Steven Torman

I came across my 89 non-turbo rx-7 and realized that it had parts I'm not sure about.

I've read through all the FAQ and was unable to locate some common knowledge such as what does

1. "NA" mean when people post about their car.

2. What is an "air pump" and why does it have to leave if a person switches to a serpentine configuration.

3. In first ams second gear I cannot rev past 6k rpms what does that mean to me? Also, my altenator belt broke and I am going to go ahead and change all the belts since I am their, but maybe I need to do serpentine swap on the engine? What's that cost.

4. Is there a cheaper compression tester then the $335 I found? Is it reliable?

5. My convertible top is stuck, I cant put it down, but my battery is low as well. What is the minimum amp on the motor for that, because it will go up and beep fine, just does not want to go back. Also, is there a manual way of doing it?

6. Is there a thread or a video someone can point me to that has some definitive content about rotary engines and how to identify specific parts or am I going to have to wade through the water one part at a time?

Thanks for anyone who replies to these questions!

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

1. NA= Normally Aspirated = Non-turbo

2. The air pump, sometime called the smog pump, pumps air into the catalytic converter to reduce emissions. I’m not intimately familiar with your generation of RX7 but on my generation removing it means removing its pulley, and that can make it difficult for the belt to have sufficient contact with the water pump pulley. Without good contact they often slip, which leads owners to over tighten the belt, which causes other problem. Idler or AP replacement pulleys are offered by the aftermarket. They don’t fail often. Other than some space and weight, there’s usually not much reason to remove the AP and doing so with the stock Engine Management will likely cause a lot of dash lights. If you’re not having issues don’t worry about it.

4. Why do you think you need a compression tester? It is a way to check the health of the engine ...before you buy it. But low compression on a rotary usually presents itself in other ways, normal cold start but difficult hot starting is common. But the average owner probably doesn’t need a tester.

6. Get the Factory Service Manual FSM). Can’t get much more definitive than that. Look in the 2nd Gen FAQ sticky at the top of this section for a link to a downloadable version for free or go here... http://wright-here.net/cars/rx7/89_manual.htm

Traditional hard copies also come up for sale occasionally on the web or in the parts for sale sections.


That’s a very nice looking car you have. Congratulations. Looks very stock...which is good. The more modified the car, the less useful the FSM will be. And if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Steven Torman

6.Thx for the complement, everything seems to be fine as far as I can see. I do have a hard copy of the FSM that came with the car

4. I was told to check it annually so that I can begin to detect rebuild time without tearing up the rotor housing

2. Thx, no i want all my lights off, can't stand a light

1. I had a feeling

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

I got a hard copy with my car all those years ago. For the first year or so I’d open the hood and when I saw something I couldn’t identify I’d look it up in the manual. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn about the car just doing that and routine maintenance.