fc3sdrifting

im about to buy my first car, 90' gtu with 153k miles. original engine. tranny had problems but the guy im buying it from is a rotary mechanic and he is fixing it.

im wondering how much further this engine will go, i know thats hard to tell with so little information, but is there a good chance it will go to 200k?

is a rebuild worth the money? i can get it done for $1600, or maybe by the time i need one i will have the skills to do it myself. for a basic rebuild, how much longer will the engine go, or is it almost like having a brand new engine?

im hoping this car will last me the next 5 years so when i get out of college and get a career job i can make enough money to buy another car and maybe sell this one. maybe a 3rd gen with a dead motor then rebuild that one.

RETed

Maintained properly, it'll do 300,000 miles.



It's basically reconditioning the engine.
Depending on what parts are replaced, it can be just as good as a brand new engine.
Non-turbos are getting scarce, as parts are already drying up.
Having a good running non-turbo engine can be a good thing.


You have no idea what you're getting into...


-Ted

Aesop Rock

Yea, agreed.

You have been here this long and you still don't have a 7?

fc3sdrifting

i think i do have an idea, but go ahead and ellaborate.

im about to turn 18 and i have to buy my own car and everything so ive been working all this time and i finally have enough money. ive been into rx7's for over a year or something like that so thats why ive been on here for so long without a car.

DerangedHermit

If you're needing a car that WILL get you where you need to go, no questions asked, don't get a 7. If you can find a ride to work/school/wherever else if your car breaks, 7's rock .

WAYNE88N/A

I took several wear measurements when I did my rebuild at 186K, Ted, specifically the 2-piece apex seals, and without going into the mathematics (I did that in another thread about 3 months ago), figured out that the engine could have gone to about 230,000 before the apex seals hit their wear limits. Now, how much longer after limits are reached they would stay in their grooves without "rolling out", no one knows, I guess, but it seems a stretch to claim 300,000 for the OEM seals.

fc3sdrifting

yeah, thats the reason why im not scared to get an fc. ive gone 2 almost 3 years getting rides with other people or borrowing my parents car.

the only thing im worried about is if the engine dies soon after i buy it and it needs a $1600 rebuild. i didnt work all this time for that to happen.

WAYNE88N/A

Find one with lower mileage, then...

fc3sdrifting

kinda hard cause im only gonna buy it from the mechanic guy. the only other cars he has for sale right now are either turbos, verts, or one 3rd gen.

RETed

I dunno how you figured how much more mileage you would've gotte from your apex seals, especially when the tips are hardened?

After the first 0.5mm of wear, the underlying steel is quite a bit softer than the top...


-Ted

WAYNE88N/A

Got a point there, but there was no other way to accurately estimate remaining seal life than to assume that the wear rate over the miles was fairly even...