Ok guys i am hunting for an FC. i have to sell my car first. (cheap plug click me) I have found some nice FCs but i can't get them because all of them have some problems and they all told me these cars are not for NOOBs. so i did some searching and i even went to mazda today. they are lost as hell when i asked them what i am going to ask here. OK here goes one FC i found needs new coolant seals. i did a search and i found out how to tell they are the seals, but i don't know what they are, where they are, and how to replace them. from what i understand the motor needs to be opened up. if anyone has any infomation on that please help me out so i can learn. the second FC i found he said the motor is rebuilt and it only has 1800 miles on it, but the rear apex (see i am not that much of a noob i didn't call it apexi..lol) is bad. what exactly is the rear apex? where is it? how do i replace it? also how much does all this cost? i know how to build motors. i have built about 10 honda motors but i have never touched a mazda motor and i want to learn before i get my hands into one. please let me know, and i ask nicely not to flame me and say do a search becuase i have been searching for a bit and all i find is how to find out if they are bad. thank you

 

Coolant seals gone = Engine needs rebuild

Apex Seals gone = Engine needs rebuilt, and damaged parts replaced.

I'd save up and buy one that runs well. Make sure you do a compression test before you lay down the cash though.

 

Hey man, Welcome...


Both the seals you have mentioned.. The Coolant seals, and the apex seals are inside the motor.. The apex seal is the equivelent of the piston ring.. There are 3 on each rotor.. One on each of the tips of the rotor... each motor has 6 apex seals. A blown apex seal is essentially a blown motor, the coolant seals when they go, let coolant into the combustion chamber, creating white smoke, and will need to be replaced when the engine is open!

Hope this helps!
Evan

Edit: Beat me to it!!

 

thanks for the heads up guys i really want to get one that is running but i have two problems one i need my car sold. and two i can't find anything local and the two guys that i found they want a lot for there fcs almost as much as getting an FD, but i am going to be a good boy and sell my car first once i get it sold i will keep on looking. so basically with both those seals blown makes the motor need for a rebuild. dam that hurts. because they want to let the cars go for 3000 bucks. now how hard is it to rebuild a motor? and how expensive?

 

Rebuilding the motor ITSELF isn't really that difficult. You could probably rebuild it yourself simply using a 'rebuild video' as your main guide.

The most challenging part for me was my first disassembly and reassembly of the engine bay. Luckily, pretty much every thing that you'll run into on the tear-down and rebuild has been covered many times on this forum.

Simply using the search function can net you MANY specific threads on every subject imaginable.

Coolant seals will run you a couple hundred bucks. A full on rebuild "kit" will run you generally anywhere from $500-$1000 depending on what's included.

You can do it, you just have to be motivated and have the right tools. If you do decide to rebuild everything yourself, don't make the mistake of not checking the 'specs' on the different seals... I used the Atkins rebuild video, but there's also the Rotary Aviaton video as well.

 

hey man thanks that is great info for me to use. by the way that is a great looking FC you got in your sig!

 

there is a new atkins dvd coming out i think on rebuilds

 

Keep an eye out for FC's on ebay, especially in the parts car section. For some reason, people put complete running and driveable cars in there. They usually go pretty cheap, and if you get really lucky you can talk them into selling it outside of ebay. I was lucky enough to find one like that, and ended up with a strong running '86 base for $750.

Unless the rest of the car is absolutely mint, $3000 is way too much for a car that needs any sort of internal engine work. If you want to try negotiating with them, make sure you make a big deal about not being able to test drive the car to verify that the brakes/suspension/etc. are working properly, it should help you get the price down a bit. It took me about 6 months to find a good deal on a local car, just keep looking. You'll find a good one eventually.

-Darren

 

i don't want to flame anyone that is on this site it seems like there is a band of brothers here but the two i was looking at are on this site the others i found online. one guy has a 88 t2 but he says it needs a new rear apex seal and he is selling it for 2000 bucks the other person i found today has an fc for sale you tell me if it is worth what he is selling it for!
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...p=y&cardist=86

 

No, lol.

You can buy mine though...

 

hell, I got my 86 GXL.. very strong engine still.. 1200... got the vert... ehhh we won't say anything about that engine... 800 bucks.. hell at this point for you.. buy a shell and a running engine from someone. You could easily come in cheaper than those two cars. Add on top of that, you'd have a core from the vehicle to rebuild while you run on your swap...

 

want to trade my car for yours...lol

 

A car without an engine = expensive paper weight
Patience is definitely key, I waited a little over a year before I found mine...and it still wasn't perfect!!

 

o i am going to wait i am being a good boy and waiting, most important i need to sell my car first

 

Focus on a running car. Check locally and on this forum. I found 99% of them on autotrader or the such were stupid-high priced. I paid $1500 for a near mint 2nd gen, engine showing 105 on each rotor and bone stock (no hack jobs). To me its worth it. I also know of a very well modded 2nd gen that was let off for $1800 bucks.

 

that sounds good and all but the thing is i always wanted a t2 if i get an FC it has to be a t2 so that way at least i have a good platform, not saying that NA's are not good platforms but i always wanted a turbo car my civic was turbo for all about two weeks and i loved the feel. i love the sound i love the rush of a turbo. so i wanted to get a t2 or even a single turbo all i know is i want it boosted or i am not going to get any

 

TII's are single turbo

An N/A FC is still a lot of fun to drive, if you're just starting out with rotaries an N/A might not be a bad idea.

 

Agreed, thats how I started out and I still love my NA.

 

i know the NA's are good cars but i want boost and i thought that the T2 was a twin turbo. and also what model should i look for if i go NA? and can i put a turbo on a NA ?

 

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=452558

is this good?

 

If you decide to get an N/A, don't really concern yourself with what model. If you want to drift it, you might want to look for a GXL, which has LSD. On the downside, the GXL is heavier than the other N/A's except for the convertible. they have a sunroof and a lot of power options. I was looking for a GXL but ended up buying an 86 base model, which is basically the opposite, with no LSD, but the lightest FC with power nothing, and I'm glad I did. If you're lucky, you can score yourself an 86/87 sport which is like a base but with 5-lug wheels, "sport" suspension (doesn't really make a difference :p), and better brakes. The best N/A is an 88 GTU which is like a sport except has LSD. There's other differences of course, but it's not worth getting into.

The best thing I can reccomend is to go find a good condition N/A for sale locally, test drive it, and see if it is to your liking. You can swap a motor from a TII into it if you really want.

The car you posted above looks like a good deal, but be prepared for a massive project if it's a problem in the wiring harness. The guy posted it as "sale pending" so you're probably not going to get that one unless the deal falls through.

 

i thought NO n/a FC had a LSD ?

 

That is absolutely incorrect. Who told you that?

 

Read the options sticky ontop of the forum.

 

well let me ask you guys this, i am looking for a good platform where i can get a good 12 second car out of. the FC turbo seems to be the right option for me even if i get 12.99 i would be happy. i don't want to do any swaps any more i have been thur way to much with my hondas doing swaps just to get in to the 14s and it was cool but that is not what i wanted i wanted at least 13 seconds but i only got 14s out of a b16 motor but when i went turbo it was a nice increase. i would like to do a little drifting here and there i heard about a place in nj called wall nj they do drifting on a track there and in E-twon so a little drifting would be nice. but i know that the turbo models come with lsd and that is another reason why i want the turbo model!!!