unfortunatepenguin

OK guys I need your collective mind power to help me make my future FC semi-reliable, lets for now assume that the price is not an issue although if you think you have an estimate on how much something would cost by all means say so. So in the interest of reliability and safety what can I do? Here is what I have come up with so far:

COOLING
New radiator and hoses
New or better oil coolers

BODY
POR-15 (rust preventative)

ELECTRICAL
Re-ground
Re-solder anything showing significant wear (I work on alot of electronics so no big problem here compared with resoldering a motherboard)

MECHANICAL
Can't really think of anything here except make sure everything is in good condition but if you have an idea or know of some way to make things last longer post away.

Thats what I have so far so give me your ideas so I can amend the list.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Full tune up.

Pack all electrical connectors with dielectric grease.

Full suspension inspection.

Replace all vacuum hoses.

Replace all belts.

Replace ALL remaining hoses.

There's a lot that can be done, but it depends on how far you really want to go. I mean, do you want to replace all the injector rubbers? Clean the injectors? Replace the water pump just becuase?

vaughnc

After getting the running right (tuneup, hoses, etc..), bare minimum you want to upgrade the exhaust. An exhaust with less turbulance, lower restrictions, and catalytic converters that are not clogging reduces stress on the engine, increases your fuel economy, helps the engine rev smoother/quicker, and adds a nice bit of power. Bare minimum replace the exhaust tubing between the engine exhaust collector and primary (last) catalytic converter. This eliminates the 2 other minor converters/cold emission helpers. Also upgrade to a high-flow catalytic converter (bonez or magnaflow). You'll still pass emissions with flying colors.

Also we keep talking about the fuel rail pulsation dampener being a leeky gas hazard, but I haven't replaced it (or banjo bolt mod) on any of my RX-7s. Like any sports car owner should, I keep a small auto-grade fire extinguisher with dial readout just in case.

Finally if you have any problems with hard starts or light engine flooding, you should have your injectors professionally rebuilt/blueprinted/flow tested. It's possible (not probable though) the injectors could eventually cause your motor to run lean, but injector rebuilding is part of any high mileage recommended maintenance.... if anything for power & fuel economy.

unfortunatepenguin

Aaron actually that part about replacing the water pump 'just because' got some things running in my brain, are there any high flowing or more powerful water pumps out there, and if I added one of these to the current cooling situation would it make a noticeable difference in cooling potential?

But I really want to go all in with this car, not only do I love to work on cars but I really want this one to last without major problems holding it back.

The current car I'm looking at is a '91 and from what I read the PFD is integral to the fuel rail and doesn't pose a problem is this correct or is this missinformation?

Also I'm wondering how getting more air under the hood would help with reliability, rotaries produce alot of heat and from what I've heard the tubing and wiring seems to be consistent with current technologies of the time that can't stand up to high and low temps, by adding a scoop would it keep my underhood temps lower and help keep anything stilll in good condition in good condition?

Thanks for the feedback and I'm going to go ahead and add some of that to the list.

deadRX7Conv

The stock oil cooler rules. Just make sure the oil thermostat is working in the cooler.
The oil lines, if original, should be replaced. Nothing like dumping a pan full of oil all over the enviroment because of a 20 year oil hose.
Besides the radiator hose, all the other coolant hoses should be replaced.
I don't care for the e-shaft themopellet.
Use only a Mazda OEM thermostat.
Change the oil frequently. 3k/3mo minimally and use a quality bottle of FI cleaner each time.
Check and top off oil every time you fill'er up.
Fuel filter. Sucks having it clog after maintaining everything else.
Belts. Old belts can break or slip. Old belts tend to be overtightened which could wear the bearings in all the accessories.
Plugs. Change them regularly.
If using stock exhaust manifold. Racingbeat and Rotaryperformance have catless downmidpipes so that you can save your factory cats for emissions testing. I don't care for the overpriced catalytics.
I prefer synth tranny, PS, and rearend oils. I also use synthetic motor oil.
Bleed the brakes/clutch yearly.
Aftermarket tuning to fine tune the A/F ratios; SAFC/Emanage/Fcon it with a dyno tune!

If you don't have to worry about emissions. Yank everything related to it.

Change the antifreeze yearly. Do dump the waterpump if over 100k miles or 10 years. Other than MFR, I don't think that there are any other waterpumps. Its not needed if the radiator is upgraded, fan is working correctly, and thermostat and rad cap are OEM.

Clean and verify oil injectors and flow. Or, go premix!

My FC isn't semireliable. It is 100%. It'll warn me before giving problems arise.
Be alert of any smells, odors, fluid level changes, puddles, starting or driveablity issues, engine feel, sounds, MPG.........and fix/maintain as needed.

unfortunatepenguin

DeadRX7CONV, nope in Indiana we don't have emissions controls so I'd definatly be replacing the Cats with a dowpipe, and if I've heard correctly that helps the engine breathe a lttile better while also helping cooling.

As far as the waterpump I'm waiting for a reply from the seller but if I am going to replace it could you guys give me the flow numbers as I can't find them anywhere for the water pump, and which would be better an electric pump or mechanical pump, I'm personally leaning towards an electric pump as it would make it a little more responsive, but I've never replaced a water pump before so I might just go with whatever is easier.

As far as watching the car and listening to what its telling me, I'm an expert with a conventional engine but this will be my first rotary, any tips on what to listen for, also would a wideband help monitor whats going on, I've got one laying around that I got at a garage sale for $20.

Also how does the suspension hold up on these cars, am I going to be replaceing tierods, shocks, and bushings right away or are they going to be usable for a few months.

gingenhagen

To upgrade your cooling, get an upgraded radiator. Koyo or Fluidyne. $300-400. A worthy reliability mod. Never heard of anyone replacing the water pump before...

Icemark

That is incorrect. S5 and S6 (89-92 and 92-96) models have the same potential problem with their Fuel Pulsation Dampeners as s3 and S4 models, and in fact cost typically $50-$100 more than their earlier counterparts because you must replace the whole fuel rail, instead of just the dampener.

The S5 and later design, just replaced a screw (used in the earlier design) with a rubber tab. Rubber tends to get old and rot out under the hood of any car, not just RX-7s.

Manditory reliabilty "fixes" should be replacement of the PD, replacement of all the hoses and belts (including the infamous heater hose just under the oil filter and oil cooler lines). Then other parts as needed for a normal 60K mile tune up.

Replaceing the radiator and water pump and alternator should only be done on a as needed basis as the stock parts are better than the average Japanese car and much better than average than your average US/domestic manufactures products.