z-beater

Hey,
I am new to the rx-7 forum and thought that I might use the resources that you might provide.
So here is my dilemna...as I said I have an '84 GSL-SE w/ a 13b. I went to drive it today and the engine seemed to have a rough idle after about 700'. Wondering what was going on I pulled the vehicle into a parking lot and let the vehicle idle as I opened the hood and took a look at the engine. Immeadeatly I noticed that there was a heavy smell of gas. Smeling the gas I intantly thought that it might be the fuel pulsation dampener or an apex seal. I was able to eliminate the pulsation dampener though since I just had that repaired by a mazda certified shop 5k ago. When I opened the hood I saw that the engine was rocking heavily from one side to another. The instantly made me think that one of the apex seals must have blown(178k on the engine). Unfortunatley at this point however I am unable to do compression testing to validate my conclusion.

Now on the the questions...does anyone know or had experience with a problem similar to this? And secondly am I correct in my assumption?

For the fun stuff now...If the apex seal does turn out to be blown I will be getting the engine rebuilt. And if I get the engine built I want to do it correctly. As you may have seen by my name I have extreme disgust for the z and would like nothing more than to have a vehicle that would swamp 90% of the z's out there. To do this major modifications would have to be made. I need to keep in mind that this vehicle is used as a fairly regular driver(4-8k a year) Initially I was thinking that I would throw a turbo on the engine however my search yielded no results. Is there a turbo that is made for the 1st gen 13b? If so what is it and where can it be purchased? Secondly if there is not a turbo available what other mods are fairly priced and provide good reliability.

Thanks,
David

ErikTheDead

wouldn't a 13BT swap work, ofcourse swapping in a Turbo tranny and rear-end. Since the 13B in a GSL-SE is the same or similar to the 13B in a FC?

IanS

iTrader: (4)

Welcome aboard. There are quite a few people on here that have added a turbo to their 13B. if you use the search function on the top of the page, you will most likely find out what others have used for turbos. As for the vibration thing, could be a misfire. Not sure though. I am sure someone else will chime in and help you out. Also the FAQ thread is very helpful, even if you know alot about the rotary already.

z-beater

Thanks,
I will look into the turbo. You mentioned that others have added it ot their 13b's. Were these 1st gen 13b's?
The 13bt swap would work but I don't know a place to get it done. I live right next to atkins rotary but they don't do that type of thing.

IanS

iTrader: (4)

Directfreak added turbo on his se I think. He could probably help you, or ask in the single turbo section. That would be best bet.

Sivart_R1

iTrader: (2)

Heh, I live in the same area (down the road from Atkins), am fighting GSL-SE problems of my own (emissions trouble, but still problems), and have been thinking about swapping in a TII engine / tranny.

Send me a PM if you're still fighting the car, I might be able to give a 2nd opinion...

Sivart_R1

z-beater

What do you mean bya PM. Sorry I am new to this message board thing. I have also been reading about just putting a turbo on an 84 GSl-SE. If I am reading correctly then you can put a s4 or s5 cober on it and use the tII setup. Is that correct.?

rotaryrudy

iTrader: (2)

if you take a TII engine and swap the front cover and oil pan from your GSL-SE motor then you can put it in your car. I think you might have to run premix but im not sure

IanS

iTrader: (4)

A PM means private message. if you click on someones name it will have a menu that you can choose wether to email or PM them, also buddy list and profile.

z-beater

Thanks for the info guys. I have been reading a little on cost and they are around 3000 is that correct. Right now I just need a car that runs. It seems as if I am having trouble with all my vehicles. I need a cheap fix or else the rx7 is going to have to go since I have $3000 of work that have to be done to my turbo diesel suburban. Are there and cost effective solutions that would work. Maybe it is just time to sell the 7 and purchase a different one.

rotaryrudy

iTrader: (2)

you can maybe find a used engine somewhere. you just have to be patient and look. I found one along time ago for 800 with only 35000 miles on it.

z-beater

Time is one thing that I do not have. I kinda need to decide one something to do. This is my main mode of tradsportation and I need to get it up and running. I have to other streetable vehicles but currently one is in the shop and the other is dissasembles for paint.

PT Ray

Refering to the original post, I did have a similiar issure on my 84 SE a couple weeks ago. I get in and take off heading for the gas station. While driving to the gas station, I noticed that it just did not seem to be running right. Once the car came of the fuel enrichment (after it warmed up) it could not keep its 800rpm idle, it was falling way under and then trying to recover. This also resulted in the engine rocking. Just like you, I thought this could not be good and headed back home. I eventually hooked up a timing light and noticed there was no leading spark. I don't recall smelling fuel but the incomplete combustion process resulted in fuel being burned off in the exhaust system turning it into a glowing amber. So there is hope. It also helps to have extra parts on hand or at least someone with another 7 and use that as a control car (assuming its running well) to validate readings and testing parts.