I know i will get flamed for something.. but right now i drive a civic.. (which i regret) ive always wanted an rx-7.. (fd to be exact) but i realized i didnt have 10k$+ so now ive actually aquired a new respect for all the rx-7's and im hunting for a turbo II in decent condition.. but everyone tells me that rotorys are soo much trouble... i thought as long as the person didnt race the car, they changed the oil all the time, and a few more things the car should be all right.. can anyone give me some things i should look for when buying a new rx? i dont want to be stuck with a beater my current car).. i would just like peoples opinions on reliability and misc power improvements.. etc.. sorry for cluttering.. thanks for everyone who responds..

 

there one of the greatest cars u'll ever drive.... but they are very maintence greddy. there a very high maintence car. as long as you do the usual maintence within the specs you'll be alright. just make sure you have a decent income!!!

 

find one drive it

for the money IMO there is no better car

They are at the least 11years old so they do like to be the main source of attention

but more than worth it for *** in seat joy

 

Like the other guy said theyre all 11-16 model years old right now, so what you HAVE to do is buy one cheap enough that you can budget for a rebuilt engine immediately. An *old* rotary can live forever or can die tomorrow, and you wont know when, for there is no way to know. They give no warning. In fact, they usually run pretty damn great for a day or 2, then when you least expect it, after the race is over and youre on your way home, you'll shift form 2nd to 3rd and it will sputter and stall, and you'll be looking for an engine.

But, on the brighter side, once you do build it right, it'll last for 5-10 more years if YOU care for it right. When you buy a used engine/car you have NO idea of its mileage or treatment. Any RX-7 with over 100k is most likely on at least its 2nd engine, and you have no clue what that engine's mileage really is.

Engines can be rebuilt for as little as $800 all teh way up to 2 grand for a better-than-new engine.

Good luck with your search!

 

thanks for the advice.. i bought my civic for the 33mpg i get, and if i can find a turbo II project car it would be freaking sweet.. so you guys reccomend getting the engine rebuilt asap?.. i have a friend in japan who can get me almost new engines.. so i geuss it woulndt really matter how many miles were on it as long as misc stuff was in good shape.. what are some reliability mods for the fc.. i know about the fd.. but what about the fc.. btw if anyone is selling one or knows anyone whos selling one please respond.. i live in florida.. thanks!

 

Good to hear you've seen the light.

MAKE SURE to have the compression in each rotor checked. They should get SIX readings (3 sides/rotor, 2 rotors). If the compression is good, it mean the motor has been cared for well....

If it's been cared for too well, then you've got a BIG problem. If the previous owner BABIED it, like kept the RPMs Below 4,000 for it's life, then it's gonna have carbon build up, and WILL blow eventually .

When you have a ROTARY (NOT rotory ), you MUST change the oil ever 2500-3000 miles, and NEVER let it overheat. ALWAYS make sure the cooling and lubrication systems are working nicely.

... About the babying, you should take it up past 5000 RPMs everyday to make sure you open up the seconday ports (6-ports) and to break apart the the CARBON build up around the seals. The Rotary engine IS a RACING engine and should be enjoyed.

This page should dispell any rotary engine life myths you may have .

Following the simple guidlines, you should see 160k-200k+ miles out of an N/A and 120+ out of a TII.

The performance for the 2nd Gen RX-7's (FC3S) goes:

86-88 N/A (148 hp)
0-60 in 7.8 secs
1/4 mile in 16.7 secs

89-91 N/A (160 hp)
0-60 in 7.4 secs
1/4 mile in 16.0 secs


87-88 TII (182 hp)
0-60 in 6.7 secs
1/4 mile in 15.3 secs

89-91 TII (200 hp)
0-60 in 6.3 secs
1/4 mile in 15.0 secs

All RX-7's came with the 1.3L Twin-Rotor engine

A BPU TII will see mid-high 14 sec times, and a BPU N/A will see mid-high 15 sec times.

**Caution** When upgrading a TII, you MUST accomodate fuel upgrades so you don't get detonation.

Hope this answers your questions! Good luck!

 

I like this guy, I read a thread in the lounge as well as seen his posts/replys

IN dre_2ooo I Trust

 

thanks for ALL the support .. im soo anxious to get an fc now its not funny..lol but anyways yea the first thing im getting is a boost gauges and an a/f gauge.. then im doing the reliability mods first as most people recomend.. then i can make some power.. i never new you had to rev the engine past 5k everyday.. btw whats the redline on it.. i belive my friends n/a fc was like 8 or something

 

7,000 on a Series 4 (1986-1988), 8,000 on a Series 5 (1989-1991).

....And it loves it. ^_^

-ZenFox

 

im having trouble finding a turbo II.. let alone one that hasnt been messed with.. my friend says i should just get a n/a then do a swap.. i dont know.. ive always heard it is easier to just have the regular turbo II then rebuild the engine.. anyways what do you guys think?

 

doing the swap is TOO much money/work for what it's worth.

you need
TII tranny
engine
turbo
IC
hood
driveshaft
differential
ECU
wiring harness
wheels
guages
.. and of course decals

Just go with the TII, swaps are not easy.

 

:\.. its SOO hard to find any..lol there are like 2 in auto trader, one is a convertable (which i dont like) and its 12k for some reason.. and the other looks like the person didnt know what they were doing to it and moded it, which i dont want.. i guess i can go check out the modded one and get a compression test etc.. and make sure it is allright, but i would like a semi well cared for one.. lol

 

Just be patient with it. You search will pay off. Don't jump on the first one you see. Make sure you run a report on it from carfax.com. I have a '91 TII and love the car. Just lots of work. My redline is 7000rpm. Try ebay also.

James

 

Patience. It took me 1.5 years to find my 91 TII.

 

ok well.. i just got my a/c fixed in my H.. so i guess i can stand a little longer .. anyways exactly how many T II's were made.. like total and for each year..