hey guys, its nice to see a RX-7 board thats devoted to first gens & the other gens. i just purchased my 83 last week. having a few probs with it starting wise but its in the shop. my main concerns are is if a 12A is worth modding or just to swap over to the 13B? also which manuals do u use when repairing the car -- haynes or chiltons? i used to deal with honda's till seeing the light of having a commuter.thanks for hte help

 

i always have used haynes. the 12a, while less torquey, has plenty of potential. it just depends on your wants and budget. welcome to the family.

 

a 12A can be a worthwile engine to mod out, but remember you'll be hard-pressed to break 200HP without a LOT of work... whereas you start with 130 from a 13B and can go as high as 400's with a turbo, etc... it's really up to you.

Manuals? Get both, and if you can, get ahold of a Mazda Factory Service manual.... it'll help out a lot too...


Jeff

 

FACK! ANOTHER PERSON BEAT ME TO POSTING!!! AHHHHHGGGGG!!!! Lol.... jeeze..... see what I mean RotorMotorDriver?


Jeff

 

(13Bs start at 135 hp)

Welcome! Whether you should mod your 12A or swap in a 13B carb'd or fuel injected, that's up to your personal preferences and budget. An engine swap will cost more than a piece-at-a-time mod of the existing engine, but not modifying it is cheaper still so it's usually about more than money.

Which ever you choose, there's a ton of support from knowledgeable members.

 

i'z got mAd QuiCk posTin' SkiLLz doG. Uno hAndED.

 

go for the gusto 13b 4 port turbo

 

Yeah, I shoulda known better than to mess with an experienced poster such as yourself there Jeremy.... I still say it's a conspiracy though....


Jeff

 

ok i know this has probaly been covered millions of times & im learning. last week when i got the car i had to purchase a new battery, got that installed quickly & the car ran good on it. so for bout a week till this past thursday the car didnt wanna start up. so im thinking battery is dead, alternator, or timing belt. remember this is my first rotary. friday, the car started on the dime took it over to a shop to have them check it out & they decided they didnt wanna work on it since i have the steering column plastic piece broken, let alone the windshield wiper handle is broke. my main concern is do u guys think this is where the alternator is not charging the battery or my ignition is having probs getting some spark?

 

4 port? Go 6 port with electronic port actuators controlled by RPM

 

go to www.iluvmyrx7.com the guy there has just about all the manuals you could need.
If in doubt, make a search here, on on the internet generally. You can always find a tutorial.

 

not really enough info. i can't believe the shop gave you **** over that. however thats good as most shops are just scared and don't deal well with the rotary. i'm sure with our combined knowlege, some frustration, and a bit of time, we'll have it licked.

 

yeah, definately sounds like they were looking for a reason to not work on the car because it's a rotary... haha... I laugh at them, because I find my RX-7 easier to work on than any of my other domestic or import cars and trucks....

 

well sad thing is its pep boys aka the " car people" actually i have lost respect for them

 

13b's start off at 110 hp... the 12a is worth moding if you want to do something different... but forced induction is the way to go with them... the thing I like most about the 12a is engine parts are cheap... gasket sets.... everything... is real cheap for them... I have heard about some GREAT power coming out of street ported 12a motors...

 

wow once again you show how little you really know **** on Hondas. The 13b makes 135hp stock, and has been posted a few times a few posts above yours....

As for me I love my 12a, and plan on doing a streetport on it, with a full compliment of fuel and intake modds it should be good for 220hp.
13B is a great motor if you know how to deal with the EFI. I preffer carby over Efi, but thats just personnal preferance.

 

Wow once again you show HOW LITTLE YOU KNOW 851stgen12a the 74 13b in the repu had 110 hp stock... I am not shure what the 13b's that came in the older rx series cars had... but the repu had 110 stock... God... I hate it when I dont know ****... please TEACH ME MORE!!!

 

Haha, sucks to be you, lol. Oh well, at least you can bump the ol post count each time, lol.

~T.J.

 

would you guys like to mud wrestle here????

 

I use BOTH the Haynes and Chiltons. Some sections are better than others, but the Chiltons index just sucks.

 

The old 4-port 13b engines were about 115-120hp stock with a thermal reactor. A distributor swap and some decent wires would get you a quick 5hp. Installing a header and getting rid of the thermal reactor and it's associated components would get you another 15-20hp depending on the year. The '74-'75 13Bs had the largest stock ports, wheareas in 1976 the intake ports were severely restricted in response to the fabled "energy crisis". The primary intake ports on these motors are the ones that are most affected, the secondary ports are pretty much the same as on the pre-'76 motors. It isn't necessarily the horsepower that makes the 13B so great, it's the torquier low end that really gives it the edge over a 12A.

 

ok mister I **** maybe you should be a little more specific. the 84-85 13b makes 135hp.....

 

Yeah I have a 74 motor in my car... like I said I dont know about the other motors... they might have put out that much in the other cars... the repu made 110 but only had a 6k redline... I dont know why they gave it a 6k redline though... I would think that it would make power after 6 WAY after 6... might have been becuase of the ignition setup that came on them though... I have a jspec 76 motor I am planning on building and swaping to my parts 7...

 

The REPUs had a heavier flywheel, but I can't imagine three extra pounds limiting the rpms that much.

 

more likely heavier rotors limited RPM. With each generation of rotary engine Mazda finds new methods of manufacturing to create lighter and lighter rotors, meaning less mass to spin and higher possible RPMs.