Hi All
Well to introduce myself I am Paul, 31, marine engineer :D
As I mentioned in the other thread, I recently bought this RX-7. Shame I can\'t even drive it in this weather! But the car is in very nice condition for being 26 years old.
I don\'t know if anyone has come across it before but I first noticed it on Pistonheads as a guy local to me was selling it as it had been his wife\'s car from pretty much new; have yet to receive the V5 but am hoping to be the 2nd owner! He gave me a bit of info but I have since lost his email address, next I saw it was on eBay in a local dealers so I went and had a look. It was under a foot of snow ;). Well don\'t know if it was the car itself or the mental strain I\'m under from recent \'girl problems\' but I made an offer and bought it the next day :D. Have to say the drive home was the most terrifying experience. Partly due to the snow, ice and hail, also due to the last time I drove an RX-7 I\'m ashamed to admit I wrote it off (FD - too fast for me). But it is now safely on my drive. Love the TWR kit.
This weather is really not helping. But have had a look round it now and noticed a few small problems. There is something amiss with the starter motor as only about 1 in 10 turns of the key will actually engage the starter with the flywheel, the other times it just spins. Also I have put some fuel in but the gauge is still reading zero, does not blip when the key is turned either.
However I love the car, the wheels look great, front spoiler is awesome, hardly any rust, there\'s a metal sunroof fitted and a glass one in the boot (is this standard?), electric windows/mirrors/catches/headlights all working!
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00779.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00777.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00774.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00773.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00771.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00770.jpg)
Ah also the gas struts for the boot lid don\'t stay open. But problems are no big deal, am hoping to get these things sorted out and get to some shows in the summer :). Can anyone tell me how many of these TWR ones were actually produced? Surely not many!
cheers
Paul.
Hi Paul-welcome to the club, lovely looking FB you have there. The rear struts are a common problem which a few guys on here have had to rectify so I\'m sure they will pop up in due course.
Starter sounds like it\'s not throwing the cog out all the way so may just require popping out and giving a bit of a clean up-I\'d be surprised if it\'s the flywheel up the swanny.
And the glass roof-check out one of the threads in this section mate-you got lucky!:guinness:guinness:guinness
you\'ve got yourself a very nice car there Paul!
The starter probably just needs a bit of lubrication as Tim says...
The rear hatch struts can be regassed very cheaply....
The fuel gauge problem is most likely the plug where it connects to the sender in the tank... they corrode up and give a bad connection.... 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, if it does then the connector or the sender is the problem
Give the connections a bit of a clean up and this should do the trick.... hopefully!
.
Thats a great looking car Paul, I have a TWR front bumper and rear spoiler also. Many cars had these retro fitted but not many original TWR\'s about.
If you do need a starter give me a shout Ive got a few in the rotorshed.
Keith...
Welcome Paul,
Looks to be a very nice fb you\'ve picked up,we were drooling over this a while back on another thread.
ta stu
If you\'ve got a glass sunroof,they\'ve been fetching approx £250 on ebay recently!
Hi Paul :)
The car looks great and any little problems will be solved by these knowledgeable gents for sure!
I do like the grey with red stripe interior!
thanks all :) from reading the original advert I had a feeling that things were just \'right\' about this car. Am pleased there have been no nasty suprises as yet! Sounds like the few mechanical problems should be easy to fix, car looks easy enough to work on. I\'m gutted I don\'t have the owners email any more as I\'d like to know more about it. Not least to tell him it hasn\'t gone to the scrappage scheme or something like that! Yes the glass sunroof is in that strapped case in the boot. The interior really is like a time warp, apart from a few scuffs on the drivers door card, its mint!
Welcome to MRC, sounds like you have found a good one :cheers
Welcome Paul - very lucky man.
You have acquired a very nice car and your feedback is confirming what we thought of it a few weeks ago. It truly looks lovely in the lighter shade of blue together with the TWR kit - wheels look genuinely tidy too and to get a glass sunroof thrown in as well, OMG!
Enjoy - when the weather picks up that is.
:Thumbs-up
Welcome :)
Looks like a really nice find...glass sunroof in the boot! lucky bu99er ;)
Looks like a great car Paul, The engine compartment looks like the previous owner cared for it. We first saw it on Pistonheads just a couple of months back.
A lot of fuel guages don\'t work, mine included, but mine\'s the sender in the tank.
I fuel mine constantly with 30 litres at a time and count the mileage so I don\'t run out.
Struts.....Also as above, regassing has been done on here, check out 1st Gen Forum threads. I got new from USA but drawback is the one\'s I got have to be turned round to work and that stops the wiper side being fitted. One working strut is plenty strong enough on its own though.
Starter, should be easy. Drop it off the car, wash the Bendix in clean petrol and dry. Then rub the Bendix with a thick graphite pencil to lube it....(Oil might attract dirt and grime later on).
If glass roof gets too hot for you give me a call.....
Cheers Dave
Nice looking car hope u enjoy it gary
Think I\'ll hang on to that roof for now then :D. There was also a new water pump in a bag in the back.. ok I\'ll stop now. ;) Had another look round the car today, got it started ok, resisted the urge to drive it round. I\'m away at work for the next 3 months now so it will be off the road til march-april. Can\'t wait :)
Paul.
ah btw thanks for all the advice everyone!
Hi Paul,
When you get around to thinking of replacing or fixing the rear hatch gas struts, here is a company that can do them - cost around £32 plus p+p :-
SGS Engineering
Unit A6
Cranmer Road
West Meadow Industrial Estate
Derby
DE21 6JL
Tel: 0845 880 1255
Cliff
Thanks Cliff I\'ll check it out :)
Went for a short drive in it tonight as my trip away has been postponed. All was well until the front nearside brake started seizing up :( Let it cool down for half an hour then got home ok, I\'ll get the wheel off tomorrow and have a look. Front calipers may need stripping....
Oh and can someone tell me where the fuse is for the cigar lighter? The cover of the fusebox shows one off to the side somewhere but can\'t find it. I know its probably right under my nose... :D
cheers
Paul.
A nice looking car you have there.
you can fit a second hand 13b starter motor. Its very easy to remove the original one and the 13b is a straight swap and will start the car a lot quicker.
Haynes diagrams show cigar lighter on a 20A fuse (15A for the S3 car), together with boot light, interior light and other things. Are they all working, in which case more likely to be a connection problem or past wiring mod?
Trouble as always, Haynes is not the exact diagram for every model.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00801.jpg)
here\'s the fusebox cover....? There are only 14 fuses inside the box. Don\'t know if it means there are two others for the fuel pump and the cigar lighter..
Quote from: automatic18;732828(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00801.jpg)
here\'s the fusebox cover....? There are only 14 fuses inside the box. Don\'t know if it means there are two others for the fuel pump and the cigar lighter..
Hi Paul, haven\'t looked at JAZ yet but on the r/h side under \'ACC\' it does say 10A CIGAR - wonder whether that could be it?Cliff
Yeah thats what I mean, it\'s labelled on the cover diagram, but the fuse is not in the fuse box. Unless it is common with the \'Washer / R Wiper\' one, or a fusible link?
hmmm. I\'ll have a look at my fuse box in the daylight tomorrow for you, but I\'m pretty damn sure I\'ve pulled the fuel pump fuse before for de-flooding so if I can find that again hopefully I can find the cigar fuse!
Quote from: automatic18;732828(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00801.jpg)
here\'s the fusebox cover....? There are only 14 fuses inside the box. Don\'t know if it means there are two others for the fuel pump and the cigar lighter..
Hi Paul, here is a photo from \'JAZ\'.The two fuses drawn on the lid are to the r/h side of the actual fuse box:-1) IG = RED 10A (botom right)2) ACC = YELLOW 20A & BLUE 15A (top right)What I haven\'t done is taken these out to see what doesn\'t operate but think this should enable you to fit them and find out yourself.Cliff:Thumbs-up
You\'ve beat me to it there Cliff!
Again from the wiring diagrams, the cigar lighter is on with the clock on S1 and S2 models.
Also on this circuit are interior lights and boot light.
That 15A \'clock\' fuse is my bet.
There is also an illumination lights fuse which is 10A. That powers the dash lights when the lights are on. The cigar lighter has an illumination light as well, which I think is what it\'s referring to for the 10A on the fusebox lid.
Well, after 12 weeks working away, I arrive home to.... this
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00934.jpg)
I wanted her to keep the other car parked behind it to discourage thieves. The bit in Pulp Fiction where he specifically reminds her not to forget the watch.. well I specifically asked her not to bump it... gaahhh well no point dwelling on it I suppose.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00933.jpg)
Not had a close look yet but one of the side brackets is cracked off, is there a metal plate under the bumper? What are the chances of getting a new bumper? She seems to be of the opinion I can go down the local halfords and get one off the shelf...
Am now contemplating taking it to a specialist and getting this and the couple of rust spots sorted. Gonna try and sort the starter motor, lighter, brakes and servicing in the next 2 weeks. Nothings ever easy eh!
That\'s a bit gutting Paul.
The good news is that it\'s an easy fix. The rear bumper ( and the front one come to that) is just a plastic outer cover over a steel inner beam and the plastic cover just clips to the beam. If you unbolt the bumper from its brackets ( you can leave the brackets on the car), you can then carefully unclip the cover and put it onto a new or good second hand beam.
You won\'t straighten the bent one. Once they bend, the metal stretches at the same time and you\'ll never get it back to where it came from.
You need to get the plastic cover off the beam as soon as though because if it stays distorted for too long, it tends to want to stay like that and can be a pain to get it to sit right, especially at the corners.
You could always put on a good complete second hand bumper but then you\'ll have to get it sprayed and hope to match the paint.... much better to use your own existing cover if you can.
I\'ve got a spare rear bumper beam that you can have for free if it\'s good and straight.... I\'ll have a look at it later and let you know what condition it\'s in.
cheers,
Ian
Thanks Ian that doesn\'t sound too bad then. I just wish she\'d told me as it happened a while ago and its been left on bent, and the paint is crazed round the number plate lights :(. I might just take you up on that offer of the beam! Do you still have that master cylinder for sale too?
Pulled the starter motor off today and gave it a strip down and a good clean. Fires every time now. Ordered up all the service parts so will do all that next week and change the discs/pads also. I\'ll get the bumper off tomorrow and have a look at that cigar lighter. Need a satnav!
However! Having problems getting it to run. It will fire for a few seconds, rough idle then stall. I suspect it is fuel problem, maybe fuel pump? The fuel pump is running with the ignition on but its quite noisy (although maybe this is normal for an old Rex..?) - but it really is tapping away back there! I\'ve got a new fuel filter on the way.
yeah, still got the brake master cylinder.
Fuel Pump should be a smooth \'purrry whistley\' sort of noise.
A blocked/clogged fuel filter tends to show itself most when running at full power on the motorway, when fuel can\'t get through quick enough.
Smooth and purring it ain\'t, it sounds like a woodpecker with a blunt nose! I whipped the inlet pipe to the carb off and turned the ignition on, got a decent flow out of the pipe. When the engine manages to fire it runs on a really low idle for less than 10 secs then splutters out. The only thing that\'s changed from when it was last running fine is that it\'s been stood for 3 months. Plenty of fuel in the tank, wonder if its worth draining and refilling. Have cleaned out the dizzy cap and rotor and had the HT leads off and given a good spray with WD40, also sprayed and worked all the links on the throttle/carb.. not that I know much about carbs.
Also eventually got the bumper off:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00976.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00969.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00979.jpg)
Actually it\'s not nearly as bad as I\'d dreaded. I think the bumper itself will be OK. The bracket on the nearside is actually OK as well, I didn\'t realise the bumper just slides onto it. I\'ll need to get a bag full of those small clips, hope to get some generic ones from a motor factors.
Things are looking better!
Quote from: David Nock;750014A blocked/clogged fuel filter tends to show itself most when running at full power
Ahh, your secret is out, never past 4k my ar*e! :D
Redline a day etc etc!
Quote from: captainbizzaro;750104Redline a day...
keeps the carbon away!!
get those buzzers going!
I don\'t think you want to redline in 5th on the motorway guys! You\'d be up to about 250mph?
I know you\'re joshing but I\'m SOOO tired today. S\'either something terminal or that 3 pints and couple of red vinos last night.
All together say \'Ahhh\',.
This is from the manual:-
To test your fuel pump, disconnect the larger fuel delivery pipe and the carburetor. (smaller one is return to tank on a loop system). With the pipe emptying (CAREFULLY) into a container it should deliver fuel at a rate of 1.1 litres a minute. Also with this pipe plugged into a pressure guage it should deliver about 4 bar.
Also above the fuel pump, attached in the rear wheel arch of the body, is a check valve in the return line, though I\'ve never known these to fail.
Possibles are the pump itself, the filter, which you\'re going to change, clogged lines or stuck needle valve (gummed up??) in the carb.
Also the choke mechanism? Plugs all OK? Vacuum system pipes on ignition?
Coils/Ignitors? What were your symptoms Ian, last year?
OK first things first, its good to be in the club :)
The car roared back into life yesterday! I\'m still not sure it was actually the fuel pump, it may just have been because it was sitting for 3 months. But the pump was definitely not right so I have changed the pump and filter. Also the plugs were well past their best so I\'ve changed them too.
From this:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00992.jpg)
To this:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00994.jpg)
The new pump and filter are working fine, the only issue is as the mounting is different, there is a lot of vibration noise being transmitted through the car so I will hve to make up a rubber mounting.
I have sorted out the bumper for now:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC00985.jpg)
Also reconditioned front calipers and brake hoses arrived today so I\'ll be out in the sunshine getting busy.. have already fitted front disks but the calipers were seized. Cant wait to get back on the road... and hit the redline :D
Hi AM18
When you changed your front discs did you reuse your wheel bearings or use new ones ?
Dibs
I know its not the best but since I\'m desperate to use the car I put the used ones back in... after taking great care to remove them...:D After spinning the discs they seem fine, no noise or bad feel to them. I\'ll re check them after I test drive it.
Been going a bit mad on ebay, snapped up those remanf. calipers:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/Mazda%20RX-7%20FB/DSC01005.jpg)
Had to cut off the old metal brake pipes in the engine bay so hopefully I will get those made up tomorrow.
looking good, I like the calipers, its just I have new discs and have been trying to get new bearings to change them booth at the same time.
drove about 10 miles today and nothing\'s fallen off.. yet :)
A small list of problems to sort-
Cigarette lighter - the light behind it is working, but the lighter itself won;t heat up
Gearstick - I think maybe a spring is broken in the neutral position, from 4th-rev it springs back to centre but not from 4th-1st direction
Brakes - when brakes are applied there is a pulsing feeling, I will see if the discs/pads bed in any more
nearly there!
4000 miles later... :D. Drove from Newcastle - Southampton - Lands End - Southampton - Durham - Glasgow - Skye - Stornoway - Inverness - Aberdeen - Edinburgh - Newcastle. As far as I\'m concerned I\'ve got my moneys worth out of the car already!
I had bought the new discs off eBay, so not really a surprise to find one of them was either warped or had been a casting fault causing the pulsing in the brake pedal... everything else worked ok though, fitted calipers, pads, hoses, pipes..
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/DSC01260.jpg)
A very annoying encounter with a tree stump, meaning that the rear valance section as you can see is almost totally ripped through where it had been rusty (on both sides). Am I right it is part of the body and not a separate panel? What are the chances of economically repairing this...?
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/DSC01317.jpg)
And after all those miles, these are the front tyres. Totally worn out on both the inner edges. Caused by incorrect wheel alignment?
So I will be working away again soon and the MOT will have run out by the time I get back... wondering whether to keep the car. The mechanical stuff is no big deal to replace, but the bodywork damage is what I hate..
Paul.
Quote from: automatic18;7647954000 miles later... :D. Drove from Newcastle - Southampton - Lands End - Southampton - Durham - Glasgow - Skye - Stornoway - Inverness - Aberdeen - Edinburgh - Newcastle. As far as I\'m concerned I\'ve got my moneys worth out of the car already!
I had bought the new discs off eBay, so not really a surprise to find one of them was either warped or had been a casting fault causing the pulsing in the brake pedal... everything else worked ok though, fitted calipers, pads, hoses, pipes..
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/DSC01260.jpg)
A very annoying encounter with a tree stump, meaning that the rear valance section as you can see is almost totally ripped through where it had been rusty (on both sides). Am I right it is part of the body and not a separate panel? What are the chances of economically repairing this...?
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/automatic18/DSC01317.jpg)
Paul,
glad to see the cars going well and you\'re out there enjoying it.
The rear valance is available new from Mazda for about 40 quid... an easy repair...
Quote from: CHC;730357Rear Valance panel now ordered and paid for = £41. I anticipate delivery/receipt next week from Europe
Ordered as:-
D Code No. 70 791A
Description Panel Skirt. Rear
Part No. FA01-70-791
:Thumbs-up:)
See Cliffs thread on his restoration for how it looks and fits...
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67460&page=8
And after all those miles, these are the front tyres. Totally worn out on both the inner edges. Caused by incorrect wheel alignment?
First and cheapest check is to get the tracking checked at a tyre centre... if that doesn\'t cure it, have it lazer aligned.
Paul.[/QUOTE]
Looks like wheels are toeing out.
Check ball joints in steering system at same time as re tracking. Either give everything a good old wiggle up on the axle stands before going to tyre centre or get them to check for you. (Not advised \'cos they might not be as thorough as you would be).
I\'ve had the front end off the ground and given the wheels a good push/pull as I thought the hub nuts might have loosened off as I had the discs off several times, the wheels seem fine.. When driving the car, steering has gradually become more and more vague, it wanders badly now, even passengers notice it :(
Is there a way to tighten up/adjust the steering or is it a case of replacing ball joints.?
1st gen steering is notoriously crap... the most likely culprit for loose steering is the idler arm bush ..... about £15 for new ones.... easy fix. The steering box can be adjusted as well to take out some of the play.... check out the workshop manual to see how it\'s done.
You can download the factory workshop manual for free here...
http://www.rx7fb.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=131
if you\'re only running on the inside tread of the tyres though, your steering / handling / safety will be compromised. 1st thing to do is get it the wheels adjusted so that all of the rubber is on the ground.
thanks for the advice here! :)
I\'m getting new front tyres tomorrow, also they will be checking the wheel alignment (hope the rod ends aren\'t seized :Hammer). Hopefully it will make a big difference, I\'ll check that arm bush as well later.
Paul.
Are you gonna sell her Paul? If you do let me know as I know someone on the lookout for an S2.
Hi Paul, glad to hear you\'re mobile again even though with a few corrections required.
The rear valance is a very easy job to do:-
Take of rear bumper.
Grind tack welds running along the top of the valance.
Finish grinding off each side of the valance and off she\'ll drop.
Ready for fitting new section - easy, isn\'t it?
Thanks for putting up those pictures there, seems a bit less daunting... a bit...
Got my MOT test tomorrow.
So for the emissions test, is it going to be best to have the car fully warmed up before going in for the test or is it better to have it cold?
Hope to get back on the road soon... fingers crossed..:mmmm
As long as it isnt smokey the car is exempt from machine test, thought it was just visual with these?
or is it all depending on year?
My 1983 FB passed it\'s MOT last month (first time, with no advisories) after a lot of helpful advice from people on here. Ian65 sent me this link;
http://www.rx7fb.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=211
I suggest you print it out and take it with you. Most MOT stations will be unaware that rotaries of this age has a special exemption. My MOT station was about to get their emission testing kit attached when I showed him the attached. He remembered something vaguely and checked with a colleague, then no tests were done, just a quick visual on smoke :Thumbs-up
Thanks a lot for the info, I definitely did not know that! Printed it out to take with me.
Its a 15 minute drive to the testers, I\'m taking it to the place that did the last few tests for the previous owners so hopefully they will remember the car.
Got to the test station and all the computers have crashed. The agony is prolonged for another day! Had a good feeling about today as well :D oh well.
Quote from: automatic18;787169Got to the test station and all the computers have crashed. The agony is prolonged for another day! Had a good feeling about today as well :D oh well.
Be calm. Practice deep breathing. In 1 2 3 4 hold 1 2 out 1 2 3 4 hold 1 2 etc.
Or alternatively, kick the dog.
Well.
Failure sheet makes pretty dismal reading! Apparently since passing ok last year the chassis has become \'completely rotten\'. I suppose this is down to the individual testers opinion... so when he told me it also failed on emissions I didn\'t bother arguing. :Hammer
Had my fun with the car and it will be for sale soon, Seeing as my Renault is also in pieces in the garage I can\'t face having two cars that are not running..
So will my glass sunroof :) and spare water pump, etc.
Watch this space!
Not great when that happens,is that the same place that passed it last year ?
Dibs
Yeah, the same place. I thought I\'d try it as the place I usually go to (with modified/old) cars has just closed down. The car has been parked outside on my drive since I bought it.
Wonder if I should try a different garage..
Could be worth the cost you never know ............. to sell without a mot you would only get scrap money.
Wow.
What a bummer.
Commiserations.
John
if you can get the areas welded try that and see. also try another garage like you say. where i live we have government run centers and i heard on the radio one day about a person taking a car in to be failed on something, they bring the car to another center and the car passes with nothing done to it.
the whole lots a laugh. but get a second opinion from a mechanic and you\'d need to give the carbon a good blow out of the engine. i used cataclean which cleans the cat on a car, if you still have it on. look it up on ebay as people sell it on there.
Don\'t forget 1st gens first used before 1st August 1987 don\'t need to be tested for emissions, it\'s a visual check for smoke only...
Check this out...
http://www.rx7fb.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=211
Right! It is with some regret that the car is now on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280753426802
Though I do not for a second regret buying the car as it was fantastic fun, the best road trip I have ever done. Land\'s End to Stornoway!
I had sorted the handbrake, booked another MOT (with visual smoke test :D) but after getting right underneath the car, I can pretty much get my hand into the front offside chassis rail. The MOT man was right about some of the rust!
Its always sad to see a rare car go, but it is beyond my skills to save the car, so it is for spares/repair. For a \'breaker\' this is going to be an absolute bargain. It has new front tyres, new front brakes, good engine, etc etc and loads more!
Maybe I will see one of you shortly ;)
Paul.
Very sad. Good Luck with the sale.
John