burn1496

Hi guys, I plan to replace an 1989 RX7 FC S5 N/A Engine with a 1991 RX7 FC S5 N/A Convertible .My car is an 1989 RX7 FC S5 n/a (Not convertible) . I just want to know if it's hard? to pull the engine and replace it? I plan to do it myself since I am on budget after buying the 1991 engine.I do not have any experience with car , only know change tired and stuff. But I right now take engine class in college and know how to tear down an engine and put it back together. What do i need to use as instruction? I only have ALLDATA not sure if it good for instruction tho. Thanks Guys

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Well if you pay attention removing it,then you should have no problem replacing another Same or similar engine.
Mark all connections on engine and harness OR pull the harness through the firewall from the ECU and replace the engine and harness as one.
Foxed.ca has FSM info.

ROTARY_ADDICT-1

iTrader: (6)

no its not hard

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

If you are taking an engine class and are planning on rebuilding the engine, you may want to do further research. The rebuild kit with all seals and gaskets can set you back upwards of $1000.

AaronCake has a great rebuild video on youtube, but simple R&R is not difficult. Mark all connections with masking tape and a pen. Soak fasteners in penetrating oil before removal. All standard stuff.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Last July I pulled my old engine and bolted in the new in under four hours.
Spent another day building up the intake and finishing the detailing but engine install is extremely easy.

I installed the bare keg, the only ancillary put on before was the OMP and lines.

You'll be bent over the engine for hours installing everything else, so prepare for a sore back.

burn1496

The car have an engine coolant blown. I am not sure i should replace the engine or rebuild it. But I think I prefer rebuild the engine. I been asking many shop for quote on rebuild and they said it should be around $3500+. However, am on budget. I planning to spent around $1200 on the car. Dont want to let it go since i love RX7 so much. . The only thing I afraid of is i may make mistake and screw up the engine. I willing to spent time on it tho. Thank Y'all for the information. (thumbs up)

burn1496

By the way, if I plan to rebuild engine what kit should i use?. It's an 1989 RX7 FC S5 Non-TURBO. I want a reliable kit since I gonna make it my daily. After rebuilt

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

This has been covered as far as kits go, but the most common is the Atkins kit with Mazda OE apex seals.

If you are just getting started out, research your *** off. Building the engine is not difficult, but requires patience and care. Watch videos. There are several good ones on youtube. Read the FSm on Foxed.ca. If anything, pull the engine and reinstall with new gaskets as long as it has decent compression and is not burning too much oil or coolant.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

and expect a broken iron. hopefully it hasn't been sitting for a while with coolant inside the engine, otherwise expect even more damage.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Sorry man...there is one word you may as well lose in your vocabulary as you now own a rotary Vehicle.

BUDGET...unless the word "unlimited" is in front of it!

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

You said "BUDGET" HAHAHAHAHA

clokker

iTrader: (2)

"However, am on budget. "

In that case, find a running engine on CL and drop it in, there's no cheaper option.

JuliANSR

you'll save tons of time and money just dropping a used motor in. you can find them from 100-3000 on craigslist, car-part.com or through or top vendors. make sure you can test it if you get a CL one.

The bare minimum in gaskets you'd want/need is closing in on 1000$ (600 or so for hard seals, 150 or so for the paper gaskets, $100 injectors serviced). Figure 50-60 for tools you dont have like for the 54mm flywheel nut and feeler guages/dial indicator/compression tester wont hurt. and then you may(should) want to do the clutch etc while its out. 150 or so and machine time for the flywheel.

You need fluids either way, but that's still another 100$, on top of the rest.


Then you have to do the work which is much less sexy than it seems. It's a **** ton of scrubbing and gloves and/or sending it all out to be cleaned. Cash or time, but cleaning supplies/brass wheels are still more $.

This is all basic cost...When you open the keg up and find that the coolant issue likely means you need a new iron like I did because yours has a hole! So that's 200$ all day if one of the vendors even has a solid one they are willing to sell you.

There are lots of little things to add to this list as you go. I needed new shifter boot rubber, engine mounts are a nice thing to do now.

The rebuild advantage for me, was that i wanted to do this project and have an engine i at least knew inside out had its wear items replaced. In retrospect if i'd found a good used engine id have been driving six it months ago instead of hunting parts and potentially not even having a running car.

The quickest route is to get a used engine...and it's better if you can spring for a rebuilt one...rebuilding is time consuming and anything can go wrong. I would still rebuild mine again, but i have a specific goal beyond daily driving of going slowly insane.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

personally, last i checked i had over 100 irons for 1986-1995 engines i kept after pitching the junkers prior to moving. so yeah, odds are i have some for someone.

burn1496

Thank You so much. I really appreciate your post. It explain to me a lot of thing.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

you should put an upper limit on a used running engine of about $500 though, mostly because you still have to be prepared for when it does kick the bucket. if you find an original engine that is still running, that'd be a miracle, and also a big warning sign.

lduley

iTrader: (1)

This, my 88 gxl doesn't even have 110K miles on it, and it eats coolant, haven't had the cash to fix it yet, it just sits and i start it here and there to burn crap off. Sad really

burn1496

After I search part at car-part.com, I found a 1990 Engine Assembly Mazda RX7 that is 153,000 Miles Grade A. I call them and ask them to do compression test. After couple hrs, they called back and told me that the engine compression is 125 psi. I was surprise because the engine mileage was high. Since I live like 2hr30 min away from the place. I just want to ask should I buy this engine?

lduley

iTrader: (1)

Thats up to you

But if it were me, I'd compression test it again while i was there

Another thing, compression test doesn't give you any ideas of how the orings are internally
Now if you go look at it, and the engine looks REALLY clean, its probably been rebuilt at some point

But IMHO, 125psi on a 150K engine, i doubt it. Its either been rebuilt, or they are blowing smoke up your **** to sell it

If you do buy it, make sure you get a written warranty, i know in michigan, any engine or trans sold and is sold under the understanding that the engine runs or trans works, there is a 30 day warranty

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

that's pretty weird, because that matches best results i have ever achieved when testing a rotary engine even with brand new housings. they also only gave you 1 number, you need 6 compression figures for a rotary engine.

personally i think they read the service manual and gave you the upper limit figure, because i quite simply find it highly unlikely that the engine has perfect compression.

if it is an original engine, it's a ticking timebomb and the $500 number rule i gave above strictly applies. mostly because it would need to be rebuilt, like immediately, otherwise it's going to strand you someplace inconveniently.

burn1496

I just ask them for picture, Correct me if am wrong ,By the look at it I dont think it ever been rebuild.

lduley

iTrader: (1)

red flag #1, theres no transmission hooked to the engine, how did they compression test it?? Going off the rust, it hasn't had a trans on it in awhile, so I call BS

those look like s4 housings, I don't see knock sensors?

that engine is VERY clean, almost TOO clean to be 150K, even the tension bolt heads are still shiny

its either been rebuilt, or is a Mazda ReMan is my guess

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

The housings appear to be S5. They are threaded for knock sensors, but maybe they were removed?

burn1496

Thanks for your reply. So should i buy the engine?

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

S5 n/a never had knock sensors, the housings are shared with the turbo however so they too have the threaded boss. it is an S5 engine though.

the braided lines tell me it was likely owned by an enthusiast. i see no signs of a rebuild though, at least not within 50k miles or 7 years.

the engine was probably replaced with a lower mile unit when the first one crapped the bed and a lower mile one dropped in. the wrecker merely went by the mileage on the odometer.

the fact that there is still rust on the flywheel tells me they are lying about compression figures and probably got them from alldata, where they get all the figures they give with their engines.

most likely if the engine had been turned at all there would be some oil dripping from the front oil line, i don't even see one drip under there.