They Don't Make Cars Like The Mazda RX-7 Anymore | Jalopnik 

Yeah alot of people pre mix, my dad has an fb gslse and took out the oil squirter?? And just pre mixes whenever he fills up

@@caseylopez7152 premixing is a lot of work... well as long as he remembers... lol.

Premixing is common with enthusiasts. It's the OMP btw- oil metering pump.

@@sp00kyaction yeah omp... its been a while since ive had all my fc3s gtxs... lol. I miss blowing flames out the back and pulling away from mustangs. Hehe

Lolo Uro I know I have a rx8 I think they should build a 3 rotor rx10

Only have owned one. Still do. 1983. Bought with a blown apex. Knew nothing about rotary the day i bought it. Rebuilt and swapped in a 13b in 3 months about 4 years ago. Still dail her. Couldn't agree with you more. Something special.

great place for a chevy ls :)

@@DANTHETUBEMAN nah

i own one and know where one sets.. think its time for #2

I have a 1985. Just got painted and rebuild engine. I need help putting it back together or sell

LoL only because the mixture is tough to nail down with the secondaries wired, the choke deleted and the timing set for max power. If you haven't fucked with it, one of the previous owners has for sure at some point in the past 30-40 years. Just twist the dizzy counterclockwise to back the timing off and she'll fire up so long as she has compression, spark and gas. Flutter the throttle while starting and feel the point where it wants to catch flame... then flutter around that point. Repeat a few times until successful. If it hasn't run in a bit, just pour a little gas down the carb and as the overly rich mixture thins out, you'll get a point where it will catch. Make sure the starter is gounded properly too as thats a common problem due to age of the car. If battery charge is good but the starter motor has problems, it is likely the grounding on the starter. And of course, make sure the main fuse is good... duh... Oh, and your goddamn right I feel like a hero when I got my rx7 started! PS - on some models the trailing ignition module also controls the fuel pump and tach, So if your tach is wonky and its not getting gas, then swap the trailing ignition module with a GM HEI one (Mazda J109 is just a different form factor and no longer in production). Fabricate the connector to fit. PPS - always put a half pint of tcw3 2-stroke oil in with every tank of gas. The engine was designed to burn oil like a 2 stroke and your don't want to trust a 30 yr old oil metering pump with your whole engine.

Will - You should probably clarify that you are talking specifically about a first generation RX-7 like the one in the video. After all, the 3rd generation RX-7 probably starts much more reliably today than most other cars made in 1993 (mine has never failed to start). This is probably due in part to the fact that very few other cars were using distributorless ignition systems 25 years ago. As for the first generation, while I have not actually seen any statistical data showing that these older models have starting problems it would not really surprise me if they did. And I do know that if you ever somehow manage to flood a rotary engine you will completely loose compression and the only way you will get it started after that is to pull the plugs and inject some oil into the combustion chambers. Still, the first RX-7 was a really great sports car for the price and it handled pretty well despite the fact that it did not have an independent rear suspension. In fact this car came out the same year that I first started autocrossing as a teenager and the fastest guy in my class drove a brand new first generation RX-7.

@@SLOBeachboy There really aren't any hard to start cars out there, just people who don't understand why a car doesn't start. Old low compression engines were hard to start, because the low compression didn't produce sufficient heat. Rotary engines aren't any harder to start that piston engines but they have different fuel/air characteristics. They breathe differently. I used to start my 83 rx7 in minus 40 back in 1996. The block heater had to be plugged in and it took a while and you needed to have your right foot game on point to get the right mixture through the carb but I daily'd my 83 from 96-98 in Saskatchewan through the winter on all season tires. It had the exhaust re-circulation stuff still in place and the choke was still there, the secondary butterflies were stock vaccum controlled and the timing wasn't optimized for power but I drove it all winter down to minus 40 (Celsius and Farenheight are the same at minus 40). It made just as much power as when it was brand new and had about 80,000 miles on it. My 1982 that I had the previous year had 125,000 miles and was a bit harder to start and a bit rougher running but ultimately had the same performance. They are designed to be driven from 4000-7000 rpms and actually won 1982 24hr Spa by pushing the leading car's rpms to the point that its valves failed. People who claim poor reliability for rotary engines lack the mechanical skill required to own a classic car. Some are even mechanics, but they let the OBD scanner do all the work. Others just don't want to spend the time it takes to listen to an engine and figure out what it needs. Fuel, air, compression and spark - it's really not that complicated.

Compression loss due to worn Apex seals is always a nonstart or hard start symptom. And yes a no frills, low cost sports car is long overdue.

​@@edmusick7794 I've never tested compression on any of the 3 12a fb's I've owned. I just redline it in 4th. If it struggles over 6000 rpms, I look further into it with the simple stuff like fuel filter, spark plugs, seafoam/vaccum leaks, sticky egr. I honestly don't know how the engine finally goes as I've never seen one blow up or known anyone who had one blow. I would imagine it just fades away, starts smoking from side seal failure, all the usual stuff. I know for a fact that a freshly rebuilt 12a runs like butter and you don't see many with over 150,000 miles but hey, what do you want from an high reving engine from the 70s.

Sometimes you go down through threads on you tube and eventually you stumble on the comment you were going to say...here it is... Nice one...i can only add one thing...i had an 86 light metallic blue RX7 for three years...i had to sell it to start my second business. About seven years later..i spotted a wrecked one at the side of the road. Then i read the number plate under muck... IT WAS MY OLD RX7....i even tried to buy it back. It felt like finding a former girlfriend who you really liked and only split up because she moved far away....and you found her years later, drunk and sitting in an alleyway. OMG....they refused to sell it to me..it even had a blown engine. HOW MANY CARS WOULD YOU DO THAT WITH. NOT MANY.

@@BLITZY261 mine still has a sticker from a military base like for entry

Someone has. Look up AIE Rotary Engine. They currently make some pretty trick rotary engines, but they're still developing some more consumer-grade engines that can be swapped into road cars.

I'm ... not sure if there's anything you can really do about the apex seals problem and the fact that you can't have a perfect seal against the spark plugs, especially with a Wankel.

@@Appletank8 yeah, they just need to be replaced every once in a while.

Appletank8 - Apex Seals can be made better and longer lasting. The company I mentioned in my previous post are using a nifty graphite-ceramic material for their apex seals and their testing have found them to last quite a lot longer.

what about sealing the spark ports and the fact that the front edge of the triangle is often moving faster than the fuel can burn? It's kinda a problem with the geometry of the rotation itself unless you rotate differently. Kinda why I've been following LiquidPiston's X engines, since they basically have a stationary burning area with their rotary design.

I just sold my RX-8. Kind of miss driving it but I also know I'll end up with an old RX-7 just for fun, eventually.

Or rather,say it's taking too long to be released

This, very cringey and hard to watch at times

but they know more than most people. They're there to drive and experience. Not to teach you how to bore cylinders and teach you about pre-ignition

I feel the same. It's just bland with "Its only fun!" "It's only 100HP" "Its a cheep 2+2" No breif history of the RX-7, No basic specs, no how it runs and handles, No fun factor... So boring!

truth

It wasn't a review.... It was a video on the old style of sports cars

This, anybody who knows even the slightest bit about rotary knows why mazda hasn't made another RX.

I've owned six of these first gen Rx7s, all of the the 12A GSL package from '81 through 85. Sounds like you have a rare gem. 80,000 original miles? Want to keep it a gem? Change out the oil-metering pump (OMP) pronto. After 70-80K the lobes inside them start to wear down, delivering less and less oil to the float bowls of the Nikki 4-barrel carb and thereby to the intakes to lube those all-important apex seals. There is no warning light or warning buzzer to ever let you know when the OMP is failing. You may not even notice the gradual reduction in required oil added to the engine per miles driven before one day one of those oil-starved apex seals just pack it in and get unceremoniously spat out the exhaust port, taking a few thousand dollar's worth of rotor and housing with it on the way out. Don't ask me why, but it seems the rear rotor is usually the first to suffer this fate. If your goal is to keep the car all-original, buy two of these OMPs and keep one as a spare, replacing every 80,000 miles - kinda like what those with piston engines have to do with their life-limited timing belts. But if best efficiency and durability are your goals (at the expense of keeping it all-original) then consider pre-mixing, ie: removing the OMP altogether and replacing it with a block-off plate, and dumping about 1/3 to 1/2 quart of 2-cycle oil into the tank with each fill-up from

???

Why dont you still have it

Same, I went with an FRS. Nice reliable, driving dynamics car with an emergency back seat and a decent trunk.

Clutch545 shhhhhh.... We don't want any daddy Doug comments here. Let people talk about rhe subject of the video... This glorious rx7

No actually I totally agree with this, these two were pretty cringey and I’m def not a Doug supporter he’s cringey as well

Thats not a hipster.. Hes gay

Kaszimir Herbert no I love Doug he's great but his commenters are ridiculous

@@paulcarmi8130 Doug loans car copies wikipedia page and talks 20 min about the car. Boring dude

The boxster engine is had is not great though. You don't know the number of them of seen come into my dealer for major failures. I would have preferred at least a flat six or the 2GR out of the Camry and IS350.

@@Comrade_Chloe ur not wrong i wish it had like a new 3jz or a caymans flat 6

Or even a hopped-up, sportier version of the 2ZZ. That engine was a riot in the XRS Corolla. There's a reason it's been in nearly every Lotus since 2005

Those suck ass

Its not THAT light and the engine is pretty fucking fat and shit. The only reason why flats are good is because of their boost they get to make. Rotaries are smooth, simple in design, REALLY FUCKING LIGHT and rev high... Which makes it sound so good

true.a RX series with the mechanicals from a SP25 3 I would be in for sure.call it a RX9.

Too late they are bringing the rotary back in 2020

That has nothing to do with his point. Even as a range extender it's still a mass produced engine that is subject to emissions laws.

The rotary will be back. Lol the rotary has a theoretical potential to be like 70% efficient. When the piston engine generally gets almost 30% efficiency?? ( please dont quote me on the exact numbers im sure im a little off). Now, obviously its only 'theoretical' potential. But there is a company making waves with a rotary that is about there. AIE, i believe is the company.

And it's a shame because they were such great cars

the gas mileage alone or Absense of it would make rotaries in todays maket a Very tough sell unless they have come up with some revolutionary break throughs...I used to get 12mpg with my 86rx7 turbo.... theres also the history that goes with these, some of it not all good, oil burning, seals going bad ect that would affect sales...former owner of multiple rx7's here.

buy an old 280Z. drop a 2jz in it. Sports car.

I added the rear seat after market

Abtin Khayatian it’s just that buying an gt86/brz is too expensive new. And it isn’t as bare-bones as the rx-7

Because the BRZ/GT86 is just a bit below the mark of what they're looking for. If it was just the lack of power then they'd be panning the MX-5 just as much.

@@VestedUTuber They love the Mx5 because of the soft top but they too say it's a bit underpowered. Get it right.

@@dntlkdwn1602 did you know the last Rx8 was pricier than the 86? And how the hell is 26k starting expensive for a RWD, Sub 3000 lb sports car with 205hp? How often do you see that? You guys need to admit it that horsepower is what drives you. Just be honest with yourself.

Mowflex The SubNegro don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the gt86

mishfal And Mazda are bring back the RX Marque for 2020. Yeah take that.

What a dumbass comment

@@samueljones3668 that hasn't been confirmed yet. All we know is that they are bringing back the rotary engine as a range extender for an electric vehicle. Even if they do bring back the RX name, my point still stands. Enthusiasts will only accept the RX badge on a hardcore sports car. If Mazda ends up making something soft and underpowered like the 1st gen RX-7 it will not sell. The 3rd ge. RX-7 set the bar too high and ruined the idea of a cheap inexpensive RX car. The RX-8 was a flop. The only possible option for Mazda for Mazda to use the RX name going forward is to reintroduce something like the RX-3, which can be soft and underpowered, and also bring back the RX-7 (or use RX-9) as a halo car. Otherwise we will never see one soft, underpowered, RX car by itself in Mazda's lineup.

The RX8 was an attempt to bridge the gap between casual sports car consumers and rotary fans. It met the demands of neither. Also, rotary fans aren’t rotary fans because of engine output (remember that rotaries have no torque), we’re fans because these are light, high revving engines that give an experience that’s hard to find anywhere else. I think you misunderstand rotary culture, especially considering that the FB is arguably the second most popular RX7 generation in the core community.

Eh, the RX-8 had... other... issues (still one of my favorite cars, though). As for the BRZ, the main complaint regarding power isn't necessarily that it's "low power", but that it's just slightly underpowered. It's _almost_ powerful enough for its weight, but it just needs a little push to get it just right. You could probably get it up there with an ECU tune or a tuned exhaust. But I also hear a lot of people complaining about what I've decided to refer to as "Toyota Lag". Everything Toyota makes these days (and this has been a trend since the mid 2000s) has a bit of hesitance on EVERYTHING. Step on the gas? It takes a half a second or so to actually open the throttle. Hitting the brakes? You have a whole inch of deadzone before they even engage. Turning? Well, it doesn't lag, but you have to turn it quite far to get the right steering angle to make it around that corner. And all this contributes to the car feeling heavier than it actually is. The Lexus RC, which is basically a luxury BRZ/GT86 in function if not design, has all these same complaints - slightly underpowered and feels "laggy" - on a car that's much more powerful and _supposed_ to be much more refined. So, I think it's less "no one wants a 'slow car fast' car" and more "modern Toyota sucks at making sports cars". If there wasn't a market for "slow car fast" cars, the Miata (excuse me, MX-5) wouldn't be doing well. But it's still a successful platform. And Fiat recently brought back the Spyder, too (saw one on the road just yesterday, in fact). So it's not that no one wants these, but that you need to get the formula right to be successful in this particular market sector. The RX-7 SA has the right formula - light, feels good to drive, very connected to the road, and with just enough power to do the job (or at least just enough for the era it was developed in). Same goes for the Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin, and even the Nissan 280ZX to a lesser extent even if it was an outright porker compared to the previously mentioned cars.

Redline buzzer

I have a very nice 1984 RX-7 with a Skyline engine and transmission, and with1990 RX-7 convertible brakes (same brakes as the Turbo models), and the BBS convertible 15 inch wheels. I would not trade it for a fancy new Porsche or late model Supra. With proper adjustment and good ball joints, the steering is just fine.

Car manuf. is driven by high sales volumes. Have you seen Roxon 4x4 or Suzuki new Jimny? Outside company efforts to bring all you talking about. Can we change politics and laws?

Australia was one of the few markets they made the rear seats standard but that's because what the likes of Datsun/Nissan(280zx/300zx),Alfa with their GTV AND GTV6,Mitsubishi Starion and even Porsche with the 924 and 944 were doing at the time.They did that not so much due to seatbelt laws in the land down under but without it would be buyers at the same showrooms would have been forced into a 626 HATCHBACK(from 83 onwards)or a Coupe which existed in both models of the 626 before that became a MX6 from 88 onwards.

FC for me. I like the boxier look

It's supposed to be a light fun car. Not a BMW Z4.

That’s not a bad idea tho, especially considering that way back in the day, Mazda actually offered versions of their rotary vehicles that were powered by piston engines. So you could have a something like an RX3, with a rotary engine. Or a vehicle that had the same chassis and body, but had a piston engine instead