...just bought my first 87 n/a fc two days ago, loving it...ran fine off the lot...

...problem now: when I start the car up, it idles fine, then when I give it a little gas in neutral, or start driving and stop at a light, the rpms dip hella low, 150-350- rpm's low...shiat...gauges say that battery is at 13-15 volts, oli pressure varies between 15-30 lbs/in., and fuel is at a solid half tank...???

...and I was reading the thread with the Mazda dealership new engine swap or rebuild...how much do this things cost...I'm probably going to have to do it since my car has +200,000K miles on it...****, I don't have a lot of time...and how long would down time be?...I should probably just call the dealership...

 

Whatever you do, don't go to the dealership. Only go to shops that specialize in rotaries. Assuming you're in Washington state, you're fairly close to Pineapple Racing, which is in Oregon. They are one of the best rotary places around. They should know about rotary places near you if you can't find any. You'll find that you can find almost any info you need on this site, though. Theres a good chance you don't even need a rebuild. When I got my '87 NA, it had 213k miles and had been raced.
Congratulations of getting an FC, and welcome to the forums. Just read through stuff in this forum and you'll gain lots of knowledge about rotaries.

 

thanks...holy ****...just called the dealership and the bastard quoted me $6500+ on the reman...godamn...

...and can you tell me the phone number or city of that rotary shop in Oregon?...I live in the Seattle area, so I doubt my hooptie can make it to the border in its current condition...thanks...

 

The only thing I can say is forget rebuilding and buy a rebuilt engine a s5 one =). cost around 1k-2k

 

$6500? Damn. I just got my motor rebuilt for about $4000 including labor, install, porting, and some other stuff, as well as the towing expense.
Pineapple Racing is located in Portland, OR and their number is (503) 233-3878. The website is http://www.pineappleracing.com/ You might not need a rebuild, though. Ask around on the forums and see if someone knows what to do.

 

Cool, you're in San Antonio. I ended up getting my engine rebuilt by Tito over at Alamo Rotary. He did a great job. Also, is that 1-2k for a Mazda reman?
I think they use a lower standard for their engines, so they typically don't last as long as a good, quality rebuilt engine.

 

I'm a newbie...sooo, where would I go looking for a rebuilt engine for $2000?....I'm going to call pineapple and see if they can hook me up with shops around my area (Seattle)...

 

if the car runs fine and starts I doubt it's the engine...

if the only problem is idle droping too low at a light then it's electrical / sensors / things bolted to the engine.

and with a brand new engine the exact same problem will happen.... because the exact same stuff will be attached to and running the new engine.

 

**** sorry its 2800 for a rebuilt engine in s5 form http://www.fc3s.org/engines/rebuilt_engines.html they also have used jspec engines

 

I would agree with scott it doesnt sound like the engine... Rotarys last for life as long as you do regular maintaince.

 

Yea it could be something else, depending on how it was taken care of by the previous owner(s), as far as maintenance and driving style. Try to diagnose it before taking the dive on a reman/rebuilt motor. Good luck !