Blown420

Hi,

I live in northern california and I just brought home a 88 rx7. I plan to take very good care of it.

However, I feel like such a noob asking this, but what kind of motor oil and oil filter should i be getting?

Also, what are the first things I should do in terms of maintenence when buying an RX7.

random question: how long do rotors last? and what benefit do i get in buying performance rotors?

thanks a lot guys.

-blown420

06fc3s

iTrader: (8)

Congrats... Basically inorder to keep a rotary happy just do a full tune up i.e sparkplugs, oil change, filter,fuel filter,coolent flush etc. your basic tuneup.. with exception of paying more attention on a rotary engine...

A rotarys worst nightmare is HEAT.. these engine dont usually tolerate over- heating at all. so with all that said and done keep your engine running cool as possible and you should be fine. upgrading the stock radiator is what most people do i.e fluidyne, koyo...
plus with the stock radiator and its plastic end-tanks, they tend to split and crack causing major cooling issues. thus over heating.

As for Motor oil there alot of diffrent opinions on what a rotary takes, synthetic non-sythetic on and on ... and i wont get into that..you can do a search for your- self and decide. just any 10w30 or 20w50 name brand oil should be fine.

Oil filters, almost everyone uses the OEM filter including myself i dont really know why that is..LoL but that seems to be the case.. i have heard alot of people saying FRAM oil filters are not good for our engines (search).. so just stay away from that brand and you should be okay...

Juan

iTrader: (28)

Regular Castrol GTX 20w-50 is what most people use. The majority of people stay away from synthetic oils because Mazda originally said not to use it on rotaries but alot of people use it with no problems. Mazda oil filters are good because they have an anti-drain back valve built in which keeps the filter full of oil when the engine is off. I think some other good ones are Bosch, K&N and Purolator filters if Im not mistaken.

Performance rotors? As in brake rotors or the rotors inside the engine? Brake rotors, get some stock replacements (Brembo blanks), some decent brake pads and some new fluid to go with the brakes. The stock brakes are pretty good.

Do a tune up on the car like 06fc3s said. If youre going to replace the thermostat, buy it from the dealer. Thermostats from the parts store are known to open late or even get stuck.

Also, use the search function when you have a question. Odds are it has been covered many times before and dont forget to look at the archives and the stickies at the top.

Blown420

thanks for the info guys. it is much appreciated. im excited to fix this car up and start driving it without worries. i have a couple other issues with the car, but ill do the search like u said.

calrx7

waste all ur money on full tune up at ur nearest rotary store.

after that keep up on the basic tune ups.

yeh get rid of the old radiator.

Juan

iTrader: (28)

I wouldnt run out and buy a replacement radiator right away. Out of all the RX-7s Ive owned, and my friends have owned, only one radiator busted open. This particular car had a bad engine which pressurized the cooling system due to bad coolant seals. The radiator was over pressurized and it cracked because of the stress.

One hose in particular you should really look at is a heater hose under the oil filter. This hose connects to the firewall and to the engine block. Oil from the oil filter drips on it which weakens it over time. It eventually tears dumping all of your coolant out. This is also a dealer only part and runs around $25.

A good source for Mazda parts is Malloy Mazda. I dont have the number on hand but do a search here on the forum and you'll easily find the number. Speak to Ray Crowe and make sure to mention youre on the RX-7 forum. Forum members get a discount. His prices are way better than any dealer in your area.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Please search. Oil has been covered many, many times in the past. In fact, over the last week or so there has been yet another multi-page oil topic consistantly on the first page of this forum. Also be sure to check the FAQ to see what the factory recommends.

All your other questions are covered in the FAQ, Archives or through simple searching.

Thread closed.