Hi, i just joined the forum recently from automotiveforums.com and i really like how organized everything is here and the knowledge seems endless.

I live in LA encino 818 i also have a 68 camaro project in the works (my love) and a 93 cbr600f2 (my anti traffic)


I have read the faq and have searched for what im looking for with little acurate results.


I bought the 87 rx7 turbo for $2000 bucks it has about 130k miles on it and ofcorse it has its share of problems being a 17 year old car and all. Ok so here's the problems I've encounterd so far

1. Burning water - the last owner warned me about it and he said keep the water full as much as possible. He had one of those jap motors put in (the ones they sell that has "50k" miles on them). I guess he over heated the engine and the main water seal broke just enough to cause water to burn in the engine.

I guess the specialist that troubleshooted the problem told him he would be better off buying another engine.

2. Rear end Mount - While giving it gas or letting the gas go I get this agressive thump from the back of the car like some things hitting the back of the drive shaft, i can feel/hear the thump more at lower speeds more so than freeway speeds.

The last owner said he had the rear end mount fixed before and weilded for reinforcement but he thinks the car had too much power and the rear end mount blew again.

3. 5 beeps - I got this much from the faq "5-beeps, pause, repeat - in case abnormality of steering sensor signal: Steering sensor is miss-aligned or failed or steering wheel has been improperly installed."

This happens noticeably while i turn and doesn't stop unless i get lucky while randomly turning.

The steering alignment is off to the right about 45 degrees from center steering position.

4. Cold start - I have a hard time turning the car over from a cold start and when i do i have to keep my foot on the gas till it warms up (no startup idle). Warm start isn't easy either as i generally have to use full throttle till it begins to turn over. Small backfiring during cold start seem to generally occur.

I have a feeling some of my starting problems are attributed to the main water seal problem.

5. Shifting - When i shift in a normal H pattern its hella hard to get the car into gear i have to lightly shift it into gear with careful force and when i do it makes a weird backwards K pattern instead of a straight one.

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That about sums up my major more noticeable problems with my new rx7 and i understand there are alot of very wise people here so any help would be majorly apreciated.

From what i understand there are the previous modifications done from the last owner i should have pictures up soon.

Japanese motor - (i believe its a stock replacement from japan with 50k+ miles)
Intake (cone style)
Waste gate (blitz)
3" straight pipe from turbo
fuel cut off (mazda trix)
Nissan 300zx rims (its from a Nissan but they don't look bad at all)

I'm still not sure if i got a good deal on this car or not considering the work it needs but im digging the car more and more, hopefully i don't run into anymore problems. I'm sure with the right TLC i get this beast back into shape, i just hope it doesn't hurt my wallet too bad in the process.


thanks again
Chris

 

blah no one has time to help?

 

I think you're asking too many questions at one time.
You might get better responses if you broke each question into it's own thread...


-Ted

 

It sounds like you got ripped off.
If this is a dying engine, you paid too much.
The specialist might be right about the motor being no good.

Sure sounds like a bad front differential mount...
Jack the car up and peek at the front diff mount - it'll be obvious if it's bad or not.


http://fc3spro.com/TECH/PROBLEMS/STEER/power.htm
Typically due to faulty steering wheel sensor, especially when swapping to an aftermarket steering wheel or R&R of the stock unit.



Yes, no sense chasing down possibilities until the engine is in good shape.


Might be bad shifter bushings...
http://fc3spro.com/TECH/PROBLEMS/DT/TRANS/flopshift.htm



-Ted

 

how much would it be worth if the engine wasnt dying?

 

$2,000 to $2,500 on average


-Ted

 

I saw one on ebay go for about that much but i cant find any in the local recycler, if i do there all over 100k miles and would need a rebuild/replacement engine anyway.

You've found ones with newer good running engines for that price?

i must be hella unlucky

 

look at it in the bright side... some of us pay a lot more than that. i have a 89 s5 TII with a new jdm that runs good and looks good with like 130k on it.. i couldnt find one anywhere so when this poped up i bought it. i payed 5300. some say its too much but its all about avalability i think. if you like it than you got a good deal.

 

This is what Kelly Blue Book says...
Check it out: http://www.kbb.com/
I know, some people complain that this website is not a very good indicator of realistic prices, but it's still a nice guide.

You really don't want to know what we pay for these things.


-Ted

 

Too true.

 

if you are thinking of keeping the engine you may want to do the coolant seal fix trick. I've never tried it but a bunch of people have saying that it was a good fix and some even have numberous 1,000's of miles on it however some also say that this will render the block un-rebuildable.