So you want to buy a second generation Mazda Rx-7 but you don’t know what to look for and what to avoid? Well hopefully after reading my guide you will be able to make an informed decision about the purchase of one of the most beautiful import sports cars made in the last quarter century. This guide is combination of the best Rx-7 information out on the internet as well as my own personal experience. First a little bit of background information about the Rx-7 or FC3S (FC for short) which is the chassis code. The FC was made from 1986 to 1992, Rx-7’s made from ’86 to ’88 were known as Series 4 or S4 while ones from ’89 to ’92 where S5. The main differences between the two series were the introduction of VDI on the S5, redesigned taillights and front bumper, an increase in horsepower and torque, and a larger gas tank. The turbo model of the Rx-7, called Turbo II, was introduced in 1987 and was equipped with a top mount intercooler and a water cooled turbocharger putting out 182 horsepower on an S4 and 200 on an S5. Now on to the basics of purchasing an Rx-7.
Mileage
This is the usually the first thing that potential car buyers will look at on any car and the rotary powered Rx-7 is no exception. The amount of miles on the FC is not that big of a deal, there are many Rx-7’s with over 200,000 miles on their first engine. What is important is maintenance; there are many myths about the reliability of the 13B rotary engine. As long as the car has been regularly serviced with regular oil changes every 3,000 miles and routine maintenance has been properly done the engine should be ok. You should always ask the seller about the maintenance performed on the car, you should do this with any car but this is especially important with the FC. Any paper work that the seller can show you is definitely a plus. Now many Rx-7’s these days have had there engines rebuilt by a shop, this was the case with mine. This can cost any where from $2,000 to and upwards of $4,000 depending on the parts used and the shop that performed it. A rebuilt engine is something to look for as it will ensure a longer engine life.
First Impression
When you first get to the car take a quick look at the body of the car. Are there any tell tale signs of an accident such as; mismatched body panels, large dents, or the car does not sit straight. Also be on the look out for rust on the body. Now before you turn the car on, pop the hood and look in the coolant reservoir. It is located in-between the headlights and it has a hose going to a white container. Look inside see if there is any oil in the coolant. If there is any brown or black sludge sitting in the tank that is a sign of an engine with a blown seal.
Starting the Car
Now for the moment of truth, get in the car and turn the key. It should start in the first 3-5 seconds of you turning the key, if not that is a sign of low compression on the rotors. If the engine is cold the Rx-7’s AWS (Accelerated Warm Up) process will kick in and the car will idle at 3,000 rpm for about 20 seconds then drop to around 1500 rpm. Don’t worry this is completely normal, what is happening is the car is warming up its precat. Let the car idle for 5 minutes to heat up. At this time there may be some white smoke out of the exhaust pipes if it is cold out. Stand behind the car while it is warming up and smell the exhaust. If it smells sweet and there is a very large amount of white smoke, the car most likely has a blown coolant seal and will need a rebuild. If the smoke is black or gray and smells like oil, the car is burning oil and has a blown seal which also requires a rebuild. Now get back in the car and check the gauges. The voltmeter should be around 13 volts, the oil pressure should be around 30 psi at idle, and when the car is fully warmed up the idle should be around 750 rpm and the temperature should be at a quarter up the gauge on a S4 and half on an S5. The stock gauges are not very accurate so as long as they are close to these readings you will be ok. If the car can not hold a steady idle when warmed up, such as the idle bounces between 750 and 1500 rpm, this is a sign of vacuum leak or other problem and these are a huge pain to find and fix. Now with the car fully warmed up give it some gas and rev it up to redline. It should go up to redline smoothly without any hesitation or misfire. If it sputters and back fires on the way this is a sign of a poorly maintained fuel system or electrical problems.
Driving
Put the car into gear and you’re off! The transmission will be a little notchy but that’s just the way Rx-7 transmissions are. What you should look out for is trouble getting into gear, grinding, or grating as these are signs of an abused transmission. With car fully warmed up there should not be any smoke unless it is cold out. You should not be able to see exhaust in the rear view mirror. If when you accelerate and there is heavy smoke, most likely the car has been overheated before and it is burning oil or coolant or both. While on the subject of overheating a rotary, an overheated engine usually means death for the engine internals. This causes the seals to blow which causes massive internal leaks. While driving the car redline it a few times. Bringing a FC to redline is not bad for the engine at all unless it is not warmed up as this causes increased engine wear. The 13b engine is made for alternating pieces of iron and aluminum which have different expansion rates. If the engine is not warmed up and brought to a uniform temperature, the pieces will flex and cause leaks. While driving take time to notice the suspension, does the steering feel tight or loose. Does the car pull to one side or the other or does it drive in a straight line? Once you are down driving shut the car down and its time to check the electronics.
Electronics
The second generation Rx-7 had quite a few electrical problems from the factory because Mazda used a poor soldering process. Check the headlights and make sure they both pop up and turn on. Check the windshield wiper switch and make sure that the wipers work on all settings. Many FC’s, including my own, will not work on interval because of that poor soldering process I talked about. Also the clock and warning lights might not always work because of loose solders. If your FC is equipped with a sunroof make sure that it fully opens and closes without your help. If it is slow it might just need some cleaning and some more grease.
The most important part
Now is the part that should make or break this buying experience. After the car has been sitting for about five minutes try to start it up again. If it was any trouble at all or won’t it start, that is a dead tell of blown apex seals and a guaranteed rebuild. So if this happens just walk away, there are much better Rx-7s around.
Turbo
If you are looking at a turbo model all the same things apply but also check the manifold for cracks. On an S4 model there most likely will be some hairline cracks as that is just the way they are. These won’t affect performance as long as they are just hairline fractures. An S5 should not have any cracks at all. Also watch the boost gauge when you are driving, it should go up and down smoothly and there should not be any boost spikes.
Leaks
After driving check under the hood for any leaks of any fluid. There might be a little oil around the filler nozzle but that is probably because it just spilled. Now look at the block itself and look for any burnt oil, it looks like a black crust. Also get on your knees and look at the oil cooler located in front of the radiator behind the bumper. Most likely the lines are leaking by now because they are 20 years old and made or fabric. You will probably have to pay around $120 plus labor to have new lines put on. Also if the “Add Coolant” light and buzzer keeps going off when your driving the car and the seller makes some excuse DO NOT BELIEVE HIM!! What is actually going on is the engine is burning coolant due to a blown coolant seal from over heating. If this happens just walk away as this engine will need a rebuild.
Transaction
Well if the car is good up to this point then you probably have a winner. When you purchase the car make sure that you get a Bill of Sale with the date and price signed by both you and the seller. Also make sure that you get the title and that you sign the Title Transfer from your states DMV. Now you can drive your car home and enjoy you Rx-7. If anything happens to the car such as the engine dies on you, I know that in my state, Washington, there is a Lemon Law that if anything happens in the first three days the seller has to either give you your money back or pay to fix the car. This is why a dated Bill of Sale is important. Well thanks for reading and I hope that you can enjoy your Rx-7 as much as I do.
Useful Sites
http://www.rx7club.com
http://www.nopistons.com
http://www.rotorwiki.com/index.php/FC_Maintenance
http://howto.globalvicinity.com/gv_wiki.php?wi=2&co;=1&vi;=1
