New guy--A few questions-Answers appreciated.
 

Alright, I've got the chance to get an 87 TurboII for very cheap ($800). It recently had a "Jdm" 13B-T with a little less then 39,000 miles on it dropped in. But 2-3 weeks later, it encountered an electrical fire, frying the harness. So my question is how much is a new one? And also, how hard would it be to put it on?

The tranny in it isn't the best either, I've been told by the previous owner, that it could use either a new tranny, or new shifter bushings. What is your opinions on this? I could get a FC Nonturbo tranny for nearly nothing, but would it work on a turboII?

And honestly, are these things hard to keep running? Are they prone to mess up often?

I'm a 'newbie' to rotarys, but I'm also a fast learner, so I wouldn't be totally clueless working on one after a week or so of reading up on them.



Any answeres are greatly appreciated. :icon_tup: :icon_tup:

Jesse

in my opinion, 800 is way too much for a burnt up car! and if the fire looks anything like they normally do... its not just the harness that got messed up......... you'll need new injectors (the plastic tops melt!) all the other plastic parts are melted..... all fuel lines are gone, vacuum lines....you get the point!


edit..... im thinking of a "pd" fire......... where was the fire located? then i can give a better response!

I don't know what a "pd" fire is, but battery acid ate threw the wiring. It started under the EGI fuses, which then burned that harness, and then the engine harness got a small hole in it

That is not consistant with a "pulsation Dampner" fire. Sounds like something different.

Can you get pics???? Get your Digital Cam over there and take pics and post them, the would really help us out.

Seems to me that if in fact it was not a PD fire....your right on the cusp of what a person should pay for a TII

If you need a new wiring harness, they can be found for $100 but as high as $1000. Depends on the harness and seller. If you want a cheap one you'll have to shop the For Sale section everyday and "beat" the other buyers when a cheap one shows up.

I'll try to go get some pictures of it as soon as I can.

Why do the prices vary so much? Is it because of the condition?

there's a big difference between new shifter bushings and a new trans... one is 20 dollars and takes 15 minutes, the other is hundreds and takes hours

the NA trans is not going to be a good idea for a # of reasons.

^^^oh yea that too. The NA Tranny is a bad idea.

When a person gets an NA car and then buys a Turbo motor, the correct hing to do is to place an entire TII drive train in the N/A car. the TII drivetrain is beefed up enough to handle the extra HP.

Your're idea would be a quick fix but in the long run you'd burn the tranny up.

Yeah, I knew the difference in a new tranny and replacing shifter bushings, lol. I may be able to get a T2 tranny from a friend (I think he might be Rx7Rollin on here?).

Still no one has answered how hard it would be to replace the harness(es). Which is the main thing I'm worried about

^^Ok, if it is the main harness. The you'll basically have to take everything off the motor in order to get the wiring/vacuum harness off in one fell swoop. It is the first thing placed on a Long block as you start to reassemble the motor. Hell if you get it broken down that far you might as well Yank the motor (as it will be in long block form, attached to the tranny) and refurbish it with new Apex seals etc.

You are correct in worrying about the harness. But Here is the good news. There is that side (drivers side) of the harness that is not part of but connects to the main Harness. When pulled my motor I disconnected all of the conectors down by the starter. After I got the motor out I realized that I only needed to disconnect a few connectors from that side.

Ok I was talkign to the guy today and he said the main harness is fine, its the chassis harness near the battery..any ideas on this?

you're wrong my friend, its true that the TII tranny is better but i have an n/a tranny on my TII and i haven't burn the tranny up, and ive had the car for 2 years now. the tranny is good as new and nothing hurts her. but if you have the oportunity to grab a TII tranny, ill say go for it.

First off, welcome to the forums.

Secondly, read everything you can on these forums and buy yourself a nice Haynes Repair Manual for the FC (RX-7 1986-1991). Also, if you need a specific question answered, please search first as many common problems come up time and time again - this will also spare you many flames and the forty lashes customarily handed out by Icemark and Aaron Cake.

Thirdly, these cars are more reliable than the third generation RX-7s and if cared for properly will last longer than a normal piston engine. (Depends on how you drive it and maintain it of course, just like anything else.) But you are still dealing with an "older car" that just hit the two decade mark. (Depending on the exact year.)

Overall, I love my RX-7 and wouldn't trade it for any less than a brand new Ford GT40!! ^_^ They're alot of fun if you enjoy the rotary culture and following and are prepared (and apt) to learn!

Enjoy your 7 if the deal works out!!

iSP33D-for-J3SUS :bigthumb: