I'd rather rebuild my 1990 motor than purchase a (beat to hell) J-Spec engine, but the outer 1/16" (maybe a _little_ more) of the rotor housings are chipped around part of the housing. Is this something that is rebuildable?

Also, If i were to buy a J-Spec engine and rebuild that, is there any chance that the rebuild would be cheaper than on my 130,000 mile motor?

Thanks!,
Manolis

I WILL get this thing on the road

 

Is the chrome just chipped? If so then it may be possible to re-use it, but the motor won't be very good. Once the chrome starts flaking you usually want a new housing.

 

Hmm... i'd say it's more 'flaked' around maybe 8" of the outer 1/16" of the rotor housing...

New housings are around 400 or so each i believe (ouchee...)

Is a beat-to-crap J-Spec engine likely to display this flaking / wear @ 30,000 miles?

Thanks!,
Manolis

 

It's not a good idea to keep that housing. A beat up J-Spec would probably be pretty bad inside. My friend used housings like that, and they work, but new ones would be MUCH better. http://www.mazdadiscountparts.com/ sometimes has good prices on housings. Check out http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/rotorhsg.htm to see how to identify a bad housing.

 

Why not try a J-Spec motor that isn't "beat to crap"

 

It may be easier to win the powerball lottery. If you go with a reputable place you should be ok.

 

it's not the beating but the maintenance, that really kills a motor. So just check for a good compression and learn to rebuild a motor, that saves so much money......hence why i'm learning.

 

That's right! I do all of my work myself, and I save ALOT of money. If I had to pay to have everything done I'd probably be riding a bicycle.

 

Ok, now that everyone's finished trying to explode my head with conflicting opinions ...

It seems to be that a lot of the J-Spec engines have been exposed to, shall we say, somewhat less than optimal lives. On the other hand, I think that it would be REALLY cool to get a J-Spec + tranny and drop it into my N/A. Please help me :-)

The main problem is that i'm 17, and paying for everything @ 7 bux an hour . I won't mind rebuilding the J-Spec motor, as long as it will last me maybe a year (<6000 miles) of fairly aggressive driving, but i've heard of several people who have had problems with them.

Could anyone give me some insight as to what people 'regularly' do with the motors (i.e. buy + rebuild, or what?). If i do go with the J-Spec, i'll definately go with Dave@ fc3s.org!

Thanks!!!
Manolis

17-year-old torn in 1/2 by a decision

 

Dave (and others who've taken apart J-Specs)...

Are the internal parts usually in pretty decent shape (no chipping / flaking, etc.), or do you usually go ahead and replace them? I wouldn't mind rebuilding it after a few months (when i save up the $1300 @ $7 / hour ), so long as the parts will most likely be in pretty good shape.

Thanks again!,
Manolis