Mazda Rotary Club

Cars by Model Type => 2nd generation RX-7's => Topic started by: mpk490p on August 06, 2007, 09:26:16 AM

Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 06, 2007, 09:26:16 AM
Hi all, im going to look at a turbo 2 convertable tonight, dont know a great deal about them so what should i be looking out for (Usuall rust spots etc) i have had a good look through rotary revs and that should really help

thanks
Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: grinder on August 06, 2007, 10:21:32 AM
where in the UK is it - is it local to you

1 - check for rust - this is a FC killer - check all the sills and inner sills
2 - obvious stuff - does it run OK
3 - check the roof for tears - expensive to fix
4 - and then usually car stuff ( tyres etc.. )
5 - check for rust

if its a JDM then it might be OK - but a UK car - get underneath and smack the living **** out of it :D

Stu
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 06, 2007, 10:34:25 AM
Quote from: grinderwhere in the UK is it - is it local to you

1 - check for rust - this is a FC killer - check all the sills and inner sills
2 - obvious stuff - does it run OK
3 - check the roof for tears - expensive to fix
4 - and then usually car stuff ( tyres etc.. )
5 - check for rust

if its a JDM then it might be OK - but a UK car - get underneath and smack the living **** out of it :D

Stu
its not to far away, found it through a friend whats JDM? a import? check for rust though whilst looking for rust under the rust, ive had a few gen 1\'s ive heard of this rust fella somewhere before!!
Thanks for the advice, the car is for my g/friend (bday Pressie) but i will need to make sure it drives ok on sunny days!

Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Prof on August 06, 2007, 10:39:47 AM
Quote from: mpk490pits not to far away, found it through a friend whats JDM? a import? check for rust though whilst looking for rust under the rust, ive had a few gen 1\'s ive heard of this rust fella somewhere before!!
Thanks for the advice, the car is for my g/friend (bday Pressie) but i will need to make sure it drives ok on sunny days!
 
Mark

JDM - Japanese Domestic Market - Jap import
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Prof on August 06, 2007, 10:46:08 AM
The FC vert\'s rust in the wheel arches, and underneath near the sills - should also check the state of the floor generally underneath - depends on how the\'ve been treated, but UK cars can rot very quickly from inside and out if they\'ve a leaky roof.
 
Check the carpet just behind the seats - for signs of dampness getting in. Roof\'s tend to split open at the seam where the roof joins the car body towards what you would call the \'C\' pillar - it\'s a 2 seater, so doesn\'t really have a B ! There is a gap there normally - which is correct - and a pipe should extend out of the bottom of this and exit under the car - you could poor a little water down into it and check it drains away.
 
Other places to check are the rubber seals along window edges - if they are excessively worn or split then it could spell trouble - and these items are not cheap to replace - the ones along the top of the side windows are £45 each from Mazda !
 
Also worth taking out the spare wheel cover behind the seats and looking at the body work there - should be pretty clean.
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 06, 2007, 11:30:47 AM
Thanks Dave i remember you mentioning this at JAE, he said everything works with the electrics, usually story not been started or driven for a while and lots of white smoke on start up but fine once driven so im not to worried about that

Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Brett on August 06, 2007, 11:43:09 AM
Basically, treat it as you would any other 80\'s car, it may have rust but they are not more susceptible than any other comaprable car of the era. Unscrew the kick plates, you can look right inside the sill then...
 A TII engine is normally good for around 90-100k, most seem to let go through wear or ancillary failure.
 Its worth chceking the suspension bushes, knackered bushes can upset the DTSS at the rear, which leads to interesting handling at high speeds and can cause the car to pull to one side under braking.  Bushes are very expensive from mazda. (Some are over £100 each)

 If its not been used much the brakes are prone to sticking, the rear hand brake mechanism on the rear calipers is particularly problematic when it gets old.  brake calliper Pistons can stick on cars that have seen little use, they usually come free with some WD40 and a little patience. (4 pot at the front, single at the rear)

:wave
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 06, 2007, 10:19:49 PM
been to see the car very good shell engine seems good with a recent rebuild points of action though
A/ main thing is a possible turbo seal? oil in the pipe work from the air filter upto the intercooler, smell of burning oil and white / blue smoke when boosting like a lot!! no smoke on idle starts fine when warm oil looked good (cost of rebuild? or better to go 2nd hand?)
B/ no interier lights or any warning lights when the ingnition is turned on
C/ air con switch and re circulate switch don\'t stay on (air con needs a regas if you can still do it?)
D/ rear heated screen not working and where the hell is the fuse box!!!!! (this one did not have one sure of it)

i know i do not usually frequent the Gen 2 secition but any help would be most apricated!

thanks
Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: grinder on August 06, 2007, 10:31:33 PM
fuse box is down by the drivers right foot :D

so thats a simple fix and there is a fuse box diagram in the FAQ\'s
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: pdtaylor18 on August 06, 2007, 10:31:56 PM
fuse box in the drivers side under far corner of dash, other fuses are by the battery, relays usually 6-7 at front right of car. Air con will still come on regardless of how much gas is in it.  The lights bit is a bit weird, obviously check all fuses and also the main centre dash display thing is connected correctly.
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Prof on August 06, 2007, 11:04:35 PM
Turbo - Oil in the intake pipe could be coming from the crank relief - can you tell if there is any oil in intake just after the air filter ?
 
The lights/warning lights - could be a fault on the Ignition switch - the accessory position may not be feeding power once the car is switched to IGN - or problem in the wiring loom or a main fuse somewhere ?
 
Aircon Switches - could just be a logicon issue - these units had dreadful solder problems - I\'ve resoldered the leds and switches on mine.
 
Rear heated screen - that\'s most likely either a fuse for the timer and relay, and/or a circuit breaker for the element - both are in the fusebox.  Does the Orange Indicator light come on - if it does, can you hear a clicking sound on the passenger side of the car, inside the boot - that\'s where the relay is.
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 07, 2007, 06:47:19 AM
Quote from: ProfTurbo - Oil in the intake pipe could be coming from the crank relief - can you tell if there is any oil in intake just after the air filter ?
 
The lights/warning lights - could be a fault on the Ignition switch - the accessory position may not be feeding power once the car is switched to IGN - or problem in the wiring loom or a main fuse somewhere ?
 
Aircon Switches - could just be a logicon issue - these units had dreadful solder problems - I\'ve resoldered the leds and switches on mine.
 
Rear heated screen - that\'s most likely either a fuse for the timer and relay, and/or a circuit breaker for the element - both are in the fusebox.  Does the Orange Indicator light come on - if it does, can you hear a clicking sound on the passenger side of the car, inside the boot - that\'s where the relay is.

thanks all, im good with electrics so its not my main concern, all the air postion buttons work and light up, if you hold the curculate and AC buttons the lights stay on take you finger off and the light goes off so there just not staying on, no light on the rear heater, as i say wanted to check the fuses but couldn\'t find the box! did have a good look near the drivers side as thats where they are in the gen 1

took the top 90 degree pipe of (front turbo to intercooler) and it was covered in oil as if you had used it to pour oil down, the clue was oil seping through the ends of this pipe before i even started it, took the air filter out and there was some oil in the bottom, guesed it was just residue from the turbo blowing it around
i did take it up the road got some boost but i wasnt that inpressed with the power, i have driven turbo cars before and it didn\'t seem to \'kick in\' it was still quick but didn\'t feel any quicker than my gen 1 which i expected it too, the gauge said i had boost, i could also tell this by the mass of white smoke!
the engine wasn\'t noisy thugh turbo did sound ok, didn\'t hear any relase of pressure \'dump value\' can you hear that on a standard car?

thanks all
Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Brett on August 07, 2007, 09:47:00 AM
If it\'s smoking that much under boost then I\'d say the turbo is probably on the way out - You get a little blueish smoke when on full throttle/backing off, but thats just unburnt fuel normally.
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 07, 2007, 10:17:59 AM
Quote from: BrettIf it\'s smoking that much under boost then I\'d say the turbo is probably on the way out - You get a little blueish smoke when on full throttle/backing off, but thats just unburnt fuel normally.
it was smoking a lot under boost, smelt very oiley, as i said didnt feel like it was pulling as strong as i expected,
what are the options
A/ rebuild turbo costs
B/ take a second hand turbo cost? its a 89 s5?

thanks
Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Prof on August 07, 2007, 10:27:56 AM
white smoke - water or unburnt fuel (you can smell the difference)
 
black smoke - running pig rich or it\'s a diesel :)
 
blue smoke - that\'s oil burning.  A little oil when you back off after boosting is acceptable - but if there is that much that you can easily see it, then as Brett says - the turbo could be shot.  It may also be the engine though.
 
But given the amount of oil that\'s present in the intake pipes - it\'s either coming from the crank pressure relief pipe - that comes off the filler neck and feeds back into the S shaped intake pipe that feeds into the front of the turbo - check that pipe for oil.  If it\'s not from there, then you may have too much oil pressure in the oil feed to the turbo - or the seals are shot and oil is leaking in from the centre part of the turbo into the compressor :(
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 07, 2007, 10:44:50 AM
Quote from: Profwhite smoke - water or unburnt fuel (you can smell the difference)
 
black smoke - running pig rich or it\'s a diesel :)
 
blue smoke - that\'s oil burning.  A little oil when you back off after boosting is acceptable - but if there is that much that you can easily see it, then as Brett says - the turbo could be shot.  It may also be the engine though.
 
But given the amount of oil that\'s present in the intake pipes - it\'s either coming from the crank pressure relief pipe - that comes off the filler neck and feeds back into the S shaped intake pipe that feeds into the front of the turbo - check that pipe for oil.  If it\'s not from there, then you may have too much oil pressure in the oil feed to the turbo - or the seals are shot and oil is leaking in from the centre part of the turbo into the compressor :(
dont think the engine is shot, the smoke was a blue / white colour i recon its the oil seals in the turbo as first suspected, does that mean money pit?
whats the price on a recon or do i go with a better turbo and replace it?
Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Brett on August 07, 2007, 11:10:06 AM
Depends how much you want to spend - if you get it reconditioned then I recommend getting the wastegate ported too - speak to his Profship about it :yes

 A recon/ported standard unit should allow you to up the boost (with other mods) safely.
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: g.miller on August 07, 2007, 10:46:53 PM
Hi Mark
the air con button will not work if there is no gas in the system. you can get it recharged but you need to find someone with the old type of gas.

 good luck with the car if you are unsure about it, don\'t buy it, i am sure another one will come along. the price these cars are fetching if you need a rebuild it will cost you more than the cars worth, so look out for a reciently rebuilt one from known source.
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 08, 2007, 07:23:45 AM
thanks for the advice all, im confident i can change the turbo, my girlfriend works for cummings desiel and can get turbos at cost (woops should i of said that!) so i just need to find the specs from the turbo and find a price for a replacement!

thanks again
Mark
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Brett on August 08, 2007, 09:37:06 AM
The aircon gas can be replaced with a modern type, I forget the exact number now - give me an hour or two and I will let you know which type it is...
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 08, 2007, 09:49:55 AM
Quote from: BrettThe aircon gas can be replaced with a modern type, I forget the exact number now - give me an hour or two and I will let you know which type it is...
cool
thanks Brett i know it is about £60
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: Brett on August 08, 2007, 11:16:23 AM
RCN49, which is the R12 equivalent.

Make sure the engineer does a vacuum test to check for any leaks before he charges you to install the gas and lubricant. :yes

Failing that, I know of a good Aircon engineer in Sussex ;)
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: mpk490p on August 08, 2007, 11:27:15 AM
Thank you Brett:cheers
Title: Gen 2 turbo convertable
Post by: oldrotary on August 08, 2007, 08:58:01 PM
The modern HFC equivalent to the old CFC R12 is R134a. In auto air conditioning the old mineral oil lubricant is normally replaced with a PAG synthetic.
I bought a Turbo 2 convertable earlier this year. The body was sound, but there were some problems that needed sorting to get it running well and through the MOT. It also needed a new soft top which I bought from the USA. They are great to drive, even at modest speeds down country lanes, especially with the top down in sunny weather.
Best of luck ,John