Newbie looking into buying a 3rd Gen Manual Turbo RX-7

RI-7 · 04-28-05, 09:06 AM

I've always liked RX-7's just never had the funds to get into one(i.e.high insurance rates), now that I do I would like to know what to look for in a used Gen III RX-7? I see many around 50K-70K that are for sale that have had the engine rebuilt, is there something that can be replaced around that time that could prevent this? Is this something typical of rotary engines? I've also read about Apex seals going bad and causing major oil leaks, now what does this seal do and is there some sort of major scheduled repair for these engines at a specific mileage? Should I worry about turbo at certain miles? What to look for in a bad turbo? Whats the max boost stock these engines can take with there stock fuel system? transmisson issues stock?

I'm just asking so much because basically what I know about rotarys is what I read and saw in small flash diagrams on www.HowStuffWorks.com , nothing is better than getting help/feedback from fellow owners themselves which is why I am here.

On a performance aspect how hard would it be to get a Turbo 1.3 into 300+RWHP without too many worries of reliabilty like the tranny giving out or another other components? I am asking all this because I am moving on from a 1993 Taurus SHO 5-spd that required a pretty in-depth 60K with involved gapping each of the Yamaha 24Valves with hard to find metal shims. My SHO had a nicely modded N/A 3.0L I bored out to a 3.2L, cammed it, port polished heads/manifold as well, but its biggest downfall was laying down its almost 300FWHP to ground while pulling a heavy 3350lbs Taurus body and through a FWD MTX I had rebuilt with a Quaife LSD, new gears, all cyro treated etc. Basically I got tired of rebuilding the MTX(Just recently I blew my 5th tranny) because I kept snapping input shafts with my grabby 9-puck clutch.

I am pretty mechanically inclined as you can see above but RX-7's and rotary's are totally out of my current spectrum of knowledge, now turbo's I know a little about, and tuning I am at a middle level seeing as I tuned my SHO with a piggy-back chip that ran a USB wire from it to my laptop and I could change its programming on the fly when I went to the dyno to get it just right with the agrressive cams I had in it.

Sorry for the lengthy first post here but I wanted to get all of it in one shot, if this is posted in the wrong section please let me know before I really make myself look like a newb

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pugg57 · 04-28-05, 09:11 AM

read the newbie thread... it will tell you everything you need to know to understand what the hell you are contemplating getting yourself into.

click here

then, if you still have questions, ask specifics and you'll get good responses. vague will only get BS and bitching... trust me.

mods, perhaps you could rename the "FAQ" thread and call it the "so, you wanna buy an RX-7?" something that may attract a little more attention from the newbs? or at least, just make another one called that, with a hotlink to the original.

pugg57 · 04-28-05, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RI-7

I've always liked RX-7's just never had the funds to get into one(i.e.high insurance rates), now that I do I would like to know what to look for in a used Gen III RX-7? I see many around 50K-70K that are for sale that have had the engine rebuilt, is there something that can be replaced around that time that could prevent this? Is this something typical of rotary engines? I've also read about Apex seals going bad and causing major oil leaks, now what does this seal do and is there some sort of major scheduled repair for these engines at a specific mileage? Should I worry about turbo at certain miles? What to look for in a bad turbo? Whats the max boost stock these engines can take with there stock fuel system? transmisson issues stock?

read the newbie thread.
no, the engines go
yes, its a fact of rotary life
don't know where you read that, but apex seals are rotary piston rings
nope, they all go when they feel like it
shaft play, damaged turbine wheels (chunks missing), poor boost response
10 psi (with the stock ECU) change the ECU, and you can get to about 12psi on the stock turbos which is good for your 300rwhp
nope

Quote:

Originally Posted by RI-7

On a performance aspect how hard would it be to get a Turbo 1.3 into 300+RWHP without too many worries of reliabilty like the tranny giving out or another other components?

300rwhp is easy, reliability is something that can NEVER be guaranteed with a rotary engine, the tranny won't give out (if its a manual)