ok guys i am looking into rebuilding my 12a that had a coolant leak from the inside. i was driving my car in the winter and didnt have the proper mixture of antifreeze in the radiator so as i drove the coolant froze and my 12a over heated. i turned it off and waited for it too cool down then i kept going. i did this a few times so i could just get it home. but it stalled on me. did i mention it was 15 deg below zero. well got it home finally and put ot in my garage just to find out that antifreeze poured out of my front spark plug hole. i knew i had a problem. i have my 12 torn apart on my work bench right now and im not sure what i should do. i was thinking of a rebuild. what steps do i need to take before i can buy a kit and put it back together? any tips and sugestions are greatly appreciated.
thanks
micah

 

now if i go about rebuilding the 12a, what are the steps that i need to take to get started. like do i need to worry about anything being worped or what new parts will i need? what do i need to have done before i do a rebuild?

 

Could always go the 13bTII route. heh

 

I say also ...go with the 13b TII ....If your going to put time in to it you should at least have a reward

 

yeah but where will i get that and how much am i going to have to spend? im only 18 and i have a crappy job. i love my 83 rx7 and i want her to live again. unless there is somone who wants to help me out a little.

 

a rebuild will cost you....try to find a decent milage motor "12a" and dont pay over $500 for it....

 

or you can try to find another 1st gen and have that one as a project car.....in my area I constantly see running 1st gens selling for $250-$1000....

 

anybody have a first gen layin around that has a good motor and tranny? if so im intrested. my tranny has no 4th gear cause the main bearing is shot and so are my syncros.

 

????is the body nice on this car

 

i saw this 84 rx7 parked in some guys back yard with the grass growing around it with flat tires and the side lights missing on the front with a faded red paint job. had burgandy interior that need to be detailed. i left a note on his door saying i was intrested. he calls me back and says he wants $1500 for it. 160k miles on it i dont think it was worth it personaly. but a good engine and tranny is hard to come by up here in wisconsin. i travel with my old man to illinois and ohio once in a while and i wish i could find a engine and trans in a parts car real cheap. let me know if any of you have something i might be intrested in.
thanks
micah

 

on which car?

 

my car the body is in fair shape but the 84 i looked at was kinda rough. lots of rust underneath. the red car was in an accident. i just wanted it for parts.

 

thats a little high....more like 700 tops...if motor is good....when looking at cars if you can look on the driver side...near the mazda namesake on the rotor housing ...if you see numbers and leters that look like they have been stamped on by hand...it is most likly already been rebilt

 

intresting i never knew that.

 

I have tranny. Needs to be pulled (happening in next week or 2). Has newer clutch in it with roughly 25K on it. Cant remember how many miles on tranny will check. Also from 83 GS. I live in washington, IA and I can meet in middle or ship freight (way cheaper). Let me know what you think...

Ian

 

buy a 12a ported motor for sale in the trader and wack it in. Mose well get more power if ur gonna go to the trouble of putting another motor in.

 

to rebuild.. well it depends on what condition the parts are in. endplates can be machined and reused, so can housings if there still in good condition, rotors, stationary gear, etc etc.

find a mate with a micrometer and check that all parts are withing specs. In that case all you would need is a rebuild kit to freshen up the seals.

If things are bad then you will need in addition to the kit, new housings, new plates, new rotors, new timing gear, etc etc... that would be costly bu would give you a 100% fresh engine... would be worth porting while its in pieces... even just a mild extend port with large exhaust ports would be a good little power gain.

It all depends on the condition of the parts, go to a rotor workshop and they will tell you what can be reused etc

-James

 

yes, this is absolutely key! and though the rebuild process is not too hard, a thorough inspection can be tricky if you're not sure what to look for. do it yourself ONLY if you're comfortable, if not have someone that knows what they're doing to build it - and let you watch.

my concern with your engine is that a housing may have cracked before you started it up (maybe an overnight freeze) and when the engine heated up, the frozen fluid had a chance to start flowing through the crack and then ... well you know the rest.

so inspect everything thoroughly, but be prepared to just buy a used motor because you may have to chuck a good portion of this one due to warping.

 

ok ill look at the parts tonight and see if i can find any cracks. i looked around and found info on where to look and how to find the problem that may have caused my engine to go bad. so like i said ill look tonight.

 

why do the words 13B 4-port street ported come in my head

 

if you do go the new engine route, keep the 12a around, you may want to use it in another car, Im lookin at eventually getting an mx-5 and putting my 12a into it after i do the t2 swap, awhile in the future, but whats wrong with a dream

 

yeah i hear ya. i almost bought a mx-5. sweet little cars. the one i looked at was loaded with so many mods. it was decked out pretty good.