im looking to buy a 2nd gen rx7 my friend found one for 200 or so(he says), and I found a nice one(nice body wise) for 450 1987 with a 5spd that turns over but wont start, the guys says the PO said that he thinks the apex seals are warn out or gone or whatever they do... im not looking to make this car perfect or awesome I just want one to drive or work on, im looking to spend a lot of money on my other cars like my 280z or my 300zx. but I dont want to put a crap load into a na rx7. sorry for the run on sentence.

how much realistically doing all my own work could I replace whats needed to replace the apex seals(I assume full rebuild) if it means close to 1000 dollars I wont get a rx7, or at least one that doesn't run, ive looked at what it takes to rebuild these, its a whole different ball game than what ive rebuild like a v6 or I6)

if replacing the apex seals doesn't mean rebuilding the whole motor, how much is rebuilding the whole motor, I want to go cheap but not so cheap it wont run after 100 miles you know...

im just looking at the cheapest way to get a cheap car running

 

Apex seals are like piston rings in a reciprosaur engine. When they fail the engine must be re-built. Last time I checked, a S4 6port rebuild kit was around $900.00, that is the bare minimum you will have to spend if you do the re-build yourself. It's is common in many "blown" engines to have a unusable rotor and housing which will add to the cost of a re-build somewhat.

Let it be known that there are many rx7s out there with clueless owners. The car you are looking at may very well have a easily fixed no-start problem. Perform a compression to be sure.

Some more useful information can be found at this link:
http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/blown.htm

 

$2,000


-Ted

 

i'd find a reputal engine importer around you with a good warranty on the motors, and toss in a JDM TII motor, you could pick up just the motor first and use the n/a drivetrain (flywheel back)
around here i could get a S4 TII motor for $800 shipped,
or $1300 for the engine, tranny,clutch &flywheel, wiring harness and ecu all you would need is the S4 TII MAF and a Custom driveshaft from mazdatrix, or what i was goin to do, some of the earlier base models came with the thicker driveshaft(had one on my 86 gx) but with the n/a yokes, I was goin to get a drive shaft shop to weld the TII yoke that came in my tranny on the end of the n/a driveshaft, it would have been $100 bucks for it to get welded and balanced.
if you picked the car up for $400, and it costs $1000 to drop a fresh motor in, its definately worth it!
I've never had a problem with the motors i get from sunrisejdmmotors, but thats in canada, you might be better of finding someone state side, Just do your research, like with anything theres alot of Crap & Crooks out there

if you were to rebuild that motor (if it did have a blown apex seal) like REted said, it'll be close to 2 grand, when the apex seal goes it, usually takes something (housing or rotor) with it, which will start to add up

I forgot, You should try talkin to Japan2LA on this forum he would set you up with a solid motor

 

I just fuelly rebuilt a S5 turbo engine with all new seals, o-rings etc and including my tools and templates etc I have about 2000-2500.00 into the engine and that is using all mazda parts getting them at a great deal..


To do it right u will drop some coin

 

reading your post i guess you want to keep it N/A? well then you actually wont know how much it will cost you for sure until you open the motor and inspect all the parts.. i mean if it is JUST the apex seals (which it probablly isn't) that can cost you just around $200, but if it does need a full seal and spring rebuild.. you'll be lookin at 900+, and thats not including housings, tools, or any of that crap. Also, i'd like to add that ordering engines from importers is a toss up because about 80% of the time those need a rebuild anyway...

 

I say read a bit about rotary motors, check out the car and try deflooding procedures and test for spark compression fuel. My 'blown engine' was a bad fuel pump.

 

i dont agree if u shop around and get good deals on parts u can do a full rebuild with new parts not counting housings for $400. new apex seals.apex springs,sideseals,sideseal springs,fd corner springs,all bought for $150 and u can get a brand new gasket kit for $120, and like $20 for sealent a.k.a hylomar and rtv.

i just did a complete t2 swap with a new motor getting 90 psi on both front and rear housings plus f.m.i.c and a bunch of other crap i shouldnt of had to buy for less then 2k including the price of the car at $460

just wait untill i do my budget t2 swap thread it will blow your mind

 

Just remember, usually you get what you pay for.

 

There could be a million reasons why the car won't start. Perform a compression test before you assume the engine is at fault.

 

I like the idea of eliminating all other things first before assuming the apex seals are bad. NA rotary motors can usually outlast most piston engines with comparable mileage if the owners know how to take care of it.

I would definitely do a compression check first. Change the plugs and find out if the coil packs are still good. Find out if the owner put an aftermarket fuel cut off setup because s4s are known to flood when left alone for a long period of time. If he did put in an aftermarket fuel cut off then turn off the fuel and crank away at the engine until it does start then dies. Turn the fuel back on and it will start.

I had my na s4 sitting for 3 months and for some reason it would crank but not start. After trying to start it for about an hour, and recharging the battery a couple of times, it finally put-put itself to an idle.

If it does come to a rebuild, then you do get what you pay for. But it's nothing compared to working on your 300zx's motor! Rotary engines are some of the easiest motors to work on. But spend your money wisely on parts. Don't think you'll get away for less than $1500 without buying a used motor.

 

ok I think ill ride out to see the car and do a comp check. I rebuilt my v6 for probably 500 or so...

And yea a lot of dumb people out there, I got a 1990 nissan maxima for 250 bucks, guy thought the tranny was gone, and it was a broken shaft in the starter I fixed for free, been driving it ever since...

even if I cant rebuild a rx7 now, I can always buy this one for 450 and just wait, it looks really good for 450.

 

i dont think its fair to include the price of any tools to this equation. anyone planning on rebuilding a motor should already have their own tools, either hand me downs or bought over the years as you were learning to work on cars. in either case the only specialty RX-7 tool i have ever bought is a flywheel socket and i believe that was $30 @ sears. just my 2c's

 

I'm sorry, but a new or even rebuilt 13B with new seals making 90psi compression (after break in, of course) is not good. You should be able to pull off at least 100psi, 110psi would be a success, 120+psi would be praiseworthy.

 

When building an engine I include all parts, materiels, tools that I have to use in order to get the job done...

 

Before going out there be sure to read the FAQ to see how you do a compression test on a rotary. What you know about piston engines will simply trip you up, waste your time and make you a sad panda.

I'd read up on the unflooding procedures too and take all the supplies out with you. And dont forget your jumper cables!

Good luck.