Does anyone have any tips for a person new to rotaries?
 

I'm new to the rotary thing

1. Don't start making mods until you know it runs correctly. Drive it for a few months to understand how it operates. Normal maintenance only at this point.

2. Change the following:
Fluids:
Oil (Conventional 10w-40 works well)
Oil Filter (Anything but Fram)
Coolant (50/50 distilled water, make sure to get all the coolant out of the radiator, engine block and heater core - run a hose in one of the lines and use another for a drain, get it all out)
Thermostat (Just to be safe, might be rusted shut or not functioning properly if it hasn't been changed in a very long time)
Transmission Fluid (75w-90 Mobil-1 synthetic is what I normally use)
Rear Differential Fluid (Same Mobil-1, I really like it)
Gas (Pull the drain plug on the bottom of the gas tank and drain everything out of it if the car's been sitting for any length of time. Best to run the tank as low as possible so you don't have 5 gallons of wasted fuel sitting around)

Parts:
Spark Plugs (NGKBR8EQ14 for a 12a I believe)
Wires (NGK would be best)
Distributor Rotor Cap (For 12a)
Fuel Filter (AutoZone or similar parts stores will have one)
Air Filter (Duh)

You should be good to go for a long time if you get that list done.

If you can't tell, I'm a huge believer in preventative maintenance :bigthumb:

Go to the archives and read everything.
Thats what i did.
Learn all there is to the vehicle your driving, then when you have a understanding of all the systems, thats when you can start the hp modifications

Sent from my gs4 using RX7Club app

Get the FSM and read up. Learn alot and like KansasCityREPU said, just make sure it runs good and enjoy it. Understand the ins and outs before moding it. Enjoy it!!

1) Do not EVER let it overheat. The Wankel rotary engine design is such that overheating causes warped housings which will never reseal properly again, and will destroy internal rings, springs, gaskets and seals that will require a full engine rebuild to remedy. If it starts to overheat on the gauge (meaning more than 3/4 to Hot) - TURN THE ENGINE OFF IMMEDIATELY - and get the car off the road. Overheating is the single largest cause of death of rotary engines and RX7's when their owners found out how much a factory rebuild costs.

2) It burns oil - check the oil every gas fillup. The rotary engine has an Oil Metering Pump located at the front of the engine which pumps engine oil out of the front cover housing into the intake path so the engine can 'breathe' a little bit of oil for the apex seals (tip seals on each rotor, there are 3 per rotor, and 6 total apex seals). This means it will drink a small amount of engine oil when you drive it - more if you drive at high RPM. Check the oil level every fuel fillup, and top it off with clean oil. Change your oil regularly, because the quality of the oil in the pan is what the engine gets to breathe. Low engine oil level leads to #1, above.

3) Change your spark plugs regularly. Given that the engine injects oil into the intake and older engines will likely not be sealing as well as new, the spark plugs will tend to foul quickly (~5-6k miles) and will gradually gum up. Keep them clean, replace them regularly and you'll get better performance and mileage. Oh, and change your Cap & Rotor assembly every few years, too - they crack and then don't conduct electricity properly to the head as it passes by.

4) The exhaust is really hot. Much hotter than a typical piston engine, because the exhaust gas has very little time to cool before it shoots out the side into the exhaust manifold. This raises underhood temperatures, and will cook through standard mufflers rapidly. Stainless steel headers, collectors, and mufflers will last a lifetime, but cost a lot more.

5) Fuel filters clog occasionally. There's a fuel filter right in front of the gas tank under the car which filters fuel from the tank leading to the fuel pump. Most are clear plastic so you can see if they have crap in them. Change it occasionally and you'll avoid a lot of 'car won't start/bad performance' issues. They're cheap, so buy a few.

6) Watch for coolant leaks. Coolant going down in the radiator is an indicator of a few things - one could be simple like a leaky radiator drain or intake manifold O-rings, but worst case is the engine seals are allowing coolant to pass into the intake chamber vacuum. You'll see steam and smell sweet exhaust if that's the case, and a sure sign of an upcoming engine rebuild. Monitor coolant level closely including the overflow bottle, or see #1 above.

7) Do not EVER let it overheat! It bears repeating, because it's so important - and every list needs to have 7 items!

Good luck!

Don't over rev the engine
Don't believe all the rumors
Don't forget to check your oil
Don't forget to let the car warm up
Don't forget to follow the other guys advice

BEFORE you buy it - get it to a Mazda shop that can run a compression test (special mazda tool). No point having to shell out $$2500+ on a rebuild right out of the gate. WHY? - rotaries can SEEM to be running fine on the Test Drive, masking engine failures that are there. Great cars IF you know what you are up against at the time of purchase....
'luck - these are cool cars!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

Thanks for all the advice, i bought it last week and it was a one owner guy. It doesn't need any work and the compression is good i was just wondering what things i should do to it to keep it up and thanks for all the reply's. they really help :)

The 1st things I'd toss in there is a quart of Castrol and a fire extinguisher.

If I see those two things in someone's RX-7, it make me feel like they know a little something about these cars.

...and a BIG bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil!

For the OP's benefit - some guys 'premix' oil into the fuel because it ensures a proper lubrication of the apex seals, and our cars are known for collecting carbon on the rotor faces which can be reduced to a degree by mixing Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) with your gasoline. As an added item, DO NOT submit to the school of 'ATF Treatment' whereby you squirt automatic transmission fluid into the intake ports in hopes of it cleaning out the carbon.

What will happen is that the ATF will clean out ALL the carbon, including what little carbon deposits are in there that help seal the engine well. The end result is an engine that smokes heavily as it can now draw oil past the Oil Control Rings at the center of each rotor which then gets burned in the exhaust. If you've seen a 'mosquito fogger truck' at work - your RX7 would give it a run for it's money.

Enjoy it, but don't believe the statement; "It doesn't need any work"!

When checking the oil level, monitor the brake and clutch fluid levels. Your car may not have many miles on it, but it does have many years. Its one thing to detect a clutch or brake fluid leak in the garage, another thing when it happens on the drive home from work.

And I did have to rebuild my 12a because of continued mild overheating due to a small leak in the radiator which was not detected because of a bad coolant temp sender. If it leaks coolant, fix it. Easier than a rebuild.