ok i just bought a 1985 12a motor rx-7. now this car coast me $50.00 makes me happy its my first rx so im stoaked . it has purple/gold changling paint, drag rims, interceptor tires, almost perfect interior, one dent out side. But here are the problems. the motor needs rebuilt the transmission is grinding and the small parts in the engine bay are rusted oh and the car wont start concictently. but i did find a jspec long block motor for $1000 or i can buy a rebuild kit the motor is some were on this forum? when the car runs there is white and i mean white smoke after a couple of minets of ideling but thats my car what do you all think?

 

Hey, fifty bucks ain't too bad, if the body and everything is strait. You can rebuild an engine, but I would suggest having someone walk you through it. You can find rebuild kits on ebay or www.mazdatrix.com just look around and good luck. Welcome to the forum.

 

yeah there is an rx 7 shop down the road from me rx7 heaven its not bad but it is pricey

 

Everything is pricey with these damn cars but I love my baby...85 GS

 

yeah i fell in love the minet i saw it the guy thougt it had a blown motor i wasnt about to correct him for the price

 

White smoke means that coolant is leaking into your combustion chamber and burning. No suprise it doesn't really run.

If you have wreckers in your area hit them frequently for a while and I'm sure you'll be able to snag a tranny and possibly even an engine. Or do the rebuild thing is always an option. Love your sig... But I'd call a) blown engine and b) wrecked tranny a little more than minor.

What pic is your avatar - I assume not the $50 car...

 

pm sent

 

no i dont have pics of the car up yet But I'd call a) blown engine and b) wrecked tranny a little more than minor. [QUOTE] the trany need new t/o berrings the motor needs apex seals replaced

 

The Rx7Heaven near you had better not have ANY relation to the Rx7Heaven near me, or you're in for some unpleasant surprises!

They probably aren't, but anyway.... Congrats on the car. Depending on the condition of the insides of the engine it may be rebuildable.

White smoke is not from bad apex seals. I think you should spend a little time getting to know the insides of your engine before you consider rebuilding it yourself. www.rotaryengineillustrated.com is a good place to start, as is www.howstuffworks.com . Getting a Heynes manual is a great way to start, as it will give you plenty of information on the car, and how to do routine work yourself. White smoke sounds like coolant seals, which btw you have to do if you rebuild the engine anyway. ALL of the soft rubber seals have to be done, and the metal apex seals (that's right, they're metal!) should be done too. If you're lucky everything will clearance and you won't have to replace bits. If you go looking for replacement parts, be aware that front and rear rotors are not created equally (well they were in 1974, but they aren't in our engines).

If you look around, trannies can be found for $75 from time to time, and it's easier to swap one than to go mucking around inside one. It's also usually cheaper to buy one than to have an expert shop rebuild yours.

There's also an engine rebuild video available at www.rotaryaviation.com , and I think there's one available from Atkins Rotary. They are both for the 13b, but the engines are similar enough that you can figure out the small differences (like placement of the water seal etc...). With the help of the Heynes you can do it I'm sure.

Search the forum, there have been people who have done rebuilds before, and you'll find plenty of great information. In the Canadian section Aaron Cake just rebuilt a 13b from an S4 I think it was. You'll need an engine stand adapter to build the engine on your stand, a flywheel holder to hold the flywheel in place while you crack the almost-impossible nut, and a very clean work area. Stand adapter I believe is found at www.racingbeat.com and the flywheel holder at www.mazdatrix.com

All of this great info, and I've never actually rebuilt my own engine before

Jon

 

With the RX. A bad Tans and Engine is a Minor Repair.

It will take you a bit of time the first time you pull them but after that it gets easier.


I have a LONG block engine I would like to sell for $600, Engine, carb, Trans, clutch, Everything from the fan to the tailshaft of the trans. 104K miles and you can hear it run and drive the car before it is pulled. Even passed emissions last year.

 

thats cool it will take me a little while to get the money but thats the best offer i got so far

 

wow, www.rotaryengineillustrated.com is a sweet site! im impressed! Cool animations!

 

Just out of curiousity, is there a short block? Ive heard about long blocks, but is there any difference to them than a regular block?

 

A short Block would be, Everthing Stripped. meaning NO Flywheel, dizze, carb, WP, exeaust, intake, Just the Bare Housing and plates assembled.

Regular, No one every really says this.

Long Block, is everthing that the engine needs to run, But generaly not the trans, or clutch.

 

Yeah Hades nailed it.

Though sometimes I've seen "Short block" meaning the engine with flywheel. But basically with a short block you're looking at just the engine.

The actual block itself doesn't change, confusingly . I'm pretty sure the terms "long block" and "short block" were coined by piston-engine guys, but it basically applies here. I think there are some major differences in what a piston guy would call a "short block" though.

Jon

 

Yea their short block usualy has no Heads. Wait Our short block does not have any heads.

 

So that part is the same, what's different is that even our LONG block doesn't have any heads either!

I should change my sig to read "have you changed your head gasket this year"

Jon