Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1984 Rx-7 Gsl-se 100k Mi - Rust Free - Nice on 2040-cars

Year:1984 Mileage:100407
Location:

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States
Advertising:

With much regret, I am placing my 1984 RX-7 GSL-SE up for auction. I kept it in excellent working order for 21 years. I am the second owner. As I was preparing to give it to a family member as a gift, I discovered an internal engine coolant leak that will require some time and effort to repair.

Here are the specifics on this vehicle:

The body is in very good shape with no dents with the exception of a very few "parking lot dings" so small that they are difficult to photograph. The paint is original and glossy. If you look very closely, you will see some hazing on the passenger side of the hood.

There is no rust through or plastic filler on the body. Oddly, there is a small area of bubbling on the lower side of each door. I am not sure why, but they have not changed significantly since I bought the car in 1993.

It has a transparent, tinted sunroof. The original steel one comes with the car if you wish.

I had the windows professionally tinted when I moved to South Carolina. Although I housed it in a garage, I wanted to protect the interior, especially the rugs, from sun damage. An additional benefit was it improved the looks a lot, at least to my eye.

The wheels are original and look very nice. I power cleaned and freshened them up two years ago. The tires have less than 500 miles on them. I replaced them a few months ago.

All glass is good. There is a small (1/2 in diameter) star blemish in the windshield, probably from a small rock strike that occurred before I bought the car. It is low in the center out of normal field of view. It has not changed in 21 years so it's safe to assume that it shouldn't grow.

All lights work as they should. The headlights go up and down quickly and smoothly.

Both power side windows also go up and down quickly and smoothly.

The interior is in fine condition. No one has ever smoked in this car. The dash and vinyl surfaces look very nice. About 10 years ago, I freshened up some areas with matching burgundy dye and they still look nearly new.

The leather seats are in surprisingly good condition with only one small split about 1 1/2 inches long in the driver's seat bottom, as seen in one of the photos. I repaired it with a patch applied underneath and, so far, it has held up well.

The carpet in the rear cargo area faded and became brittle about 15 years ago. I replaced it with a new factory one from a Mazda dealer. It still looks great. (That was the reason for tinting the windows.)

The rest of the original carpets stayed red and still look good.

The steering wheel began to show its age about 5 years ago so I recovered it with a leather "Wheel Skin." This leather cover installs right over the original and laces up the inside. These are not the cheap, laced covers so often seen on older cars.

All the gauges work as they should. Several years ago, a wire from one of the "door not closed" buttons shorted out causing the buzzer to constantly sound. At the time, I didn't have time to troubleshoot and repair it so I pulled the fuse for it. That also disabled the "headlights on", "key in the ignition", "seatbelt not fastened", and "coolant low" buzzers. I just monitored the temp gauge carefully and enjoyed not being annoyed by all those other buzzers.

The heater, AC, and vent systems work fine. The control panel for them sometimes causes problems on some RX-7s, but this one still works - possibly because I used to cycle the switches occasionally just to exercise them and keep them free.

Before discussing the engine, let me quickly describe other items under the hood. The original under-radiator oil cooler was replaced 14 years and 30,000 miles ago and is still dry. The alternator was replaced about 3 years ago and the battery shows a 2010 installation date. It still charges and holds a charge fine so should be good for a while longer.

Three things do not work. The cruise control is one. I believe it is due to a plastic vacuum connector breaking due to age. I didn't need it, so capped off the line and never bothered to fix it. The radio and power antenna also are inoperable.

There are no external fluid leaks on the car.

And now we get to the engine. Until a few months ago, I was confident that I had a solid, strong engine with no issues. It started, idled, and ran smoothly. It accelerated with its usual power. Then, after a 2-3 month period in storage, a huge white cloud of "smoke" appeared on startup. Of course, it wasn't the usual puff of oil smoke common on older RX-7s, but was due to coolant in a combustion chamber. Most owner's of RX-7s recognize this as a very bad symptom. After the engine warmed up normally, the cloud dissipated as I expected.

I drove it routinely for a week on short trips without the white cloud ever appearing again. Although it required a small amount of coolant to be added occasionally, the engine started and ran fine with completely normal temperature.

Before driving the car on an extended trip, I noticed that the coolant overflow tank level was higher than normal. Placing the tube from the cap of the reservoir in a glass of water, I saw a steady stream of bubbles from the end of it. It appears that there is a leak in an O-ring between rotor housings that is allowing combustion gases to escape into the coolant system.

Assuming this is a correct diagnosis, the engine needs a major repair and probably a rebuild. Ten years ago, I would have considered doing it myself. At 72 years old, it appears to be a monumental project and not one I care to undertake.

The engine still starts, idles, and runs OK, but I would not drive it far until this problem is dealt with.

Options to eliminate this problem are: repair/rebuild this engine, replace it with another good Wankel or replace it with a piston engine. There are kits available to install Ford or Chevy V8s into an RX-7 without cutting the hood. As an RX-7 fan, I hate to think about that last option, but it's better than using a car that is as nice as this just for parts.

So, with this car, you would be getting a solid body, very good cosmetics, most accessories working well, but with an engine with an issue that needs to be addressed.

A factory Shop Manual is included in this auction. I will also add a copy of the book Mazda RX-7: The First Generation that I wrote several years ago. The car in the cover photo is this car up for auction.

Sorry for such a long writeup, but I have bought 5 cars on ebay (sight unseen) and wish all sellers would have been as thorough in their descriptions as I have been. I hope you can inspect this car in person. I think that, if you see it, you will bid on it!

If you have questions or need more photos, please contact me by ebay message or call 843-384-0545.

A $300 deposit is needed within 48 hours of the auction close and the rest by certified check, direct bank deposit or cash in person within 7 days.

The usual auction cautions apply - the car is sold as-is with no warranty or guarantee, it is for sale locally so the auction may end early, and I will help your shipper but the cost of shipping is your responsibility. 

Auto Services in South Carolina

Tony`s Automotive and Tire ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Tire Dealers
Address: 457 Airport Rd, Wallace
Phone: (910) 895-9898

Star Automotive ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers
Address: 3102 North Pleasantburg Drive, Conestee
Phone: (864) 244-1207

Sprayglo Auto Refinishing and Body Repair ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Truck Painting & Lettering
Address: 340 Smith St., Mountain-Rest
Phone: (877) 677-7294

Speed Street Collision Center ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: Lancaster
Phone: (704) 899-5634

Presnell`s Auto Repair ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Leasing
Address: 1109 W Market St, Cheraw
Phone: (843) 537-5677

Peterson`s Auto Service & Detail Shop ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Emissions Inspection Stations
Address: 478 Butler Rd, Chesnee
Phone: (828) 245-8889

Auto blog

Mazda's rotary-engine range extender could serve as an emergency generator

Wed, Mar 6 2019

GENEVA — Mazda has some pretty exciting powertrain technology in the works, particularly its Skyactiv-X spark-controlled compression-ignition engine, but also the upcoming range-extended electric vehicle with a rotary engine. It offers the possibility of electric transportation with a distinctly Mazda way of getting electricity from gas when charging isn't an option. But we learned that Mazda has some other ideas for the rotary range-extender beyond transportation, and even beyond gasoline. In talking with Ichiro Hirose, Maza's managing executive officer for powertrain and vehicle development, product planning and cost innovation, we learned that the company is exploring the powertrain's potential as an emergency generator. Naturally if an engine is suitable for creating electricity in a car, it would be suitable to provide electricity to buildings or tools. Besides a rotary engine used as a standalone generator, Hirose said the company is investigating the potential for complete cars to be used as emergency generators, since they're already mobile. Gasoline wouldn't have to be the only potential fuel, either. Hirose said Mazda is looking at possibly running the engine on liquified petroleum gas, or LPG. We asked if hydrogen was also being considered, since Mazda has a history of hydrogen-powered rotary prototypes, even some that could run on hydrogen or gasoline, but Hirose said that's not being looked at right now. Related Video:

Mazda2 nets Japan Car of the Year, Cherokee first US model to ever crack top 10

Tue, 14 Oct 2014

The 2015 Mazda2 is quite high up on our must-drive list. Yes, the teeny, tiny successor to the 100-horsepower five-door is worth getting excited over, largely because the previous generation was one of the absolute best smiles-per-dollar values on the market.
While we eagerly await for our opportunity to take to the 2's helm, our expectations of the new car have just been heightened thanks to its win in Japan's Car of the Year competition. Called "Demio" in the land of the rising sun, Japanese journalists handed out Mazda's second COTY award since the CX-5 took the title in 2012.
In more surprising news, the new Jeep Cherokee has made the list of 10 Best Cars in Japan. The Jeep's triumph marks the first time an American car has cracked the top ten, finishing eighth. It's not, however, the first Fiat Chrysler vehicle to snag the title, following in the footsteps of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Fiat Panda. Still, the fact that an American brand can make such impressive inroads into the traditionally tough-to-crack Japanese market is a seriously big deal.

2014 Mazda Skyactiv Prototype looks ready for Daytona

Fri, 17 Jan 2014

With less than two weeks before the Mazda Skyactiv Prototype makes its race debut at the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Japanese Zoom-Zoom brand brought its diesel-powered racer to the floor of the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.
The red prototype marks Mazda's return to prototype racing, and will campaign the inaugural Tudor United SportsCar Championship using a 2.2-liter, SkyActiv-D diesel engine. With 451 horsepower on tap and 580 pound-feet of torque, the racer should stand up well against a field of gas-powered competitors.
Should the Skyactiv win Daytona, it'll be a coup for Mazda. The racer is running an engine with over 50 percent of its parts drawn from the oft-delayed production Skyactiv-D. Head up top for our full gallery of images of the new Skyactiv Prototype. The 2014 Rolex 24 will be run from January 25 to 26.