Help with buying an FC RX7

[sb]

So I went to see an FC RX7 on saturday, I did every check I could without a compression tester to check the apex and coolant seals were in tact.

Unfortunately the car has not tax or test so I cant drive the thing, so it was merely checking the engine in neutral, leading to the main issue the boost gauge started at -20 and got to 0 at redline. Is this likely to be an issue with the gauge, a pipe somewhere or the turbo itself? It is a Turbo II model. How would I check for any of these faults?

Aside from that the car seemed remarkably clean for a CAT C and 20 odd years, so any other issues to check for before I make an offer?

Thanks
-SB

[swampy76]

have a look over on the rx8 forum as there is people all over the country that will come to you with a compression tester to check the car

[Richard TR7]

Most turbo cars wont make positive boost pressure without a load on the engine, you might get the gauge to flicker but not much more.

[luckyseven]

^^^This. Which isn't to say the turbo isn't goosed, of course, lol. They do tend to be pretty durable on FCs however. If the engine struggles to start when hot it's a good indicator that compression is poor. Waterseal failure can be diagnosed with a "champagne" test but I guess you'd need a pretty tolerant vendor to happily sit around while you did one! Essentially you need a coke bottle (other soft drinks are available). Cut the bottom of then gaffer tape it neck-down into the coolant filler neck and run the engine. The bottle will half-fill with coolant; if it rushes in like it's under massive pressure or shoots into the air then it's catastrophic waterseal failure. If the thermostat burps open and the coolant fills with zillions of manic bubbles (the champagne bit) then it's early-onset waterseal failure. Walk away unless it's madly cheap, but don't forget to un-tape your coke bottle first.

On later 13B engines (like in the FC) the coolant corrodes the alloy around the waterseal if they're left to stand for a long time, which is why a lot of imports can fail quite early into UK ownership cos they've been sat around in auction houses and docks for ages. FCs can also rot really quite catastrophically around the sills and rear seat pan base, suspension turrets, in fact more or less anywhere! Some seem pretty much immune, some are terrible, it's a bit luck of the draw. If it's a convertible it'll have a rare alloy bonnet as opposed to the steel one on the coupe (which is heavier than a supermassive black hole). These are often traded to coupe owners; if it's not as described either way then it could be a sign the cars' had a chequered past. If the vendor has owned the car while it was running, ask what oil he used and if it still has the OMP. This is a pump that injects tiny amounts of engine oil into the chambers to lubricate the apex seals. It means the engine should be run on mineral oil because this burns cleaner than synthetic and thus doesn't gum up apex seals and ports with carbon so badly. Some people blank off the OMP and premix two-stroke oil with the petrol so they can then run synthetic in the engine. If he runs it on "Halfords, mate" and clearly doesn't have any idea what you're on about then how much other basic knowledge about the car does he have missing?

Other than that, normal car stuff for any motor that's been standing; check the brakes aren't seized (or warped), if the handrbakes' on check it comes off and vice versa. If it's got a sunroof check the drains aren't clogged (another rot spot). They can be good sound cars, very much the forgotten RX-7 so if you find a solid one it can be a bargain. But be aware they're cheapy cheap because of this undesirable "Japanese second-rate 924" image; don't pay too much for a marginal one when there are great ones out there cheap

[sb]

Thanks for your help!

I'm afraid this will be my first boosted car so I'm sorry for what must seem a very dumb question.

I did do a hot start and it started within seconds so I'm fairly happy on apex seals, the car has been sat since January I believe so should I walk away because of coolant seal issues? The car will be sat with me for a while before being on road so I don't mind a rebuild but would ultimately like to avoid it.

It is a convertible, the motor seems solid and the car and all seals are dry so the roof is fine, however it does have issues raising again.

Its cheap enough I'm fairly happy to take the risk, but is it worth it? The car is also a CAT C, with no tax/mot and will require a VIC check. I know this would make most people walk immediately but the seller is honest and frankly the car is gorgeous!

Thanks
-SB

[luckyseven]

four, five months shouldn't be enough to really start corroding housing alloy and provoke the waterseals to fail. At the moment you can still get 13B housings relatively easily and cheaply, so it's not a disaster if it needs rebuilding. They can be cheap to rebuild as long as not much needs replacing (a set of apex seals is a few hundred quid but "soft" seals like the waterseals are comparatively inexpensive). The cost really comes in paying for an expert's time; anyone can build a rotary, quite literally, but it takes years of experience and dedication to learn how to build one really well! With that said, I know plenty of cars where the owner's had a go at a home build and they're going strong years later. There's an excellent step-by-step "build your rotary" DVD available that's pretty much idiot-proof should you ever decide to go that route.

The roof on the convertibles had a two-stage setting so you could have it either fully up, fully down or in a strange sort of targa setting where the rear of it was up but the area above the actual seats was folded away. If it seems reluctant to move it might be trying to stop in one setting or another, or might simply be the mechanism spars need a bit of lube from disuse! Just so long as there are no tears or leaks, I understand new roofs are prohibitively expensive compared to other soft-tops, presumably due to rarity. More than a lot of makes, RX-7s really show their past life in quality rather than pure mileage. If it seems well together and the interior doesn't rattle and squeak and the rubber components aren't cracked and dry and there aren't rust marks poking through then the odds are it's a good one. They really do show neglect quite obviously, especially interiors. To an extent they're a car where your gut feeling is as important as merely checking the logbook and old MOTs against the mileometer! Likewise the chassis; worn bushes and knackered shocks will be blatantly obvious... which isn't much use if you can't drive it, admittedly...especially the rear end which had some weird passive toe-in-out rear wheel steer built into the bushing. If they're worn it'll be like a greased pig at the back end!

I don't know much about the ins and outs of category write-offs so can't help there but there are plenty of very knowledgeable and helpful rotards on-line in the UK who'll be happy to help you along if you go for it. They really aren't as scary as internetz legend would have them.

...well, mine is, but it's possessed by an ancient Sumerian demon

[sb]

Thank you so much for this info!

What forum(s) would you recommend?

As for the roof it gets stuck in the fully closed open position, AKA when the roof is down and you try to put it back up it wont budge without some assistance.

My gut is telling me to jump in but my wallet is holding me back!

Thanks
-SB