TestingPhysics

Hey everyone, I've been looking into buying a new project car, and I'm trying to find the best way to go. I've been in love with FC's since I can remember, and wanted to look into finally buying one. Of course my first thought with a rotary is the reliability of it.. it's not that big of an issue for me, since I have a 90' Miata Project, and a 92' RHD Corolla that both drive well and get me wherever I need to be; but I still want something fun to drive around, without having to worry about it breaking down or having issues. (Please correct me on this!)

My 90' Miata is an auto, and I'm tired of my project not being manual. So when I started looking for a new project, I kept my love for Mazda, and still felt at home when considering a FC. I have so many regrets in my Miata for not researching what to look for before I bought it. Not the fact that it is a Miata, but that fact I didn't care more about the condition/features of that model. For example, the 90' models are notorious for a crank pulley wobble, since it's a short nose. I didn't know that one bit, and would like to know things like that about the FC.

If anyone could give me a quick over-view of what to look for, what years have what issues, which year is the best to look for, and what to avoid, I would really appreciate it! I'm excited to hopefully become part of the RX-7 family by this winter at the latest, if everything goes well during my hunt for my potential RX-7.

Thanks!

professionalpyroman

Welcome to the community! Hopefully you find it a rewarding investment of your time.

Ok, first things first, all FCs have issues. Anybody who says otherwise is a habitual liar. These cars are approximately 30 years old and are starting to age more quickly. The wiring is old, the electronics are old, the joints, bushings, seals, and fittings are all old. If you are looking for a project, FCs are definitely a full project, and you will have to put a lot of work in it to make it work and keep it functioning. Parts are difficult to come by, especially with the latest trend of "Youtubers in cars blowing rotaries". With that said, here is what you want to look for.

If you can find a "clean" car, that is your best purchasing option. Something a little old lady drove to church. Look and make sure the body is in good condition, and the wiring has been as un-molested as possible. The more body features that still work, i.e. sunroof, antenna, radio, cruise, etc, the more you will enjoy the vehicle and be less frustrated with it. Body integrity is important because it gives you less annoying things to fix. Next up are the things you should assume need repaired or replaced.

Assume the following need repaired or replaced unless they are inspected to be in good condition
Engine
Transmission synchros
U-joints
Suspension bushings
Shocks
All fluids
Clutch
Wheel bearings

These are all age related issues that will need to be addressed. Typically when these become an issue, the car is then sold to the next person due to cost. On a high note though, the factory manuals are available and can be found for free at either foxed.ca, or rotaryheads.com. In addition, new forum posts are coming out from people who have been repairing some of the less user-serviceable components such as computers and logicons.

These cars require a lot of maintenance compared to modern vehicles, but if you can keep them in good working condition, and looking nice, they are a head turner on weekend drives. Best of luck, let us know if you have questions regarding specific parts of the cars.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

I disagree with quite a bit of the above.
None of the issues you correctly term as "age related" are specific/unique to the FC or any rotary. Any thirty year old car is going to suffer from the same things, assuming it hasn't been regularly maintained and the FC is no more fragile or failure prone than any other Japanese car of that vintage.
My FC has been a reliable daily driver for the 12 years I've owned it.
Granted, mine is NA and I understand that turbos get ragged on and thus, worn out, more quickly.
It's certainly a trade off but if I wanted a fast car, I wouldn't have a FC of any description. The FC bloated up from the charming and nimble FB (the original) into more of a GTtouring car, gaining weight and complexity in the process. It was then superceded by the FD, still one of Japan's prettiest offerings and a far better performer.

There is actually very little about the FC that is rotary specific.
Brakes, suspension and even the electronics are all pretty standard Japanese practice for that era...for better or worse.
The switchgear is probably the worse offender, it is totally FC specific and very expensive to replace, so make sure it all works.
Be aware that Ford owned a stake in Mazda at that point and shared parts and tech with them. A surprising amount of stuff is identical.

Body/paint is going to be the most expensive to repair, unless you do it yourself or like me, don't care all that much about it.
Obviously, rust is a major no-no but faded paint....meh, I can deal.
Like the switchgear, the interior is very specific and this stage, all the plastic is dried out and fragile, so be careful.

The FC is pretty low key.
I rarely see any on the street and almost never get "thumbs upped" by passers by.
No one pays it much attention, which I suppose is a good thing.

professionalpyroman

Wasn't meaning the faults were relegated to just rx7s, but pretty much old cars that age. I can admit that I might be skewed, but I've never seen an FC (at least turbo) without rust. Have seen FDs without rust, but they had been well taken care of. Most of the FCs I've seen around were ones that had a hard life. Have had to evict animals as well.

The point I guess I poorly tried to get across is that it will be an investment that could get out of hand if the vehicle is in poor condition to start with.

midnight mechanic

I think the original question was what to look for specifically on a FC? What areas are prone to rust? And he probably heard Wankel rotary this, and Wankel rotary that. A well maintained (oil, coolant, spark plugs, oiler) rotary is reliable. When an apex seal wears out, you will lose a rotar , but it will still get you home. It isn't like when a piston engine throws a rod. And once you get it running right, you won't have to constantly ticker with it like a british sports car.

Dak

I personally prefer the S5 or '89 -'92 cars. I'd say the condition of the car you start with makes all the difference. I haven't had a lot of issues compared to a lot on here the past few years, but I bought the car in '96 when it was only seven years old and in good shape. I've taken decent care of it. I am on my third engine but it's got 317,xxx miles on the chassis. It has had some of the most common electrical problems. Wiper switch has been repaired and needs it again, as does the clock, I've resoldered the CPU a couple times. Have a few broken door handles. That's about all the RX7 specific stuff I've had issues with. Everything else has been regular stuff for a car this old. Water pumps, Alt. U-joints etc. One thing that I thing has contributed to the lack of engine running issues is I replaced all my vacuum lines with silicone ones on the first engine rebuild.

Oh I have been through multiple gauge surrounds cause the plastic bosses the switchgear mounts too is so brittle it cracks if you look at it hard.

I don't know about the a lot of maintenance part. I just change the oil every 4 or 5k mi.( not as often as I should), coolant and hoses every few years. Other things as they wear out.