I have a '79 rx-7 with the 12 a engine. I havnt seen alot about them in here, so hopefully someone can help. I ordered a short throw shifter from mazdatrix and it went in, but it hits the radio consel in 1st, 3rd, and 5th! Are they not supposed to fit the first gen's? I also would like to know how noticable it is when you blow a seal. The car has power, but not anything to brag about, by far. Its slow. I finally got it running good, but it's still slow. The car blows white smoke at high RPM's, no matter the temperature. also, the idiot lights come on randomly. I replaced the radiator, cause it was leaking, but the ADD COOLANT light comes on every now and then, along with the add ENGINE OIL. i have checked both fluids, and they're fine. Is this common? How much is new seals installed? or should i get a new engine?

White smoke means you need a rebuild! You have a blown coolant seal.

sorry, i didnt mean white smoke. it's definatley blue. I know the rotarys are supposed to burn oil, but how much? It's alot.

Check your oil levels then constantly to see how much it's burning.

It burnt 3 qt in 2 weeks. I havnt ran it very hard, either. Ill show my buddies a burnout, and show them them blue smoke, but not 3 qts. it was LOW. How much is new seals? How much for a used 12A?

3 quarts in 2 weeks? That's like 3000+ miles worth. I think you need a rebuild. :)

how much and where do i get a rebuild? should i just drop in a used 12a?

Check out some other rotary forums (nopistons.com rx7club.com) and look in the first gen sections. They can help better than I can.

thanks

you could always get a 13B :)