Totally new!!!!!!!! ()==={=======>

[KaBlam]

hi there everybody, i just bought my first Rx-7 3 days ago, its an 85 GSL-SE with 98k on it. im completely inexperienced when it comes to a rotary or japanese cars in general. i purchased it for $600 so you can probably assume it does need a little bit of work...

i have my first appointment to visit a mechanic to get a full rundown, but for some reason im a little bit nervous about it. this is my first car and i terrified its going to be a huge drain on all monies i will get. because im gonna try and do my own work for the most part with help from my best friend, i need to know where to start.

im pretty sure it hasnt really been touched since early 90's but runs like a charm which is happy.

anyoen and everyone feel free to tell me where to start, how to start, doesnt matter. any info is wanted.
thanks everybody.

[Signal 2]

First, congrats on the car. Had an FB way back in the day and loved it.
Not particularly familiar with them anymore but IMO basics are the same for any new purchase. I'd start with changing out ALL fluids, coolant, oil/filter, transmission gear oil, brake and even diff fluid. New set of plugs might be good, just be sure to use a bit of anti-seize on them. Check the brake pads/shoes too.
Clean the face of the radiator and check the cap, check all the hoses and belts and replace as needed.
None of those things are particularly expensive and they don't have to be done in a day, but maybe over the first couple weeks. You'll know a hellava lot more about the car when your through and have a great base-line for maintenance.

[mymmeryloss]

Do a compression test. And make sure to check the oil at every fuel up!

Post pics, and good luck. I love me some rotary!

[KaBlam]

thank you so much for the advice. definitely enough there to start gettin on my way with it. and i have verified that all parts are stock from 1985 so replacements are definitely in order. as far as oil goes, is there any recommended that might be better for a rotary or all pretty much the same? and i just realised how amazingly cheap all the parts seem to be, which is perfect cause im now basically broke.

and will definitely be puttin pics up soon. its not the prettiest, but its my new baby haha.

thanks guys

[Signal 2]

Most/all rotarys, depending on their general condition and state of tune have some fuel dilution over time. Maybe a little more in cold weather during warm-up. It's a characterisitic. Additionally you have an oil metering pump which injects a small amount of engine oil in with the intake cycle which ultimately burns with the gas/air mix.
You want that oil to be as clean as possibe. Dirty oil leaves more deposits behind. You should be careful to change oil on time and at a bit closer interval than a piston counterpart.
Because of that, any decent oil of the proper viscosity rating for your climate is fine IMO. Buy whatever is on sale. Same with a filter.

[spenca baby]

good luck dude im picking up a 86 rx7 on wednesday

[KaBlam]

guys, i think i love a lemon... i just took it to the mechanic the other day and news is in. i bought the car for 600, to get it so its a happy car again, its gonna cost me 1500 for the tranny to be redone, and 3-4k for the engine to have seals replaced. i had such amazingly high expectations for the car and now they all seem to be unattainable. is this just mechanic tryign to squeeze me for cash, or is the '85 really that bad. there seems to be so much that i must do, or not even that much, just big things that cost an arm and a leg.

OOOOOOOH they are tellign me that to have the windshield wiper mechanism reinstalled in the car ( previous owner removed entire mechanism... dotn know why) anyways, its all in my trunk. they are sayign that its $280!!! what the hell? what exactly costs that much? it has everthign working including the motor, is this a simple thing i can do myself? right now, its pouring outside and i have no wiper. however, i do have a bottle of rain-x and it seems to be workign like a charm.

are my dreams of havign awesome 85 racecar at 19 years old gonna fail? or shoudl i find someone who might give me better news? there is always savign up more money, parting out my current one and buy a better condition 85... or would a later gen be a better investment? im lookin under 2k, is there somethign i could find for that?

[mymmeryloss]

I would seriously do research and some manuals and do all of the work yourself!

So much cheaper and such a great learning experience...

[KaBlam]

that is extremely true, and i would not have any problems with that if i didnt need to get to work hahaha id rather do everythign myself to start with, but working on a rotary however few parts there may be seems like somethign that could be messed or ruined very easily. i really have no idea, but if you know of any sites or links or anything that could help me begin a tear down rebuild on this AWESOME car, id love to know. especially cause i already have my custom plates in the mail lol

[KaBlam]

can anyoen explain why my car is suddenly making this horrible high pitched sound on the inside??? its killing me and it literally just started doing it.

[Signal 2]

"hi pitched sound on the inside" doesn't tell us much.
Exactly where is it coming from? Engine, transmission? Somewhere else? Is it dependent on anything like rpm, braking, idle etc?

[KaBlam]

its like a high pitched whining and its not coming from the engine or transmission, its not the door open cause thats a loud sound, this is just an obnoxious high pitched sound coming from what sounds like the dash. and as far as i can tell, its not really dependent on anything. i was just driving it down the street and all of a sudden it started up. where should the oil indicator be situated, straight middle? cause it might be a little low.

[KaBlam]

so i found this super awesome stuff called rubbing compound... its strips impurities from the car and skin from my hands. awesome. although the car (or what little ive done) has gone from nasty dirty oxidized mess, to shiny somewhat new looking minus fat dent and rust in the rear panel. will post pics as soon as i can afford a camera. car is ruining my economic life but im feelign like it may be worth it in the long run. maybe i will get it to stock and see what else i can tinker with. 6k down the line and im probablly gonna cry though haha

[magnumP5]

The high-pitched noise is a buzzer of some sort. I'm not familar with FB's but I know the later generation FC's had low coolant and low oil buzzers, which were both incredibly loud and annoying, but usually indicated something wrong with the car.

I'm curious how your mechanic knew the car needed new seals. I wouldn't trust any mechanic that does not specialize in rotary vehicles. As mentioned above, get a factory service manual, a Haynes manual or whatever and start reading.

Neat car though. The GSL-SE were the "latest and greatest" of the FB's and the first to get full electronic fuel injection and auxilliary port induction.

[mymmeryloss]

There are good videos for rebuilding.

Make sure all the rotors are to spec and if u have any machining done, be sure to check clearance before reassembly...