Hi all,
My name\'s Marc, and I\'m new to the world of the rotary engine, so bear with me :)
Just bought a series 3, with quite a few problems, not least of which is the rust...which I intend to deal with, with a lot of help from a good friend of mine, who is going to teach me to weld!! :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050320101812.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050320101819.jpg)
That\'s one of my Mazda 323Fs in the background :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050320101814.jpg)
Dont think you should be able to get your hand in there... :2Confused
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050320101807.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050320101804.jpg)
It\'s been delocked, and the remote locking does not work, so I\'ll need to sort that, and the windows no longer work, well, the drivers one goes down an inch or so, but needs a hand back up again...
I\'ve just spied the flash to pass mod, I shall be doing that at some point in the future...need to get her welded up first though ;)
Hi Marc and welcome to the forum.
Nice looking car you\'ve bought. We saw it on Pistonheads in January and wondered if the new owner would join the forum.
Any questions you\'ve got, ask away. We\'ve got loads of years of RX7 ownership experience on here and whatever the problem, someone will probably have already had it and solved it themselves.
There are repair panels available to repair the ends of the sills if you want to go down that route but your\'s will probably plate up.
Check out my website, I\'ve had the same rust on my project car.
Is that a Spitfire in the garage?
Cheers,
Ian
Hey welcome to the club nice looking car getting pretty rare now with not many people willing to spend time and money on them, good luck with it!
Hi Marc, welcome to the forum-like Ian said just ask away and keep us updated with pictures.
Tim
Quote from: Marcrs;677426the windows no longer work, well, the drivers one goes down an inch or so, but needs a hand back up again...
Windows on 1st gens all grind to a halt eventually.
Mazda, for some reason, didn\'t fit a relay to operate the electric window so the full power to the window motors goes through the window switches.
This causes the contacts in the switch to burn and load up with carbon which, in turn, increases the resistance and diminishes the power to the motors.
They are easy to clean.
Carefully remove the switch from the console, unplug it fron the loom and get the switch on a clean tabletop ( or a tray)
Using a sharp terminal screwdriver, prise the rocker from the switch body. You will see the blackened contacts. Clean them up with some wet and dry and then carefully reassemble the switch, pushing the rocker back into place.
Refit it to the console and then turn your attention to the door itself.
Get some silicon spray and spray plenty of it into the window channel.
If the window is still slow, remove the door card and make sure the window lift mechanism is well lubricated.
There is also a bolt towards the back of the door which will allow you to adjust and align the window glass if it has dropped and is binding.
Usually does the trick....
ah Ian beat me too it but all good advice! welcome to the world of 7\'s your\'ll never look back ;)
Another newbie,welcome.
If i can do anything to hinder,just ask!
ta stu..
if its anything like mine that but of rust wont be the last my car looked fairly clean when i got it and if you look at my thread youll see :eek:
good luck :chat
Quote from: Ian65;677429Is that a Spitfire in the garage?
Cheers,
Ian
either that or maybe a GT6? :god
Hi Marc and very welcome.
I\'m the grandad, have to keep these young pups on here on the right road.
Your car\'s come quite a distance I think, but it\'s back near where it started life. (Central London Reg I believe).
Any Q\'s just fire away.....The 1st Gen section just keeps getting bigger. Great.
Thank you for the warm welcomes, and some good tips too - I\'ll try the windows at the weekend.
That is a spitfire in the garage...of sorts ;)
It\'s actually recently been rebadged (tastefully) as a sprintfire - it is a MkIV spitfire, with a Dolomite Sprint engine :)
It is my friend\'s driveway, garage, and spitfire, he has generously given up some space, lots of time, and his good skills, in order to help me get the rex on the road - he\'s good like that :)
His late father built the spitfire, and it was his intention to get it back up and running this spring, but my RX7 has delayed proceedings a bit...like I say, he\'s a very very good friend, and his love of RX7s has I\'m sure helped me to persuade him to work on this one ;)
It\'s a weekend only project, until it\'s MOTd and on my driveway, then I can play away all evening :)
One thing I will ask - the steering...it seems very vague, and very stiff at low speed - I might consider changing the fluid in the box...but long term would consider swapping the box for a rack. Has anyone done this? I\'d probably look at an early MX5 rack, but I\'m open to any advice on this one!
I\'ll be posting up pics of my...sorry, our work, and will no doubt be asking many questions along the way...
:)
1st gen steering is notoriously vague due to the steering box setup which is inherently less precise than a rack and pinions setup.
It wears over time and goes out of adjustment.
The 1st thing to check is the idler arm bushes which don\'t last 5 minutes and will cause vagueness in the steering.
The steering box itself can be adjusted but a better option is to get a steering box and column from a series 2.
They are more precise and easier to adjust.
The last thing is to look at the various ball joints and links whilst someone turns the steering wheel lock to lock and look for any slack.
They are heavy at low speed due to wide tyres and no PAS
The rack and pinion option has been done with different amounts of success by various people worldwide but is a major job, and not straight forward.
I\'d go for a refurb of the idler arm bushes and a series 2 steering box first, that should tighten things up a treat.
If you keep an eye out for DonPamponi on here he\'s had a 2nd gen subframe and rack etc put on his but it was a major ballache of a job. Like Ian said-I should start with the easy solution first!
It\'s an old \'un but a good \'un.
"The 1st Gen steering is a democratic process. One vote for the driver and another vote from the car".
I think we\'ve most of us had to do the idler bushes though....dead easy fix.
unbelievable,the car looks immaculate in the pics,then the dreaded terminal termites [rust] rears it\'s ugly head again.
ta stu..
Nice looking 1st Gen bud... you\'ve got a 323f too right ?! ;)
Phil
you still got yours Phil?
what 323f bud? Indeed... tis my daily ;)
Quote from: Ian65;6777021st gen steering is notoriously vague due to the steering box setup which is inherently less precise than a rack and pinions setup.
It wears over time and goes out of adjustment.
The 1st thing to check is the idler arm bushes which don\'t last 5 minutes and will cause vagueness in the steering.
The steering box itself can be adjusted but a better option is to get a steering box and column from a series 2.
They are more precise and easier to adjust.
The last thing is to look at the various ball joints and links whilst someone turns the steering wheel lock to lock and look for any slack.
...
I\'d go for a refurb of the idler arm bushes and a series 2 steering box first, that should tighten things up a treat.
So, is a series 2 box better than a series 3 one? Sounds like some good old backwards engineering :3Confused
Might be a daft question, but can you point me in the right direction re the idler arm bushes - best place to buy etc please :)
To answer other questions, yes, it does look really good in the pics, camera hides most of the surface rust pretty well :2Rolleyes
and yes, I do have a 323f or two ;)
my garage currently stands at this...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/GSig.jpg)
Hi All,
I just thought I\'d say hi, I\'m the friend that marc is talking about, we are both really looking forward to getting started on the car tomorrow, by the time we are finished marc will be an expert welder :)
Got my Idler bushes from Rotechniks, Grazeley, Reading. Mazda bushes, not expensive.
Telephone 0118 988 8555
Here\'s one link, also search under \'idler\'
//www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62835&highlight=idler
Thanks David, I\'ll give them a call in the week :)
Went over to see Garath today, and took him some shiny metal to fit :lol:
Decided to tackle the drivers side rear first, as this looks like the worst part :(
Started off by getting her up the air, seats and carpets out etc
(that\'s another of my 323s in the background ;) )
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101856.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101831.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101832.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101833.jpg)
Time to assess the rust monkeys...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101835.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101836.jpg)
Then Garath started to grind it back...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101837.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101842.jpg)
First panel was pretty complicated to fabricate...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101846.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101850.jpg)
But it fitted perfectly :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101854.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101855.jpg)
Then it was back out with the cardboard for more templates
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101844.jpg)
and some nice panels - including a joggled edge to follow the original lines of the sill :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101857.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101858.jpg)
After some work to brace up the inner panels (missed that bit, I had to go buy lunch :) the outers went on, and I\'m really pleased with the result :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101860.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101863.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/130320101865.jpg)
Needs some panel seal and some paint, then on to the next bit...
Biiiiiiig thanks to Garath, without his time, effort and talent, this car would probably never make it on the road!
That\'s an intricate job your doing there,you\'ve shaped the metal well,how many grinder/welding burns did you get on yourselves?
Years ago i was grinding surface rust off on a chassis,my leg got warm,ignored it,then my jeans caught fire!
ta stu
Quote from: Garath;678558Hi All,
I just thought I\'d say hi, I\'m the friend that marc is talking about, we are both really looking forward to getting started on the car tomorrow, by the time we are finished marc will be an expert welder :)
good work guys!!
nice to see someone getting stuck into their car to return it to the road and making your own panels as well.
Respect!!
That Garath is a star. You seem pretty useless Marc, but hey, with Gazza on board so what......Joking mate, Great job both and thanks for the pics.
Had another full day at it today - again a massive thanks to Garath, dunno what I\'d do without you mate :)
Back up in the air...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101871.jpg)
Where did I leave that screwdriver? In the car mate, literally, in the car :lol:
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101867.jpg)
small hole in the floorpan
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101870.jpg)
and another in the chassis rail
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101869.jpg)
and one in the front...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101868.jpg)
which turned into several large holes :roll:
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101876.jpg)
and a big bit for the chassis
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101879.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101880.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101882.jpg)
Then it was time for panel seal, and some underseal paint :) As Garath had done all the hard work, I felt it only fair I did this bit ;)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101878.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101885.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101884.jpg)
and, somehow, in just one weekend, the drivers side is finished :shock:
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101887.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/140320101889.jpg)
We\'ll start on the passenger side next weekend, if the weather allows 8)
Top stuff guys,
you don\'t hang about do you!
Welcome to MRC Marc,
Keep the pics coming, thats going to be a real nice car by the time you have finished :3gears-rh
g8 work guys & fast too.
Keep pics coming it\'s interesting to see.
The metal shaping/fabrication is an art,i\'d have to buy pre-formed pieces!
ta stu..
when u have a chance take a peek at Ian\'s resto,link on his posts.
ta stu..
nice work it bring back the memories of doing mine although mine wasnt that bad (link below) a lot of good restos going on at the mo ;)
Thanks for the postive comments, they\'re really appreciated :)
Noticed while taking out the interior that I have no rear seat belts at all - I doubt it\'ll go through an MOT like that, so if anyone has any, give me a shout please :)
See mooragerx7 resto as well.
Good to see peeps restoring these cars,their being scrapped at an alarming rate.
ta stu..
Quote from: Marcrs;679249Thanks for the postive comments, they\'re really appreciated :)
Noticed while taking out the interior that I have no rear seat belts at all - I doubt it\'ll go through an MOT like that, so if anyone has any, give me a shout please :)
rear belts were a factory option.
Neither of my \'C\' reg cars have them but the \'B\' reg that I\'ve just broken had them in it.
you don\'t need them for an MOT
Quote from: Ian65;679261the \'B\' reg that I\'ve just broken had them in it.
Are you keeping these Ian?
Tim
2nd thoughts I\'ll PM you so as not to hijack
i took the seat belts out of my A reg one and it went though the MOT no worries (well second time anyway :Giggle)
Hi marcs. Lethagized here from 323club.com. Glad you made it over to the dark side lol
Quote from: RobbieRX-7;679451Hi marcs. Lethagized here from 323club.com. Glad you made it over to the dark side lol
Hi mate, thought I\'d find you here somewhere :Giggle
Hoping for some good weather this weekend, but it doesn\'t look too promising, might be a week of little or no work :Yawn
Want to start the passenger side floor, and also try and tackle some of the other jobs, windscreen washers not up to much (luckily the motor is the same as a 323f one) and maybe try and get the windows to work :eek:
Got my eye on some new mirrors too, I soooo need to replace those nasty ones Mazda saw fit to put on there :2Rolleyes
Thought today was going to be a write off, as it was raining first thing...however, work started about 11, on the passenger side...
Not as bad as the other side, started off as just a small hole in the rear arch/sill - with nothing else further up the car :)
Garath started to cut away the sill, to gain access and see how far the rust monkeys had been playing
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101898.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101897.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101896.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101893.jpg)
Ended up pretty much the same as the drivers side :(
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101901.jpg)
Garath used his joggling tool to punch some holes in the new shiny bits
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101902.jpg)
So he could weld them together :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/210320101903.jpg)
Then it was some panel seal, and some underseal paint, and it was job done :shock:
So, 3 full days, and it\'s solid 8)
Need to get it home, and then do the other little jobs, then it\'ll be MOT time...
Thanks a million Garath - you\'ve worked bloody hard on this one, and done an awesome job :)
Looking good ...............good luck when MOT time comes............
ur friends seam welding is very neat,not splatter finish.
good job & quick..
Quote from: Marcrs;680156Hi mate, thought I\'d find you here somewhere :Giggle
Want to start the passenger side floor, and also try and tackle some of the other jobs, windscreen washers not up to much (luckily the motor is the same as a 323f one) and maybe try and get the windows to work :eek:
Got my eye on some new mirrors too, I soooo need to replace those nasty ones Mazda saw fit to put on there :2Rolleyes
Marc, if you\'ve not already sorted the screen washers......there\'s a little plastic tee piece in the plastic pipe, down in the well of the scuttle panel with the wiper motor. Have a look in through the slots if you can see. The sun rots the tee piece and the screenwash pressure is lost.
That would be my first check.
God, I love that Gareth to bits.
(Said in a big blokey sort of way).
Quote from: David Nock;680949God, I love that Gareth to bits.
(Said in a big blokey sort of way).
hahaha, excellent, thanks fella,
I\'m really pleased with how well and quickly it has come together, when i first looked at it I thought it was going to take months, but luckily the weather has been kind and we have managed to crack on, once the minor bits of bodywork are sorted it will be a really clean car.
Quote from: David Nock;680949God, I love that Gareth to bits.
(Said in a big blokey sort of way).
:rollin
yep...me too - he\'s the bestest friend I\'ve ever had :Thumbs-up
I wouldn\'t have been able to take on this project without his help, and it certainly wouldn\'t be anywhere near the position it\'s in now, that\'s for sure!
I\'ll have a nose at the washer pipes at the weekend, thanks for the tip - need to find some better wipers too, as it is those that have scratched the windscreen...but they seem to have some old fashioned clip system, so I can\'t fit nice bosch aero ones :(
Wonder if Garath fancies welding some new type ends to the original wiper arms... :cool
very impressive work guys
good to see someones attacking a restore with the vigor i wish i had!
Made the most of my afternoon off today...
Got all the interior back in, and cleaned the carpets, then I fitted a remote central locking kit :)
Fixed the windscreen washers - a new pump, and a good clean of all the pipes and it started to work!
Lost the rear foglamp, rewired the drivers side reversing lamp - just need to paint the bulb red ;)
Hopefully I\'ll have enough time to polish out the scratches on the windscreen over the weekend, then it can go for an MOT in the week!!!!
Wish I had a Gareth, I\'m well jealous:D
Fair play lads good luck with the MOT
Had a go at improving the scratches on the windscreen today. I used a "scratch doctor" kit from ebay, and it was £12 well spent.
Hard to capture with the camera, but there were lots of deep scratches, caused mainly by the wipers :(
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101906.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101907.jpg)
Started off by masking it off a bit ;)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101905.jpg)
Then used the pad supplied on my old faithful electric drill :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101908.jpg)
The deep scratches are still there, but they\'re much improved, and hopefully it\'ll be ok for a while, until I can afford a new windscreen...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101909.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101910.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101911.jpg)
I also got the red bulb paint out, and finished the rear foglamp :D
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101919.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101920.jpg)
Do you have a link to that scratch repair stuff? Cant find it on ebay and the results look fab!
Thanks
Jon
Quote from: Marcrs;682679I also got the red bulb paint out, and finished the rear foglamp :D
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101919.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/270320101920.jpg)
I didnt bother with the red paint on mine just used a red LED bulb :Thumbs-upAthough yours look a lot brighter than mine is but it went though a MOT so cant be that bad
I used a red LED unit on one of my 323s, and it isn\'t that bright, but it shines red, and that\'s all the MOT man requires :)
I already had the red paint...and the bulb...so I went with that option this time - and yep, it\'s pretty bright...and much better than the bolt on unit under the bumper ;)
As far as the windscreen goes, the deeper marks are still there - I\'d need to polish it so much I\'d have no glass left ;) - but it is a great improvement. It took me several hours, but I had to keep stopping to let my old drill cool down :)
I bought this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Windscreen-Scratch-Repair-Kit-Glass-DIY-Remover_W0QQitemZ380115564434QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item5880a73792
but this one looks the same, and is cheaper ;)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Glass-Windscreen-Scratch-Remover-Repair-Kit-DIY-New_W0QQitemZ120496319585QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item1c0e23ec61
Quote from: David Nock;680948Marc, if you\'ve not already sorted the screen washers......there\'s a little plastic tee piece in the plastic pipe, down in the well of the scuttle panel with the wiper motor. Have a look in through the slots if you can see. The sun rots the tee piece and the screenwash pressure is lost.
That would be my first check.
After replacing the motor and getting something out of the washers, today I took off the scuttle panel cover so I could, I thought, unblock the left jet...
found the tee piece to be quite perished - you were spot on mate, thanks for the great advice - so I glued it up with araldite, and unblocked the jets with my footpump :)
Good pressure on both sides now :)
I also fixed the ball joints on the arm on the left headlight, they were both broken, and the metal part kept coming off the plastic joint...so I glued them in, and now the headlight goes down properly - result!
It\'s booked in for an MOT on Tuesday - fingers crossed :)
Good luck with that mate, have they any experience MOTing rotaries? When I took mine first time round they tried to put it on the emissions machine:Hammer
Quote from: captainbizzaro;682836Good luck with that mate, have they any experience MOTing rotaries? When I took mine first time round they tried to put it on the emissions machine:Hammer
Don\'t know - he did mention the fact that he\'ll never get it through the emissions test...
I have a previous MOT with emissions test attached though...limit set at 4.5% :xconfused
I think i\'m right in saying that any rotary made before 1986 is only supposed be visually tested ie as long as you can see whats going on while it\'s running it\'s good to go.:driving
I think that\'s basically it.
There has been a lot of discussion about this but a couple of years back MikeLMR on here did some research and posted up what you say Captain. Also my MOT man has had all the MOT manuals out of his cupboard concerning the pre \'86 rotary and got exactly the same results.....there are preset limits of HC\'s and CO but these engines are exempt from a detailed exhaust analysis test, however they have to be basically clear of visible smoke
If they are smoking I guess he can fall back on the emissions limits that are set?
I think the reason for the exemption was that the HC and CO emissions with the original thermal reactor system were infinitesimal (and out of interest my tester and I have proved that to be true). There has never been a subsequent amendment to the MOT regs for 1st gens fitted with an after-market exhaust.
A regulation conundrum then. A legal mod affects something which in turn is never modded \'cos the cars were limited numbers coming for test in Britain.
It passed the MOT :)
woooohoooooo!!!!
So, now it\'s roadworthy, and I can drive it (once I\'ve taxed it on Thursday ;) ) I can start on all the other jobs that need doing...oil leaks, rust, bushes, windows, gauges, paintwork...ho hum, it\'ll be a while before it\'s back to it\'s former glory, but at least I can enjoy it :)
Thanks again Garath, without your hard work it would still look like swiss cheese :)
Great news, and well done to the both of you, enjoy.................
Well done.
Did they just do a visual smoke test at mot?
You\'ll find the rest of the work more enjoyable on the car now it\'s road legal.
good news, always nice when they go through first time
Cheers guys, yeah, I am well pleased it passed, and like you say, I can enjoy driving it, and do the little jobs bit by bit...in time for any summer we might get ;)
He did a visual test, then put it on the machine just to get a reading, more out of interest...9%... :(
Think I need to get the carb set up???
Took it for a drive last night, to a local club meet - it was well received, so much so that one of the guys there actually kissed it :)
On the way home, I took the last roundabout, not tooooo fast...and the fuel pump suddenly became very noisy???
Not quite sure what to make of it, but if you have any thoughts or suggestions, I\'m all ears ;)
The fuel pumps on 1st gens can be a bit temperamental as they age, especially if the cars been stood for a while.
It might just be the pump coming to the end of its life and need a straight replacement.
It might, however, be dragging s*** out of the bottom of the tank into the fuel lines.
It hits the fuel filter first ( next to the pump) and if this becomes blocked, the pump will strain to pull the fuel. This will obviously coincide with a misfire under power as the engine is starved of fuel.
What I\'m basically saying is check and clear out the fuel lines before 1st, before swapping the pump.
The tanks rust like mad and all that rust goes down the line. The filter won\'t catch it all .
It\'s a doddle to change the pump but they are quite pricey.
You could always pull the rubber hoses from each side of the pump ( basically disconnecting it) and switch it on ( watch out for flying fuel) and if it still makes a noise, I\'d say it\'s s******.
Filters need changing quite regularly, im chnaging my facet red top pump to a bigger mallory this weekend if you want to go for a pump upgrade? you will need a regulator too though
I\'d look at fuel filter 1st, as said above.
The noise might just be cavitation in the pump as it is after the filter therefore (as Ian) sucking like mad and getting insufficient fuel.
An easy test for the fuel filter is to go thumping down the motorway hard in 5th gear....if the car starts to misfire like it\'s out of fuel, it\'s probably a blocked fuel filter.
The filter change is easy but nasty. You should have a couple of pairs of mole grips or clamps to squidge the pipes shut. I never bother and usually get a facefull of fuel and a soggy arm to go with it!
Quote from: syebba;683395You\'ll find the rest of the work more enjoyable on the car now it\'s road legal.
But not the fuel filter.
fuel filter,ive gotta do on mine,but not looking forward to it now!
I dont like crimping lines in case it causes damage,but then i dont wanna get swamped in unleaded,hmmmmmmm,it can wait!
ta stu
I have a brake pipe clamp, that should take care of one pipe :)
I did have one thought - the fuel gauge doesn\'t work at all, and although unlikely, it might have been low on fuel (which would make sense with what David said about insufficient fuel...) so I put a gallon in, turned on the ignition...and no pump noise. Drove it out to park it on the road while I got another car on the drive, and it got noisy again...
Think I need to investigate the filter and pump then, thanks once again for the advice guys :)
A pump upgrade could be an idea, especially if I find I need a new one anyway, what sort of regulator would I need to go with it?
If anyone has any tips on the fuel gauge, I\'m all ears...I think the temp gauge is a bit vague too, doesn\'t rise much, so I\'ve set the kenlowe fan to come on low too ;)
I\'m away this weekend, and probably won\'t get to look at the rex again for a few weeks, stripping off our 323f donor car to get the GT ready for Japfest (new trailing arms, rear brakes, some welding for Garath...) - can\'t do it all at once I suppose :(
happy easter all :)
I wouldn\'t bother upgrading the pump Marc unless you have a special reason for wanting to do so.
The stock pumps are more than up to the job, it\'s usually old age, rust in the system or years of not being used that causes problems with them.
A new stock pump should last you years if the rest of the system is ok and clean.
If you do upgrade you might end up with overfueling problems and as you say, you will need a regulator to limit the pressure and will then have to set it up.
Seems a lot of work for no real benefit.
Regarding the fuel gauge, check the following:
Is the sender actually connected.... are the connections clean and making good contact....short out the sender and check the gauge is working.
Marc, I had to replace my pump ofter the car had been off the road for 11 yrs, Mazda still sell them, and I think I paid about £110 for it.
Good luck
Dibs
Another idea, after changing the fuel filter, would be to use premix.
That\'s a suitable mineral oil you put in with the fuel to either replace or back-up the engines own Oil Metering Pump.
I use Millers KB 2T, as do a few people and I add about 80ml of oil to 20litres or so of unleaded. That\'s about 250:1, which works with the metering pump also in action.
(people use a stronger mix if the OMP is disconected).
I use it because the engine\'s a bit old now and if the OMP packed up that would be curtains.
I\'m thinking all this because the lube effect of the oil might help the pump and save buying another.
The millers is a bit hard to find but search on here for KB 2T and you\'ll find a supplier or two.
A lot of fuel guages seem to pack up. Mine started acting up after I changed the fuel tank. Never have got to the bottom of it.
Quote from: Ian65;684466Regarding the fuel gauge, check the following:
Is the sender actually connected.... are the connections clean and making good contact....short out the sender and check the gauge is working.
I am going to sound sooooo dumb here, sorry (maybe it\'s too much chocolate...)
How do you mean short the sender? two wires that go to it, short them together, gauge should show maximum? something like that? Can I access the sender unit from inside the car, or is it a tank out job?
When you\'ve stopped laughing at this post, feel free to point out my stupidness :Hammer
Is it a hard job to get the fuel tank out? I was considering getting it out and having a good look at it, there is quite a prominent smell of petrol, and I\'ve seen that they can rust at the top etc - last thing I want to do is fill it up...and pour most of it down the road...:2Confused
My 323f GT had a hole in the filler pipe, and that smelt about the same...
I like the idea of a premix...takes me back to my 2 stroke motorbike days :o ...and sounds like a good preventative measure :)
Quote from: Marcrs;684542How do you mean short the sender? two wires that go to it, short them together, gauge should show maximum? something like that? Can I access the sender unit from inside the car, or is it a tank out job?
Is it a hard job to get the fuel tank out? I was considering getting it out and having a good look at it, there is quite a prominent smell of petrol, and I\'ve seen that they can rust at the top etc - last thing I want to do is fill it up...and pour most of it down the road...
Yeah, the connector plug for the sender can be reached from under the car without dropping the tank. Behind the n/s/r wheel is a black plastic tank shield. reach up between the shield and the tank from under the car and you will feel the wire and then the connector where it plugs onto the sender unit.
Unplug it and then link the 2 wires together in the plug. The gauge should read full with the ignition on.
To remove the sender from the tank, it\'s a tank out job. If you can smell petrol though, I\'d drop the tank asap and have a good look at it.
It\'s a pretty simple job to get the tank out...4 x 14mm bolts... there\'s a good thread on it here...
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=857894&highlight=gas+gauge
Most 1st gen tanks are now 24 yrs + old and they rust across their tops, out of sight.
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/tank.jpg)
The fuel will leak out of here if you fill the tank and the fumes will escape at all other times. The rust then gets into the fuel lines and causes havoc.
When you drop the tank, there are 3 rubber pipes that connect to the top of it. Lower the tank but before you disconnect them, label them up so you know which one goes where.
If you can smell fuel, theres a good chance that the tank is rusted through and the float arm on the sender could be rusted into position as well.
I would say run on half a tank for the mo\' (be careful not to run out with no guage! or get the guage working again).
Then decide how you\'re going to tackle the tank.
When you get it off I think I can predict what you\'ll find---small pin holes just where Ian\'s wire brushed right through. They all do the same, sadly.
There are no new spares anywhere that we know of. The S3 car that kiwi-mick just brought back from Wales has had it\'s tank restored by \'Re-Nu\' in Hartlepool. What sort of job they made of it I don\'t know. You may want to research them or you may want to join the hunt for a good tank on a scrapper. I ran for more than 6 months on half tanks because of this problem.
Dave.
i was running mine around with no fuel gauge as the sender doesnt work i just fill it then do 150miles then refill again havent run out yet :Giggle
150 from tank, my last one only did 130.............:3gears-lh
Quote from: A7RXY;684704150 from tank, my last one only did 130.............:3gears-lh
thats with a soft right foot
i did take 2 tanks to go to from manea, cambs to enfield and back once:3gears-rh
Quote from: David Nock;684692I would say run on half a tank for the mo\' (
sounds a bit perilous to me. I\'d drop the tank and have a good look at it.
Had a really good productive day today :)
Thanks again for all the advice, saved me a lot of time and hassle, knowing where to start!
Found the sender unit, shorted the connector and got the guage working, so that was a good sign. Cleaned up the contacts, and hey presto, a working fuel guage :)
I struggled a lot with rusty bolts, but eventually got the shields off, and then dropped the tank. I disconnected the fuel pipes off under the car first - seemed easier than getting to them on the top of the tank...although one of the metal pipes snapped off inside the hose, so I replaced the hose with a longer one - seems ok :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050420101946.jpg)
Found several small holes, easy to spot when the petrol leaks from them ;)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050420101942.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050420101943.jpg)
Gave it a good brushing, and applied a thick layer of chemical metal, then some waxoyl underseal paint :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/050420101947.jpg)
Refitted it all, ran it, checked for leaks, and all is well - no more smell of petrol, and a working guage - top day!!! Decided to have a treat, so we drove to the seafront for fish and chips :)
Nice one! Glad you could save the tank. Hope the chemical metal doesn\'t get affected by petrol, unleaded is evil stuff!
I use aradite on my tank repairs... done loads over the years, never had a problem with it.
Glad you got the gauge working as well. A good days work!
Looking good. May check my tank out on Saturday. Good advice Guy\'s
Also noticed last night that the fuel pump was quiet again...I think it might have sucked up some of the tank on the way home Tuesday ;)
I\'ll be looking at changing the fuel filter as soon as I can find one - I have next week off, so I\'ll try and do it then, along with the steering idler bushes, and a full service :)
here\'s one...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FUEL-FILTER-MAZDA-RX7-2-3-MK3-2292-P-3-84-85_W0QQitemZ370295099593QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item56374ed0c9
and another...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fuel-Filter-Mazda-121-323-626-969-RX7-B2000-E2000_W0QQitemZ390086190810QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item5ad2f2e6da
.
Thanks mate, just got to love ebay :)
Ordered one of the cheap ones...shame fitting it won\'t be as pleasurable as buying it :)
My new resolve....Sort that tank sender out, thanks for the inspiration to get it done Marc and Ian.
Quote from: David Nock;684990My new resolve....Sort that tank sender out, thanks for the inspiration to get it done Marc and Ian.
I want one of these for my car...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/sender.jpg)
It\'s a sender off a GSL-SE. Straight fit into our U.K tanks but it has the low fuel level sensor as well as the float. I want to put a low fuel level light on my car. Just need to run an extra wire to the sensor. Our fuel sender connector plugs only have 2 wires, this needs 3.
.
Evening all :wave
I\'m Karissa - the other half of this RX7 partnership... or is it threesome? :Laugh
I\'m the one usually taking the photos, and watching and pointing out the rusty bits, though I\'m not afraid to get my hands dirty - I did have half a petrol tank on me on Monday....
Anyway, nice to be here, and hope to get to a few meets, among all the other meets we have planned :chat
Quote from: Marcrs;681044:rollin
yep...me too - he\'s the bestest friend I\'ve ever had :Thumbs-up
Hmmmmmmm....................
Quote from: captainbizzaro;682540Wish I had a Gareth, I\'m well jealous.
Hmmmmmmmm..................
Quote from: David Nock;680949God, I love that Gareth to bits.
(Said in a big blokey sort of way).
Hmmmmmmmmm................
Quote from: karissabob;685484Evening all :wave
I\'m Karissa - the other half of this RX7 partnership... or is it threesome?
Hi Karissa, Deffo threesome, look at the comments Gaz has attracted..
Plus he\'s got a nice haircut and lovely goggles!!!!! :mmmm joking, joking.
I\'ve handed over all responsibility now, haha
Quote from: Garath;685703I\'ve handed over all responsibility now, haha
or so he thinks... :Giggle
...until it\'s time to sort the steering out :2eek
Quote from: David Nock;684511Another idea, after changing the fuel filter, would be to use premix.
That\'s a suitable mineral oil you put in with the fuel to either replace or back-up the engines own Oil Metering Pump.
I use Millers KB 2T, as do a few people and I add about 80ml of oil to 20litres or so of unleaded. That\'s about 250:1, which works with the metering pump also in action.
(people use a stronger mix if the OMP is disconected).
I use it because the engine\'s a bit old now and if the OMP packed up that would be curtains.
I\'m thinking all this because the lube effect of the oil might help the pump and save buying another.
The millers is a bit hard to find but search on here for KB 2T and you\'ll find a supplier or two.
A lot of fuel guages seem to pack up. Mine started acting up after I changed the fuel tank. Never have got to the bottom of it.
I can\'t seem to find a supplier of the millers...but one has recommended Shell M...
anybody know if this is similar? or indeed any good?
:xconfused
Or...how about this...???
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Maxima-Castor-927-Racing-2-stroke-PreMix-oil-1L_W0QQitemZ120548971363QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Parts?hash=item1c11475363
Quote from: Marcrs;685717or so he thinks... :Giggle
...until it\'s time to sort the steering out :2eek
You know what I think we should do there ;)
(this is the voice in your head speaking, "make an MX5 rack fit, make an MX5 rack fit, go on, yes go on")
Quote from: Marcrs;685791I can\'t seem to find a supplier of the millers...
:xconfused
Got mine at a discounted price which more than covered the carriage. (Got 5litres, will last till about 2015 at my low mileage per year).
Woodcote Automotive.....New address Bexton Lane, Knutsford, WA16 9AE. Tel Robin Longdon on 01565 653658. robin at woodcoteauto dot co dot uk.
Quote from: Garath;685870You know what I think we should do there ;)
(this is the voice in your head speaking, "make an MX5 rack fit, make an MX5 rack fit, go on, yes go on")
I should research the Forum on here first Gareth. I don\'t know the first thing about swopping 1st Gen Boxes for Racks, except it\'s a pig of a job. The Micra rack was suggested by some experts as being the best best.
Changed the oil and filter today...such an easy job, don\'t even have to climb under the car :)
Plugs tomorrow - need to pick up my small torque wrench in the morning...
Also cleaned up the K&N air filter, quite a lot of nasty stuff came out of that...yuk
then I fitted some new valve caps - I bought them for Karissa for her birthday :Ladys-man
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/090420101950.jpg)
While I was in the mood, I washed, clayed, compounded, and waxed it - using Meguiars techwax 2...and then polished all the glass inside and out.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/090420101957.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/090420101958.jpg)
Looks lovely, all ready for Bands Hatch tomorrow :driving
Now just make sure you stay off the grass..................
looking great!!
you\'ve got the weather for it as well this weekend, get that roof out!
I see the tyrewall black fairy has visited as well Marc.....Very Nice.
Rust bucket to gleaming machine. Well done mate(s).
Quote from: David Nock;686183Rust bucket to gleaming machine. Well done mate(s).
Here, here!!
All credit to Marc and Garath for getting stuck in and putting this car through its mot and back on the road.
How many times do we see people buy classic cars full of enthusiasm and then realise that they don\'t have the skill, money, time etc to sort the job and the cars end up unfinished in a worse state than when they started.?
No such problems here, well done lads, it looks lovely.
Enjoy it!
.
Thanks guys, your comments are really appreciated...don\'t think it\'s quite a gleaming machine just yet, but it\'s getting there ;)
Had a great day at Brands Hatch - Garath got me in with the MX5 owners club, so I had somewhere nice to park, so the rex got a nice view of the track :)
I did park with some other classics for a while...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101961.jpg)
then moved, to be alongside fellow mazdas...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101998.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101962.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101963.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101995.jpg)
The day was spent in the sunshine, watching a mix of MX5s, Porsches, and some MGs and assorted classics...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101968.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420102001.jpg)
sticky tyres on this MG...complete with huge cold air feed to the 1275 A series engine :eek:
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101983.jpg)
was a really great day, and we thoroughly enjoyed the drive - she drives so nicely, the balance and handling is just soooo lovely :yes
I have something terrible to admit to as well...
We don\'t have a rear wiper arm, I need the nut, and connecting rod that holds the wiper blade on...anyways...the switch was half switched on, probably caught it when I was cleaning it or something, and sometimes, over a bump, it was coming on, and you could hear a whirring motor type noise for a while...then it would stop...sounded a bit like a fuel pump or something :2Rolleyes
Karissa was adamant that it sounded more in the car when it came on today...and sure enough, I found I could turn our "noisy fuel pump" on or off :rolleyes:
So, the fuel pump is fine, and I\'ve switched the rear wiper properly off :2Rolleyes
What a complete numpty...:Talking1
Quote from: Marcrs;686248So, the fuel pump is fine, and I\'ve switched the rear wiper properly off
At least it spured you on to fix the tank before you went up in flames!!
Quote from: David Nock;684990My new resolve....Sort that tank sender out, thanks for the inspiration to get it done Marc and Ian.
No Go I\'m afraid.....Sender is Open Circuit and I ain\'t dropping the tank to get it out......I just run with full to half tanks all the time.
Liking that car at Brands Marc....Bet you got some good chat off the MX5 blokes.....jealous as hell, I\'ll bet.
Glad the fuel pump\'s miraculously fixed itself.......that\'s the story you should have told mate, not the absolute truth. Youngsters don\'t know how to lie these days, what\'s the world coming to?
Looking good Marc:Thumbsup!
was a great day out, and a great drive :) the mx5 racing was fantastic, I might have to try to get into that
oh, and I can see my car from here :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/100420101998.jpg)
its the red one with the bonnet open, showing of the turbo(y) goodness ;)
Quote from: David Nock;686397No Go I\'m afraid.....Sender is Open Circuit and I ain\'t dropping the tank to get it out......I just run with full to half tanks all the time.
Dropping the tank isn\'t that bad a job - but I\'ll honestly say I\'d have trouble getting my sender unit out, as the screws that hold it in now resemble rusty rivets... :2Rolleyes
Quote from: David Nock;686397Glad the fuel pump\'s miraculously fixed itself.......that\'s the story you should have told mate, not the absolute truth. Youngsters don\'t know how to lie these days, what\'s the world coming to?
I like it here, I get called a youngster... young at heart, and my mental age is probably still just about in the teens :Giggle
best not let on I\'ll be celebrating my 40th next year though :eek
I could have, it\'s true, just "never encountered another problem with the pump"...but I would have had to keep my dirty little secret, and it would have been eating away at me inside...and then one day someone would have a similar problem, and I\'d say "make sure your rear wiper switch is properly off"...and wait for the onslaught :Giggle
Quote from: Marcrs;686622Dropping the tank isn\'t that bad a job - but I\'ll honestly say I\'d have trouble getting my sender unit out, as the screws that hold it in now resemble rusty rivets... :2Rolleyes
I like it here, I get called a youngster... young at heart, and my mental age is probably still just about in the teens :Giggle
best not let on I\'ll be celebrating my 40th next year though :eek
I could have, it\'s true, just "never encountered another problem with the pump"...but I would have had to keep my dirty little secret, and it would have been eating away at me inside...and then one day someone would have a similar problem, and I\'d say "make sure your rear wiper switch is properly off"...and wait for the onslaught :Giggle
Sorry Marc, Getting you and young Ross mixed up....Senior Moment.
Yeh them screws quickly resemble unmovable objects.....I picked the best ones off 2 tanks last time.
Senior moment eh...hmmm, I\'ll claim one of those, as far as the fuel pump goes ;)
Flushed the rusty water out today, and filled it with some nice new coolant. It was really nasty, took a fair bit of flushing before the water ran clear...
Only took about 5 litres of coolant...and I expected to use nearly double that...is it possible I\'ve done something wrong? I took out the drain plug on the engine and had the heater set to hot...
I\'ll keep some coolant in the car for a while, and keep an eye on the level, just in case :)
I had a blonde moment, and started to remove the larger bolt - behind the coolant drain plug, and oil started to weep, so I put it back in...didn\'t seem like the same nice clean oil that\'s on the dipstick though...can anyone clarify what I undid, and why it\'s not nice clean oil in there?
I also checked the diff oil, as I thought it had been leaking, possibly at the drain plug, but it seemed ok. I\'ve cleaned it all up, and will check for leaks as we go :)
One other thing (sorry, been a long day) when I started it, to run it up to put the coolant in, the front coil was sparking from the HT lead to the neg terminal...no all the time, a bit intermittent. The plugs were possibly a bit wet, as I cleaned the engine around there before removing plugs etc. Any ideas? I refitted the HT leads to make sure they fit ok, and I think it settled down after a while, but I\'m not sure...
as always, any thoughts or ideas welcome ;)
Oh.er....No drain plug that I have ever known about on a 12A engine, both S2 and S3.
You have to drop the bottom Rad hose off....(Best to attack the water pump end if it\'s not been off for a while as otherwise you might bust the bottom tank connection which is only soldered into place).
So what have you undone? Pics required I think.
Diff drain plugs are often wet with oil without loosing any so if the level seems OK then it\'s fine. Oil changes are recommended (every 20,000??) so maybe think about that.
Sparking...well a bit of a clean all round the coil tops, leads and in and out of the distributor cap with a non-fluffy cloth and then a good WD40 spray should fix all that.
Marc,
was the coolant drain plug you undid the one on the engine at the base of the oil filler, shown circled in red in this pic? ( the engine water channels drain plug)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/plugs.jpg)
if so, do you mean the large hex headed thing just further back from the water drain plug?
( circled yellow )
I reckon this is either the oil bypass valve or the redundant take off for the remote oil cooler ( not used on series 3 cars with the beehive cooler)
Unless anyone knows differently....
Yep, the red circled one was the drain plug for the water (as per the owners handbook) and yes again, it was that large one I undid first...what you said makes sense, but I can\'t explain why the oil there was pretty yukky - I serviced it about 100 miles previous...
your picture looks as oily as my engine - I take it that\'s more common than I thought then ;)
the engine bay never looks clean for long, even after I clean it, it soon has a mist of road film / oil over it.... that enormous fan doesn\'t help, it\'s like a hurricane under the bonnet.
I do drive the car most days though........it\'s a well used car.
I\'m more interested in driving it than polishing it!
Quote from: Ian65;688307I\'m more interested in driving it than polishing it!
Even so, it looked very nice at Milford Common the other day!
Big Brother...
Quote from: myatt1972;688399Even so, it looked very nice at Milford Common the other day!
Big Brother...
Cheers,
I usually go through there about warp 10 so I\'m surprised you noticed!!
Quote from: Marcrs;688301Yep, the red circled one was the drain plug for the water (as per the owners handbook) and yes again, it was that large one I undid first...what you said makes sense, but I can\'t explain why the oil there was pretty yukky - I serviced it about 100 miles previous...
your picture looks as oily as my engine - I take it that\'s more common than I thought then ;)
So there is an engine drain plug and yes it\'s mentioned in the Haynes manual.
Fancy that, I\'ve done about 5 coolant changes on this car and a similar number on previous 12A\'s and never put \'plug at bottom of centre casting\' = \'coolant drain plug\' together.
Thanks guys...I\'ll certainly use that next time.
Just leave the bigger one behind it alone...or you\'ll get oily hands ;)
As it\'s sunny, and I finish at 12.30 on Fridays :) I took the rex to work today...
Sooo many people asked who\'s it was, and said how lovely it was. One bloke walked past and looked out the window, and said, "blimey, a Mark 1 RX7, haven\'t seen one of those for years - have you seen it?" "Seen it...I drove it here" I said, with a big grin on my face :)
Then one of the older chaps came in, and asked who that sexy series 3 belonged to...and told me he launched the RX7 (amongst others) when he worked for Mazda, and had one as his company car!!!
We chatted for a while, about RX7s, 323s...and then he said he\'d look out for any mazda stuff he has at home, and will bring in anything good - cos he\'d like it to go to a good home :)
Then on the way out, I had a bit of a gathering around her, got asked to "fire her up" and had to open the bonnet...
People usually just say something like "have a nice weekend" and walk off, today we chatted in the carpark for 10 minutes :)
Made me smile all the way home, I even got a thumbs up from a guy on a motorbike as he passed me in the traffic.
Bet you don\'t get that in a Ford Mondeo :D
Quote from: Marcrs;689234As it\'s sunny, and I finish at 12.30 on Fridays :) I took the rex to work today...
Sooo many people asked who\'s it was, and said how lovely it was. One bloke walked past and looked out the window, and said, "blimey, a Mark 1 RX7, haven\'t seen one of those for years - have you seen it?" "Seen it...I drove it here" I said, with a big grin on my face :)
Then one of the older chaps came in, and asked who that sexy series 3 belonged to...and told me he launched the RX7 (amongst others) when he worked for Mazda, and had one as his company car!!!
We chatted for a while, about RX7s, 323s...and then he said he\'d look out for any mazda stuff he has at home, and will bring in anything good - cos he\'d like it to go to a good home :)
Then on the way out, I had a bit of a gathering around her, got asked to "fire her up" and had to open the bonnet...
People usually just say something like "have a nice weekend" and walk off, today we chatted in the carpark for 10 minutes :)
Made me smile all the way home, I even got a thumbs up from a guy on a motorbike as he passed me in the traffic.
Bet you don\'t get that in a Ford Mondeo :D
Nice isn\'t it?
Thing is, there are 24 year olds out there who weren\'t born when the 1st gen went out of production and most people under 20 have probably never seen one.
How often do you see one on the road these days? Never!
That\'s why they stand out from the run of the mill shapeless euroboxes.
Proper individualistic cars for people who don\'t follow the crowd like a load of sheep!
Baaaaaaa Baaaaa I love my Rex............shame I\'m not 24 though...............
24...now that was a long time ago... :)
What shocked me was when Paul (the older chap) asked who owned the \'series 3\'...whereas most people ask what it is :D
He worked for Mazda for 12 years, and said it was his favourite - and it still looks as sexy today as the day they launched it. How right he is ;)
Get any 1st Gen Reg Nos you can out of these old biffers Marc, scrapped or not doesn\'t matter.
Being well old they\'ll just have total recall of every number of every car they\'ve ever had.
You\'ve got to trust me here \'cos you can\'t prove I\'m wrong but I can give you virtually every No. of every car I\'ve had right back into the 1960\'s......including company duffboxes (The 1972 Avenger eh? what a bad tempered brute that was)........ERY 869L.....
Tell \'em, they\'ve got to dust their memory cells off.
Quote from: Marcrs;689234As it\'s sunny, and I finish at 12.30 on Fridays :) I took the rex to work today...
Sooo many people asked who\'s it was, and said how lovely it was. One bloke walked past and looked out the window, and said, "blimey, a Mark 1 RX7, haven\'t seen one of those for years - have you seen it?" "Seen it...I drove it here" I said, with a big grin on my face :)
Then one of the older chaps came in, and asked who that sexy series 3 belonged to...and told me he launched the RX7 (amongst others) when he worked for Mazda, and had one as his company car!!!
We chatted for a while, about RX7s, 323s...and then he said he\'d look out for any mazda stuff he has at home, and will bring in anything good - cos he\'d like it to go to a good home :)
Then on the way out, I had a bit of a gathering around her, got asked to "fire her up" and had to open the bonnet...
People usually just say something like "have a nice weekend" and walk off, today we chatted in the carpark for 10 minutes :)
Made me smile all the way home, I even got a thumbs up from a guy on a motorbike as he passed me in the traffic.
Bet you don\'t get that in a Ford Mondeo :D
We\'ve had a gang of \'yufs\' in an Astra bowing through the windows when stood at traffic lights..:god....
The other day a local drugs baron (I think \'cos \'e were right shifty) spent 10 mins talking to us because "my dad had one of those".. then he spookily signaled to some other shifties that we were not to be harmed in any way....
Then once parked up in Hull (fearsome place), I asked 2 passing bobbies to keep an eye on Gus while we went shopping.....they only changed their route to pass him every half hour....God Bless \'Em I say....
1st gens seem to get respect and admiration everywhere you go.
David thats ok but I bet you can not remember what you did yesterday ...............
Quote from: A7RXY;689285David thats ok but I bet you can not remember what you did yesterday ...............
neither can I!!
Quote from: David Nock;689272You\'ve got to trust me here \'cos you can\'t prove I\'m wrong but I can give you virtually every No. of every car I\'ve had right back into the 1960\'s......including company duffboxes (The 1972 Avenger eh? what a bad tempered brute that was)........ERY 869L.....
Dave, have you run any of the numbers through the dvla vehicle enquiry...
I\'ve owned nearly 50 cars since 1983 and it\'s incredible how many of these, some of which, in the early days, were right nails, soldiered on for years and years after I got rid of them.
My first 216 RHK 1959 A40, I owned in 1969 had holes in the floor fail its MOT, but I still sold it for £15, having owned it for 6 mts and paying £25 for it. Those were the days for cheap motoring, you could buy a mk2 Jag for £150...........
Although the 12A makes a lovely noise on its own, we decided we\'d like some music, especially for longer journeys...
It had been stripped of all things musical, there were a few wires here and there, but nowt else.
Opted for an Alpine head unit and 16.5cm rear speakers, and some cheapo 13cm front speakers - the fit of the rears is a bit tricky, no flat surface to mount to, so plenty of foam tape between the surfaces ;)
Bought an electric aerial from Maplins, to replace the broken existing one, and found a multiplug in the boot, which took power from the switch next to the rear wiper switch, so I\'ve used that to power the aerial, so it doesn\'t always come up just because the cd player is on :)
I\'ll post some pics if this rain ever stops...
hope this is ok to post here, but my lovely young lady has just set up a forum
//www.ukmazdaclub.co.uk
It is not meant to be a standalone forum as such, but more a central resource, so that all the mazda clubs - such as this one - can chat to each other, and hopefully arrange events, such as japfest, so that while each club has it\'s own stand, we would be alongside other mazda clubs, with the potential for enough attendees to have a dedicated mazda track session etc
If you\'re interested, pop along and say Hi - it\'s very early days (less than a week old) so not much on there yet, but hopefully it will lead to better things :)
Not had much chance to play with the rex lately, been busy trying to sort out selling out house - found one we like, with a garage for the rex, and a big driveway for the other 3 cars...
Did manage to pay for my full membership today though :D
and I de-tangoed the front indicator units, not got any good pics, and this one is with an orange bulb fitted, there are silver vision ones in there now ;)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/DSCF4507.jpg)
Picked up a few parts last weekend (thank Paul!) and had a bit of a bash at fitting some bits today :)
First was the rear wiper - we had nothing but the motor, so I needed the complete arm. After a quick coat of satin black, it was soon fitted :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4847.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4851.jpg)
Then it was time for a new steering wheel, the old one wasn\'t right, this is much more like it...
Old...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4849.jpg)
New...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4850.jpg)
I also picked up the small plastic rear vents, as someone had stuck their hand in one of ours
old...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4852.jpg)
new...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4853.jpg)
Then it was on to the doors. We had two problems - the passenger window didn\'t work at all, and the driver\'s door was very rotten...all the way through at the front bottom corner!
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4858.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4859.jpg)
So, it was off with the old...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4857.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4861.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4860.jpg)
and on with the new - still need to remove the glue from the bump strip though...
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4862.jpg)
not perfect, but solid :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4863.jpg)
Fixed the passenger window, with the motor, and a new switch...then cleaned up and painted the mirrors :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4848.jpg)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/RX-7/DSCF4854.jpg)
Not a bad afternoon\'s work, all ready for a nice drive tomorrow :)
Well, the poor old rex hasn\'t really moved since the snow, so after a good charge of the battery, I started it for the first time on Friday morning, and took it to work :D
When I pulled away, there was an odd noise from the back of the car...I stopped, pulled away again, and it was fine...did it a few more times, and no more noise...hmmm, maybe just something a bit stuck, must be freed off now I thought...
So, I get to work, and drive slowly over the small speedbump in the car park...and there was an odd boinging noise from the left rear :confused:
Was going to take it over to good old Garath to have a look underneath on Saturday, but as we were leaving Karissa noticed this, lying on the ground a few feet from where the car had been parked previously... :eek:
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/DSCF5339.jpg)
It has sheared completely...although it is probably the original spring, so has been on the car for 27 years...not too bad :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/DSCF5341.jpg)
I\'ve ordered a set of Spax 30mm lowering springs...watch this space ;)
Some of you might have seen that both this and the GT were keyed last week :( so today I have set up step 1 in the action plan...this is my current viewing pleasure :D
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/DSCF5333.jpg)
Can you blame this on the neighbour from hell too? :evillaugh
I read that springs are one of the most reliable bits on Jap cars from this era. It\'s to do with the profiling and shaping of the last coils of the spring.
Euro cars on the other hand had/have crudely formed spring ends which do not spread the spring effort evenly so they break easliy.
I\'m also on a couple of Merc Forums. Sad to say Mercs are prone to just sitting down \'Boing\' on the drive as you walk up to them...always when there\'s a rush on. The incidence is worst if a car\'s parked downhill with the wheels turned (weight all on one front corner). \'Boing\'.
Ford Focus suffers as well.
Quote from: David Nock;744380I read that springs are one of the most reliable bits on Jap cars from this era. It\'s to do with the profiling and shaping of the last coils of the spring.
Euro cars on the other hand had/have crudely formed spring ends which do not spread the spring effort evenly so they break easliy.
I\'m also on a couple of Merc Forums. Sad to say Mercs are prone to just sitting down \'Boing\' on the drive as you walk up to them...always when there\'s a rush on. The incidence is worst if a car\'s parked downhill with the wheels turned (weight all on one front corner). \'Boing\'.
Ford Focus suffers as well.
I had a front spring go on my Merc 190 - replaced both fronts but it never appeared to handle the same afterwards so I changed it for another Merc of all things. I\'ve seen the light since then and returned home to the Rex.:D
Got a parcel today, set of spax ssx springs...loks like I\'ll be busy on Sunday (already busy Saturday, watching the rugby ;) )
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/marcrs323/DSCF5424.jpg)
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