kozzman555

since im new to rotaries and have heard some horror stories i would like to have any tips on how (or how NOT to drive them). i know i have a heavy foot and like to hit the throttle, frequently. i know i probably wont be able to do this. if you guys could give me any tips on when i can hit the gas and when i cant, that would be awesome. i think the engine has about 91,000K miles on it and runs really well

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Dont rape it when its cold..

1SxyRXy

dump the clutch at 11k when its cold

Cybaster

with your foot on the gas.....

welcome to the club ^_^

and what J-Rat said

Stanello

iTrader: (1)

Dont let it overheat

JerryLH3

iTrader: (11)

Give it a full tune up and perform routine maintenance. Drive. Enjoy.

speed_monkey

Let it warm up before you drive it. Then rev the **** out of it lol

kozzman555

ok, so basically, let it warm up before you hit it? and dont hit it if its already running a little hot?

whats the rev limiter on these things? and does it come with a speed governor? i think the peak HP on the N/A 13B is at like 6500rpm or damn close. does anyone have a dec idea where the shift point on these things are? can you guys tell me yours just so i can get a dec idea? thanks again guys

rick_tj

Shift points are relative. decide where you like to shift, and go with it. If its 3k, go for it. If its 7k, do that too.

kozzman555

i mean for racing. and i repear my earier stated questions

88 GTU

The Rotary Will Tell You What To Do Just Listen To It

Madrx7racer

LET IT WARM UP BEFORE YOU DRIVE HER (i don't think these guys mentioned it) and if you HAVE to drive then NOTHING ABOVE 3K.

after about 5 mins. then will be at normal driving temp(middle of gauge) about 20 mins after that then you can drive hard and feel free to redline all you want.

feel free to correct my procedure.......I believe that is plenty of warm up time.........mind you this is 20 mins of normal city traffic (stoplights, pedestrians, retards going 20 in a 25(citywide limit with a couple of exceptions around town).....

from home to work I have to stop 27 times) for a total of 2.3 miles on this road...

Septembers

^^^^ True story, you should hear a nice buzzer meaning please shift.

kozzman555

thanks a mill guys. i really appreciate it

if there's anything else i should know (ANYTHING) feel free to chime in. and i mean anything as in RX7 related. i dont want to know about how you were molested as a child by uncle roy

canaduh

Lol, well first off, don't listen to septembers.....Acutally... If you hear a buzzing noise and realize your redlining it, then yes, shift. But there is 2 annoying buzz sounds you will hear, 1 is the one to let you know your in the "red-line" the other is if coolant is low. Both extremely annoying.

Syonyk

... about as posted above.

Let it warm up to full operating temperature before going over 3k RPM or hitting it hard.
Don't let it overheat. If you have a S4 (86-88), your temperature gauge is somewhat useful, and will hit "H" before things get too insanely hot. If you have a S5 (89-91), get an aftermarket temperature gauge. The gauge on those has 3 positions: Cold, Normal, and "You just fried your engine 5 minutes ago, thought I'd let you know." An aftermarket gauge isn't a bad idea on the S4 either, but not as critical.

As long as it's warmed up but not overheating, drive it as hard as you want. Babying a rotary isn't good for it.

Regarding shift points, I suppose "Figure it out for your specific car" isn't enough information? If you really want to find the "perfect" shift points, take it to a dyno, and plot the torque curve in various gears, find out when it overlaps, and use that. Else, just do what the rest of us do and shift around 6500-7000 RPM, or when you feel the power start to drop off. There is a redline buzzer, it's usually set to a pretty good place to shift. "Factory shift light" is it's nickname.

-=Russ=-

kozzman555

hey thanks guys, if youve forgotten anything please let me know.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

low oil has the annoying buzzer too.

The electrical system's in these car's are starting to wear out after nearly 20 years. You might notice little electrical gremlins, but usually they're no big deal at all. (for example, the majority of FC's on the road have a non-working intermitent wiper setting).

Be sure to change the oil every 2-3k miles to keep the rotary happy.

Gas=$ These cars typically aren't too good on gas, but your foot also has some say in the matter.

Don't be intimidated if you ever have to rebuild your 13B. It's very possible for someone with a little motivation and some tools.

Wallydog11

and another for when you're low on oil....usually when you come to a stop or taking a turn it'll go off...

rrx777

about the limiter there isnt one and the gov im not sure but i dont think so oh and a 7 will flood realy easily always let the car warm up before you kill it never just crank for a sec then turn it off let it idel to warm up if you have to. enjoy your car and welcome to the club( now go kill some neons!)

iceblue

FAQ....
Aaron Cake, has a great writeup on his site if I had link on this PC id post it but dont.

Run good oil like RP or Motul or Redline
Run 87 octane or lower fule.
Get a good exhoust after 91k your cats are probly gone.
Check compresion and coolant presure test on motor to determin its estimated condition and drive acordingly.

Most all this can be awnserd in the FAQ and archive

rexxer

what?

H4Inf

Well everyone has probably said this all together but I thought I would go over exactly what I do with my car and any reasoning I can remember behind it just to make sure your car lasts well :-)

Something to know, the difference on the oil dipstick between low and full is about 1 quart. Check it once a week.

Warming up is essential. Start up your car and let it idle a bit so it starts pumping oil into the combustion chamber to lubricate, then ideally hold revs at about 1500 and no higher than 2000 to help it warm up. This should help prevent carbon buildup, or so I've read. I do this for a few minutes. Oil pressure should be fairly high. I let off the gas and watch the oil pressure gauge. If it doesnt drop down, I haven't warmed my car up enough yet, back to 1500rpm. A few minutes later I let off the gas, if the oil pressure starts to drop down, I know the oil is now warming up a bit and a little less viscous. I start driving, staying under 3000 rpm for the first 3 minutes, then under 4000rpm the next 3. Pretty much dont go over 5000rpm in the first 15 mins, you want all the housings to expand at an even rate, and gnerating a lot of heat will cause them to expand at different speeds because they are made of iron and aluminium. About 15-20 mins after startup, and once it holds a nice steady idle, thrash it like it was designed to be :-)

Peak torque should be around 5500rpm, so you would want to shift about there or after, peak power is as high as she revs pretty much. 6500 is decent, although mine has been to 8000, I don't recommend this as it will reduce the life of your engine over time.

Hopefully some useful info :-)

All the best!

Paul.

JamesBong

There's alot more usefull information in the stickies and archive for this forum. It's definately required reading for owning an FC, and also for not getting flamed for asking a common question. Welcome to the club!

rrx777

he asked if there was a rev limiter or a speed governer