New to 7's and new to rotaries
 

Hi guys, I have been trolling around this site for about a week and you guys really convinced me to possibly get a fc. I love what can be done to them. I just had a few questions.

pros, cons?

I keep hearing you guys put 2 stroke oil in your cars, is that a mandatory thing?

mpg? (i can handle bad mpg, I drive a truck, lol)

how hard/easy is maintenance.

and I have a basic understanding of a rotary, but further detail would be nice.

Thanks in advance, and you guys look like a cool bunch, so I hope to stick around :naughty:

The 2-stroke in the fuel is called pre-mixing. It's another way of lubricating the rotor housings. People choose to go this route because it enables them to eliminate the OMP (Oil metering pump) which is designed to lubricate the housings from the factory, but some people just like to make their cars simpler, less stuff to break that way. Electrical OMPs are more prone to failure than mechanical OMPs.

MPG really depends on how you drive, I drove mine like a retard, I think I got like 250 kms on a half tank. Most people will say 15-20 +/- a few.

Maintenance is same as any other car, oil changes, oil filter, fuel filter, all the usual. Nothing really special but some guys like to break their engines down like once a year (the really particular ones). If you're keeping it relatively stock, you should be fine just keeping up with the standard maintenance procedures but when you start pushing more power, keep a close eye on the car.

I like this video, explains pretty much everything internally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BCgl2uumlI

gas mileage on my NA was 16street and like 20-22hwy usually depends on how you drive. When I ran royal purple 20w-50 on my fc it got 18street 24-26 highway.

Maintenance wise is just like every other car. Check the oil on a consistent basis. Rotaries burn oil, not at a extravagant rate but they burn oil. Check coolant. Change the oil religiously. Check for oil leaks especially around the oil cooler lines. Thats just off the top of my head. Depending on if you get a turbo FC or an NA fc octane level is important. Always run 87 on NA and 91 on turbo never the in between octane level.

Good luck getting an FC, it was my first car and very happy with that decision they just look so cool. There are also endless possibilities of mods you can do to them.

The only real Con i have seen so far is my wife HATES my 7, she wont admit it but you can tell.
There is just something about this car that hits me in the right spot. It is fun to drive, i have also noticed almost everyone else on the road will speed when you are around. If you have a basic knowledge of mechanics, and can learn fast either by reading or doing, you will be fine on the maintenance.

Welcome to the forums :D

that video is AWESOME! wish i had seen something like that when i was learning rotary.

N/A or TII fc is definitely a good place to get started on 7's.

No street driven 7 owner breaks their engines down once a year just because. That's just silly.

Premixing improves lubrication and longevity even in conjunction with the stock oil metering system. It is a replacement for it too. My father and I premix on top of our OMP's. The FC has had this treatment for 30k miles and has perfect compression.

If you change anything on a turbo 13b you have to do it right the first time. Improve intake and exhaust/increase boost and you will introduce too much air and lean out the mixture with dire consequences.

NA's are much more forgiving and much simpler... not as much fun though!

My recommendation: find a clean, stock FC, leave it that way and focus on suspension, tires, maintainence, restoration.

thanks guys, another question is that u guys talk about your car backfiring a lot. is that normal? or is that caused by some sort of modification? also, I want to find a n/a. but A turbo sounds cool :D. I pretty much have an idea of what I want to do performance and looks wise. its just a matter of getting the money for one. which I have found a few and they look like they are usually under 5k on average.

Remove the cats, and it will backfire.

Don't forget how old these cars are. Any money you would put towards mods probably needs to go towards restoration first. Like, say money for a kit would be better spent on bushings.

alright. also, do you guys think I should look for a n/a or a a turboed?

My most recent RX7 (I've owned two before) is an NA quite simply because it is under a grand and I can restore it cheaply, then put in a turbo motor when I am ready. I'd recommend the NA route so you can learn the car, it's not hard to drive, it just takes some getting used to.

alrighty, but suppose I find a turbo for a decent price?

Here is some great advice on what to look for when buying an RX-7. It is Aaroncake's site... He's a respected member here on RX7club.

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/buy1.htm

Stock Turbo FC's are fine to run with regular octane. You can even check the factory manual that comes with your car, should one be supplied. The key word in that sentence was STOCK.

you should look if there is an archive of the difference between series 4 and 5. There are trim differences and engine power differences along with other fun stuff. It's not hard to learn just to introduce you to some terms.

I have an NA, its down at the moment, any who I still think it tops the 240sx honda's and what not just because when you drive around people don't really know what you are driving. Also when you say what you drive, people are like "oh you drive an rx7!"

by the way when an fc backfires it gives off an awesome feeling. It's like "yup my car shoots flames and sets off alarms" lol just make sure the police or CHP aren't around to give you the FIX IT TICKET

other than that FC3S FOR THE WIN!

also make sure you answer right to "oh an rx7, how many cylinders?"

RichiFC i totally forgot about that hahaha

yes be ready to answer people when they say how many cylinders you have? its fun when you mess with them

I once messed with kids in high school. they thought I put a turbo in my fc after I got the hood hahaha I told them the turbo was inside the engine ahahahahha .They believed me hahah

hahahahah niiice... there was a kid on my football team who had a big block in his 67 Stang and I convinced him that I could smoke him in my S5 NA:lol:

He was talking hella smack... and I gave him a serious ass look and said... "dude... do you really think you can smoke me?!? Its an Rx7!... Ive got a rotary engine!!"

After practice he discretely came up and asked how mush I thought I could smoke him by!!:lol: :lol: :lol:

























































then my motor blew:(

aww that sucks nothing like blowing your engine to have you say FML

kazkepox good luck figuring out if you want a turbo or NA fc. It depends on your budget and the condition of the car to tell you the truth.

OP: I would suggest buying a turbo FC right away, that is if you have a second vehicle. The turbo model is higher maintenance, but more than makes up for it in performance. Chances are if you buy a non turbo, you will eventually turbo swap it, and in the long run its waaay cheaper to buy a turbo one initially than to buy a non turbo and swap it. Also the turbo has a much stronger drive train unlike the non turbo.

alright thanks for all teh help guys!

never a problem dude. good luck with your purchase and may I say ENJOY

A little too late answer, i got my first FC the last year, its an FC3S 1988 GLX, NA, a really really nice and fun car let me say, i have to sell my car because my girl was pregnant, i'm from Guatemala BTW, so i learn so much of mechanics thanks to my FC, i paid $15.00 for a course with Goopy Performance them teach us how to refresh the engine, how to check the apex, housings and all the internals, i got a good friend its a forum member here too, he knows a lot of rotary engines and he helps me when i got questions, so between NA or Turbo was a difficult choice, because with turbo you got more HPS, but more cost of maintenance, less gas millage, but more fun, i like the Na's because i feel less complicated. BTW in the maintenance don't forgot to drain the coolant and refill with the best coolant you can paid, i use Preston coolant its the best i can paid here, i change some hoses of water, with my bro we change the oil and gas filter its really fun and complicated, so here you go a medium review of my experience, for you or some one like to hear some basics about FC's, oh i almost forgot the next week i will buy a Turbo FC 87 jeje i miss so much my FC's and the money its better for this year jeje, regards.