Dlpz87

Hi all, I just bought my first Rx-7 today. It's a 1987 Turbo II. Excellent condition for about 117k on it. The previous owner really did an awesome job of keeping this thing in good shape. I was just wondering if there were any preliminary things that I should do right now in order to keep it in working order?

I'm going to get the local dealership to change the oil tomorrow if possible. I know the apex seals were replaced about 13k ago. It runs really nice, and yes, it is in "Excellent" condition. I didn't believe the ad, but when I saw it, I just knew. I'm a member of HT, so I did search, but I didn't really find much on the TII's, and it's late, so I'm tired.

Please give me any info if possible, and if I didn't look hard enough or w/e, I'm sorry, I'm "new" and I really look forward to the lifestyle of a Rx-7 owner.

91mazdarx7

maybe replace the fluids if you don't know when they were last replaced maybe look around the engine bay for any dry rotted or broken lines change the spark plugs to maybe the wires to if they look bad just throwing out some ideas i would look over first

Icemark

well first off to keeping it running well I would avoid taking the car to a Mazda dealer, and learn how to do the basics yourself.

As far as what probably needs to be done, you would want to read the FAQ for FC sticky thread at the top of this section. It covers first things to do and has links to electronic versions of the shop manuals. You would probably want to do a full 60K miles Tune Up, with changing all the Belts, fluids, spark plugs and spark plug cables, and all filters. I would probably also check to see if the PD has been replaced and if not, it should be done ASAP.

hexadec0079

change ALL fluids: diff, brakes, oil, filters, clean injectors, plugs, wires, that should do it until something breaks...

DREYKO

congrads! you'll love it. i live in cary so if you have any questions i can probably help you. ill pm my location and number if you need it

sar

iTrader: (1)

The apex seals were changed a few miles ago?

That sounds a little strange, considering to get to the apex seals you either have to be handy through the exhaust ports or rebuild the entire motor.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

That would be a bit odd if just the apex seals were replaced... But regardless, I guess that's a good thing. More than likely other internal seals were replaced while the motor was apart. Did the previous owner tell you who "replaced the apex seals"? It'd probably good to ask more specific questions on what EXACTLY was replaced while the motor was disassembled. It's hard to believe that (for example) they re-used the stock coolant seals (as they tear and break really easily when seperating the plates and housings).

Whatever, you'll soon be 'schooled' on these cars if you stick around.

I remember being a n00b... It's probably best to keep the posting to a minimum and the reading to a maximum. Any question you have has probably been asked (and answered) 100 million times. By using the 'search' function (upper right-hand corner) you can find many, many threads related to whatever you search for.

I don't know what type of previous automotive experience you have, but I'd set aside an afternoon to give your car a nice tune-up. Others have already suggested what that entails, so it's pretty much up to you to figure out the basics.

Make sure you have a decent set of metric tools.

I would HIGHLY recommend giving the car a compression test. It'll tell you a lot on how long you can expect your car to last, and how those "new apex seals" are doing. You're going to have to search on how to do the compression test.

If you treat the car right, it'll be good to you.

Also, don't be afraid to push your new TII (after the tune etc.), it's a sports-car, so it should be treated as one.

GOOD BUY!

vipers

iTrader: (8)

do the pds go bad on turbos as much as na's?

just in case the new guy doesnt know... "pd" stands for pulsation dampner...

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

^ I'm pretty sure they're the same part, meaning they'd probably fail just as easily regardless of whether or not it was on a TII or an N/A.

RETed

How much did you pay for it??

Click my .sig


-Ted

JamesBong

Welcome to the club! There's tons of great information on this forum, and some of the most helpfull people I've ever met.
If you don't have any automotive repair skills, I suggest you start now. If the rubber bits havn't been replaced yet, that's the first I'd do. (by rubber, I mean vacuum hoses and suspension bushings mostly)

Good luck.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/newowner.htm

Icemark

Probably more so because of the extra heat.

JackoliciousLegs

Mazda dealer??? what's that about... lol.. j/k I'm sure you'll enjoy your new baby!

Chuck

iTrader: (2)

Motor Oil Change---add Castrol GTX 10W-30 or 20W-50
If you insist on using a synthetic, use Mobil One
Tranny and Rear end fluid change---use a high quality synthetic, Royal Purple, Neo, Redline

find out if the prior owner dismantled the oil pump. If so you will need to add two cycle oil to the gas at every fill up.

Dlpz87

Wow, I wasn't expecting this many posts. I cleaned her today and got the oil changed, but I also found an interesting bit on the way home. Apparently the previous owner bought a shop manual, or this car came with one, so now I have a really good reference as to what is what.

The previous owner replaced all his hoses 13k ago, and his mechanic (an airplane and rotary specialist) went ahead and replaced the apex seals since they were on the way out.

I have yet to figure out what a PD is, or where it is, but I'll check tonight. I plan to save up and buy some tools and get to work on her soon. There's nothing really wrong...the digital clock doesn't work. Lol, but I'll go ahead and see about changing the belts and what not, getting her tuned up.

I paid $2800 for her btw. It has a cd changer and bass tube, along with new tires, so I saw it as a deal. Not to mention how nicely maintained she was. I need a garage.

piscorpio

Hey, I am another HT member and recent rotary convert!

Anyway, I find that you will likely find little problems that need some attention, the more time you have poking around the car. Just be prepared to budget any extra expenses that might arise. The PD is on the end of the fuel rail, which is under the intake manifold, so its not something you can spot easily by just opening the hood and peeking around.

BTW, Chuck is referring to the metering oil pump I believe, it basically injects oil into the combustion chambers to keep them nice and lubed. You probably want to make sure that is there, and if you have the service manual, you should be able to find it using that. Look up pre-mix in a search and you should quickly find out about using 2-stroke oil and the pros/cons associated. Hope that helps a little, Im no expert either by any stretch of the imagination. Good luck with the car, sounds like you got a good deal.

Dlpz87

Yea, I let one of my buddies drive my car around the block and he confirmed my suspiscion that my clutch most likely needs replacing. He might help me, I'm going to buy a boost gauge and a turbo timer and he'll help install those. I can't wait to start working on the car and making her more drivable than she already is, if that's possible. Lol, how could I have missed out on these machines for so long?

Smoken'

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like you got an awesome deal. Where did you find her? It sounds like Bruce Turrentine might have built your engine, if so, you got lucky. He really knows how to build a good engine. Check out the link below, we have a lot of rotary guru's in the area, more then you would think we might have. Dont even try to read all of the posts, there are over 4200 posts. Read the first page and then just jump to the last page and introduce yourself. Welcome to the club!!!

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...35#post4697135