKING YOUR OIL ONCE A WEEK. A healthy rotary will go thru a 1/2 quart of oil every 300-800 miles. Mine does it in 600. Keep checking yours to figure out how often it needs to be topped up and then be religious about it. Change it and the filter every 3000 miles.
Finally, since rotaries are real heat pumps, the cooling systems needs to be in top notch shape. Something most 26 year old cars are NOT! unless you know for sure the cooling system has been flushed recently, I strongly urge you to go to a competent rad shop, get them to PULL the rad and dunk and flush it!! And get the the block flushed at the same time. Do this every TWO years!! This is one of the best investments you can make in your RX7 right off. Make sure they use distilled water (ask them!) and a 50-50 mix at least (more if you winter drive in the north country) with coolant. I would also urge you to buy new:
-upper and lower rad hoses
-heater hoses - especially the big long one that runs from the firewall to under the oil filter on the engine - this one gets damaged by years of oil spills from filter changes and can fail without warning. Your rotary will tolerate NO overheating!!
-thermostat
This is all pretty basic-but-important stuff to assuring you years of happy motoring. These are great cars and they have some unique features (that motor! that style!!) but it comes with some simple but important service requirements, most of which you can do yourself.
A first smart step was getting on this Forum. Lots of talent and help right here!
enjoy!!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

extremefb

Hey bud thanks for the help i had no idea that you had to flush the coolent sys. every 2 years. im glad to see that people on this forum are so helpful. thanks

pimpncuba

sluggish you say? if you don't have to pass emissions gut your cats. my car would stall out after about 1 min of idling because of clogged cats. after hollowing them out i was very impressed at how peppy my car was. that or just get an rb exhaust

Kentetsu

Check your timing too. You should have plenty of power under 40 as long as the rpms are above 3k or so....

Also, the 79s had points rather than electronic ignition, didn't they? If this is the case, that would be one of the first things I'd change. I'm not sure what it would take to upgrade to direct fire, but shouldn't be much.

Yark79

It's possible that your car really has 166,000 miles, since the odometer only reads up to 99,999.9 and rolls back to 0.

extremefb

i bought the car from the original owner the car sat in a garage for 17 years all the paper work matches and all his machanics papers have less than 66000 miles for the odometer reading. im sure they are true 66000 miles. since she sat for so long i will do a complete tune up and gut the garburater and rebuild or maybe go with a sterling carb. and i have looked at the rb exu. and i am considering buy a sys.