So, I finally broke down and sent my car over to Rotary Performance here locally, and they just confirmed my suspicion. Car failed both coolant pressure test and compression test.

I don't have the exact numbers yet, as I will not be picking the car up until tommorow. The mazda tester showed between 5.5 and 6.5 on the front rotor faces and 5.0-6.8 on the rear rotor faces (exact numbers will come tommorow night when i pick her up).

Coolant seal leak, small but enough to cause issues. My crummy idle is being caused by the compression issues, while my starting issues are all related to the coolant leak. The coolant leak is small but enough to get my spark plugs wet and make it not want to start, but not enough to cause smoke or coolant burning smell. It is also leaking exhaust into the cooling system, which i was very well aware of.

So, I will more than likely go into the rebuild queue. I haven't decided totally but it is most likely I will just do it.

To add fuel to the fire, my transmission bearings are worn out, and I will be having the transmission rebuilt at the same time...saves labor since the engine is already out.

Total cost? $5000. Not too bad considering engine+transmission = basically new ******* car. I have replaced just about every sensor and failure point in my car already so hopefully, I'll get many more good memories with my 7 for years to come.

I'll upfate this thread as everything comes together, and of course post pics of my new engine and transmission.

 

Ouch, 5 grand is pretty brutal. How much of that cost is for the transmission rebuild? The reason I ask is I had my original NA transmission rebuilt twice, but it never behaved like new. The synchros were replaced initially, and the main bearing was done later on after it started to fail. The used TII transmission I have now shifts much smoother, and it only cost a fraction of what I paid each time to rebuild the old NA trans. If you're going to have the engine out already, the cost of a TII transmission, flywheel, starter, clutch, slave cyl., & custom driveshaft will still probably be less than the cost of a rebuild. Goodluck with it all.

 

i hope they're giving you new housings with that quote..

 

2400 for the engine, labor and parts. 1000 for removal and reinstall of the engine (i'd do it myself, but I don't have the time). 120 for transmission parts and 700 labor and the extra 600 dollars is safety margin in case I do need new rotor housings.

 

That's a lot of money, BUT....considering that labor and warranty is included, then not so bad.

RP is a great business.

On the other hand, what about doing a jdm swap? Use the JDM as a core engine, do a soft seal job and have a TII vert?

 

I sold my "reliable" toyota camry a month ago to my aunt because she really needed a car (nasty divorce, long story). So, my 7 is my daily driver now and I want to keep it stock. Plus, I like the NA.

I plan, key word being "plan", to restore the car to at new condition over the next few years. I need to get it all running good for now and buy another daily driver later this year, then continue working on restoring the 7. Sounds strange the way i am going about it, but events neccesitate the action.

 

Good luck. RP will take good care of you.

 

2400 for a stock rebuild with used housings?

find a different builder and have them do the engine R+R, that's a rip.

 

+1

2300 is what i paid for in a rebuild with NEW rotor housings shipped to my front door.

 

Haha what a rip. Buy the Atkins master rebuild kit and rebuild the engine yourself. Then find a used tranny for cheap, new clutch kit and few various things and your good to go. Total will be under $2000 if main parts of the engine are good.

EDIT: SirCygnus, what builder did you use?

 

I don't think the engine rebuild price is that bad, basically $3500 drive in, drive out at a shop that is legendary and LOCAL. They are going to do an excellent job and will be there for service/warranty if anything goes wrong.

If you were local to Keven Landers, Rotary Resurrection, then that would be a better deal.

Keven would charge $1300+ $100 for the gasket kit +$150 long block disassembly+$1000 to pull and reinstall for a total of $2550, drive in drive out. But he is in Tennessee, so it's not the same.


Comparing either option to the purchase price on a gasket kit and DIY or to a shipped in engine is simple-minded. The OP already said he does not have the time to do it himself.

 

To those speaking of "it's a rip" and all of that...

I WANT a mazda rebuild kit and mazda seals. They use the 3rd gen 2 piece mazda seals and side seals/corner seals and springs.

Yeah, atkins, RA and so on "work" but I know for a fact mazda seals last, and that is what i want. If I have to pay a premium for good quality work and OEM seals, then so be it.

 

Atkins exceeds your goals. Even though you wont be rebuilding yourself.

 

I bought an Atkins full kit, bought Mazda apex seals, then sold the Atkins apex seals.

 

I forgot to get the sheet with the compression numbers, but oh well, they where low as hell and that is all that is needed to be known.

So the appointment for the start of the big day is April 16th, my baby will take a sip from the fountain of youth, and in a week in a half I'll have a new rotary rocket power train.

Sucks they have a waiting list though. I suppose that is good in a way, as I don't see people waiting in a line for an engine rebuild if they sucked. My impressions of them so far are good. Chris up there is very good with talking to you on what exactly the issues are in detail. He is not the type of guy who says "you have x,y,z wrong" and doesn't want to talk anymore unless you cough up more money. Good guys up there.

After all this is done, all i need is a new paint job and I am set for a while.

 

Resurrection!

Haven't gone in for the rebuild yet, still got a month to go.

I do have a question though. I have been thinking of doing a street port while they have it taken apart. I believe they will want $400 to do it (rough, I need to ask them for specifics).

Is it worth the extra 4 to 500 bones for the street port? How much power increase would I be looking at roughly? This is a totally stock car except for exhaust, so no real mods at all.