I've renewed my search for a TurboII and I believe I've found a good 2 owner one. Never winter driven and no rust.



Goods include a new Mazda replacement turbo, new clutch, and just tuned up. Everything works including all power options and the interior is MINT. The bads include paint flaking off the hood and the rear wiper doesn't work.



I'm going to be looking at it over the weekend and I'm wondering what are some tell-tale signs of a bad deal? I called a local Mazda mechanic (Mazdee's in Pickering) and he said that if it smokes don't touch it. If it's a easy start then it's good. He also mentioned that there's no need to do a compression test on the engine ... why not?



I'd appreciate comments and advice you might have as I will be taking many digi-pics and posting them up.

you SHOULD do a compression test to see how healthy the engine is.... i would suggest taking to a rotary specialist and see what they think

if the engine is fine its a good buy. but for how much? Paint flaking and rear wiper not working not a big deal. If u do plan on purchasing make sure u have the paper work on that turbo though.

Only thing with that paint flaking is to make sure its only the hood, I have seen those cars where the paint almost comes off in sheets over the entire car, it was a problem with the cars back then.

About the paint ... I will be sure to inspect it very closely to ensure it's just the hood. If it is just the hood, do you think I should get it repainted immediately? I plan on using it as a daily driver so you think it'll quickly rust thru if I don't have it done right away?



About the compression test. It's odd because I've been in touch with Darryl, the pres of the RX7 club in Toronto Canada, and he recommended me to Dave Dietrich of Mazdee's Performance Auto in Pickering. But Dave told me that I didn't need to have a compression test done to determine if it's a good car. Would I have to goto a Mazda dealership to have it done? Why does a rotory need a compression test? Do any of you know a good place in Toronto?



Thanks for the responses, I will keep you updated and will post pics as soon as I see the car.

a compression test is not a rotary specific thing. it tells you what condition the engine is in without tearing it down. whether compression is even, low,high, or not there as in missing an apex seal...



how many miles on the car ?

I do not understand why anyone wouldnt do an intense inspection on any vehicle when thinking about buying. unless your getting it for a steal, I would check every damn thing, from front to back and top to bottom. Engine, trans, running gear, brakes, wiring, everything... Once the whole

"i have a new ride" **** wares off youre left with a shitter that may or may not run well. Smoke check is always a good idea, check the coolant hose below the oil filter for cracks and/or stress, body work..it may have been wrecked, And paperwork on all new parts and service is a plus. Anything that is found wrong always makes good leverage when bartering on the price. If you lack knowledge on the ride, spend $100-150 on shop labor to have rx-7 specific shop take a look and run some tests. My two cents anyways, good luck on the ride



J

There are 118,000km. Not sure what this is in miles but for a 14 year old car it's certainly low. That's only about 8500km a year only in the summers.



89Rag, yes I will be very thorough in my inspection and I'm more than willing to take it to a knowledgable mechanic to do both the compression test and a full inspection. However, I don't know a mechanic in my area who specializes in rotorary engines.



Question: Is the equipment for a compression test the same for both piston and rotary engines?

There are 118,000km. Not sure what this is in miles but for a 14 year old car it's certainly low. That's only about 8500km a year only in the summers.



89Rag, yes I will be very thorough in my inspection and I'm more than willing to take it to a knowledgable mechanic to do both the compression test and a full inspection. However, I don't know a mechanic in my area who specializes in rotorary engines.



Question: Is the equipment for a compression test the same for both piston and rotary engines?[/quote]

Jr rotaries is located in new jersey, rob @ pineapple suggested to give him them a call... if they are too far away rj's may be able to suggest a canada based shop...

There are 118,000km. Not sure what this is in miles but for a 14 year old car it's certainly low. That's only about 8500km a year only in the summers.



89Rag, yes I will be very thorough in my inspection and I'm more than willing to take it to a knowledgable mechanic to do both the compression test and a full inspection. However, I don't know a mechanic in my area who specializes in rotorary engines.



Question: Is the equipment for a compression test the same for both piston and rotary engines?[/quote]

Jr rotaries is located in new jersey, rob @ pineapple suggested to give him them a call... if they are too far away rj's may be able to suggest a canada based shop...[/quote]

i know jr. my FD is at his shop now. his user name is judge ito on here. he is very good. he's probably way too far for you though

Another good idea when going to look at it, try not set an actual time to go look at it if possible...a lot of times, the guy selling the car will go start it up and let it warm up, etc to elimante the risk of it having a bad start when you show up. If you do schedule a time, feel the hood/radiator cap/etc to see if its been running lately. All turbos I've seen have smoked a little on startup...so thats expected. Inspect the exhaust and make sure there isnt an excessive rusting problem. If its original...it will look beat up, lol...but ask the guy if he's had any problems with exhaust rusting quickly...that sometimes can mean a coolant leak in the motor...these are the only tips I could think of that werent mentioned already....

A TII hood wont rust, its aluminum. Re-paint it when you want, if thats the only problem, I wouldnt let it deter you. If the whole car is starting to peel down to the primer, then it can be a mess, when I worked on someone else from this boards car ( 13bACE ), his coupe had this peeling problem, there is no remedy for it except to take it all down to the primer, wherever there was paint, it wasnt stable enough to not remove. IF you were to not remove the paint and try to paint over the old paint, being as the ORIGINAL paint was not bonding properly, then your new paint would lift right along with the **** under it. It can be costly considering the door jambs and all were doing it. Check around the hatch area for this under the window, it gets it pretty bad there..

wow, I'm floored by the responses so far. As an aside I've been looking at several AE86's (Toyota Corolla GTS) and trying to solicit help from some of the guys on their boards. There was less response compared to the help you guys have already given me. Thanks again.



RobRx7 ... thanks for the very solid advice. I will be sure to check the hatch area for the tell-tale signs of poor paint bonding. I find the fact that the TII hoods being made of aluminum very interesting .. is that the only body panel of the car made of aluminum? Are the other areas suseptible to rust?



And does anyone know about this compression test machine? Same for piston and rotary engines?



Oh and Rotaryman88 ... the seller specifically mentioned that he replaced the exhaust Y pipe and mufflers with SS "Bozell"(?) exhaust system. He said that because he didn't drive it for very far distances, the original exhaust rusted out on him. No idea how old it is but I will be sure to ask him. Also a great tip about the warm start thing. I will keep that in mind. Thanks.

After I throw in the new motor and turbo the paint may start peeling from air friction. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif

probably "bosal" http://www.bosal.com

one of my coworkers has a bosal tip on his car... it's pretty ricey.