NsaneRPM

New here. Been through a DSM and B12 Sentra. Time to buy a turbo RX-7. Always loved the car. Anything I should know to get a good start or what trim to buy. There are several GTU's around my city for sale. Not sure of prices though. Also, any real big problems with the FC3S? Like crappy coolant jacket O rings or the rotor seals known to the FD3S? Really want to buy a nice 2nd gen, otherwise I might get a 1st gen MX-6 turbo, but rotarys are god!

1987RX7guy

iTrader: (3)

lol

Well the GTUs is s good model from what i here. I hve the sport and GXL. All of them are great. Just stay away from auto tranny and 2+2 option. You will have to keep up with all the mainenance. Check the cars compression when you look at them. Definately drive the car. Kick it around a little. Redline it a couple of times and test hte brakes. look for leaks of fluid. Oh but wait the Turbo model is only one trim. The GTUs is a non-turbo. Not that that is a bad thing.

Evil Aviator

The trim level doesn't make much difference, especially now that they are so old and can have parts and pieces from different trim and year models. The main body differences are between the 86-88 and 89-92 models, and the main performance difference is between the non-turbo and TurboII cars. Everything else is pretty much just minor trim differences. Just find one that you like.

Since you mentioned the GTU trim, you should know that there are 3 different variants. The 88 GTU is the stripped performance non-turbo model of that year, as is the 89-90 GTUs (note the small "s"), while the 89-90 GTU (no small "s") is a base model.

The rotor seal problem is a bunch of BS spread around by the piston engine folks. The seals in a well-maintained and non-abused rotary engine will normally last 100,000 to 150,000 miles. Yes, the seals will fail if the engine is abused, much like a piston-engine will throw a rod, eat a valve, or have any number of failures. The reason why you may hear of the rotor seals failing a lot is because the rotary engine has so few parts that the rotor seals are just about the only thing left that can fail.

The main problems with the FC3S are due to its age, and are more or less the same problems that any other mid-80's to early-90's car will have. As for care, the rotary engine runs very hot, so oil is extremely important, and overheating quickly damages the rotary engine. The rotary engine doesn't take well to detonation, either, which will not be a factor unless you hotrod your engine.

RX-7 buying guide:
http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/tech1.htm

Pricing guide:
http://www.kbb.com/

The 2+2 option is just fine, and has no problems. It does add some extra weight, but it increases the cargo space, and obviously allows you to legally seat two extra (small, lol) people in the back of the car.

Avoid the automatic transmission cars like the plague, as this option makes the car slow and it extremely expensive to fix or replace.

NsaneRPM

Thanks for all the pointers. I for one don't plan on getting an auto tranny. My 92 DSM had one and it was junk. I'll never buy another auto. I am definately looking for a turbo. N/A is really no fun. I know a few things about rotaries, like they hate detonation as you stated, I always ran premium in my 90 Sentra, so detonation probibly won't be a problem. Change spark plugs when you change the oil, and they are expensive ro rebuild. I do believe I saw a GTX model yesterday. Might have been a GXL, not sure. I also know they run hot, and Mazda has a undersized radiator to the motor. I drive very hard. I would like to get a RX-7, but not sure is getting a S13 240sx would be more reliable. Also, a big factor is insurance costs. I paid $170/month liability on my non-turbo DSM, so I should expect the RX-7 to be even higher?

Evil Aviator

The GTX is a Japanese-only right-hand drive model. If you saw one of these, it was probably a fake. More likely it was a GXL or a Canadian GX.

The stock FC radiator isn't so much undersized as it is just plain junk. The stock FC radiator did work just fine for the stock engine it was intended to cool, but these radiators are at least 12 years old now, and will not cool as well as they did when new.

The normal spark plug change interval for the FC RX-7 is every 30,000 miles. If the spark plugs don't last at least 15,000 miles on the street, then something is wrong with the engine. The engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles if you drive hard. Changing the spark plugs along with the engine oil on an FC RX-7 is a waste of time and money.

Yes, rotary rebuilds are expensive. Pricing is around $2,000 for an automotive shop rebuild, not including the turbo rebuild.

The insurance rates on 79-92 RX-7 coupes are very reasonable, and are usually the same for all coupe models, including the TurboII. The convertible rates are more expensive, and the 93+ RX-7 rates are very expensive. I pay about $40/month per RX-7 for basic coverage plus $1/month for towing, but I suspect that you will pay more based on your current insurance costs.

Icemark

No the radiator is actually very big for the HP output. It is no way is undersized. Again perhaps something that a piston engined person told you incorrectly?

Usually over heat problems are from non-OEM thermostats or poorly tuned engines. Occasionally other cooling issues may come up, but as mentioned above; it is usually because of the age rather than the design.

Audiofight

Just make sure to give the RX a good once-over when you first buy it.

Check heater hoses/radiator hoses when you first get it. Age will quickly show up there. Change the oil, coolant and tranny fluids right off. You will thank yourself later. Check the plugs, they might get you by for a while.

The best thing I did to my car was pull the radiator out completely when I put my new engine in last summer and power wash the living **** out of it. Now, I run nice and cool all the time. 1/4 - 1/3 temp gauge.

During the summer I even mix a little bit of oil in my gas to help increase lubrication. I only pour in like 2 oz. to a full tank, making sure to add the oil first to help insure that it mixed up well. I found this to help bring the temps down on the really hot days in late July and August.

OEM thermostats are the best (from my research at least) and they don't cost that much. I believe you can buy them for $15, been a while for me though.

Common electical problems may pop up. Cold solder joints are a known issue. Usually, you can just pull apart the unit and re-solder things to fix it. I did it on my dummy light cluster and got everything working perfectly.

Welcome to the club!

NsaneRPM

$2000 for a rebuild. That is very cheap. My friend needed his 4G63 rebuilt in his 92 Talon, cost $5500, so I junked my Eclipse when the timing belt snapped. As for Electrical problems, that is almost with any old car. I'm going for a degree for automotive electrical systems engineers, so a problem will just keep me occupied. Well, If I find a turbo modle cheaper than a 240sx around here, i'll get it and see just what the rave about rotaries is about. I had a friend who had a 3rd gen that dyno'd 400hp at the rear wheels, until he blew it up.

1987RX7guy

iTrader: (3)

If you get a seven you probably wont go back.
Before believing people and what they say about rotary know if they ae talking from experience or just bull shitting.

NsaneRPM

That is why I came here. To get the info from people with experience

1987RX7guy

iTrader: (3)

Well that is what this thing is here for. I have learned a lot here. You just have to put up with the "SEARCH" crowd and the dumb questions like what color should i paint my car.

PraxRX7

My '89 Turbo has over 180,000 miles on it and man is it ever being a pain in the rear right now.

If you do get a Turbo II, these are the first things I had go wrong and had to replace.(most recent to oldest) I have owned it for 2 ½ year.

-ABS Pump, Brake Master Cylinder
-coolant seals for lower intake manifold (rare problem)
-Air Pump bearings failed (removed air-pump and ACV)
-Oil lines were leaking - replaced
-Blew a heater hose - replaced
-Blew an air hose (rubber was to old and cracked)
-replaced all belts 2 years ago, still good
-went through tires really bad first year I owned it (bad driving habits)

Needless to say, the engine has run great and I am happy with its overall performance, but the things I listed are something you should check out just in case, and if they are bad, they are not worth spending tons of money on to replace, just get em removed. (I am currently having the brake master cylinder replaced with one from a NON-ABS car).

I paid $5000 US for my car, but since then I have spent almost $3000 US on maintainence and fixing things that break.

Icemark

But something to remember, almost every single item you mention is age or driver related.

PraxRX7

Yup, mostly age related...but also REALLY expensive to fix.

ABS pump is $3000 US new =/

Most people pull it out anyways =/

I am going to just re-build my ABS pump and sell it.