Damn it. I am gonna do it. I am supposed to be selling my car for $2k in the next week or so. Plus, my student loan should go through, so I will have like $5k-$6k to buy another Rex with. I have found a 1990 TII w/ 7k on the clock. Plus it has a few mods on it (will get specifics later) for $5500 obo. What does one look for when checking out a turbo? What is "shaft play"? How do you look for oil in the intercooler. Don't worry, I know the basic rotary and car stuff to check out, but what turbo specific stuff should I check for?







Soinc...shut up

 

You found one so quick!?!?!?!?!? It took me 8 months to find my.

 

Heh. I am looking all over the country. I think a 12 hour drive is WELL worth a good rex. I just go to www.autotrader.com, type in Mazda, RX-7, 1989 -1991, and select any distance from my zip code, and viola!!

 

Have a compression test done somewhere with the Mazda SST for checking rotary compression. If it is modified to the point of having an FCD on it be VERY careful or you could end up in the same boat you are in now VERY soon. TO check the turbo, pull the intake and turbo inlet duct off and grab the shaft up/down a LITTLE is ok and normal, in and out at all is BAD. Start the car and let it sit at idle this is usually where the turbo will make a smoke show if it is really blowing oil, but if the car has cats you may not see it. With the PCV system going back into the intake you will have some blowby into the intake pipes, just looks and make sure its not EXTREMELY excessive.


Be careful, I think your situation may lend itself better to an NA, BUT you will have fun.

 

SO up/down on the turbo is ok, but in out is bad? Cool. And oil in the intercooler?

Yeah, I am trying to get a $9k student loan. $4500 comes at a time, and the first one will be used on the car. I want to keep it as close to stock as possible (except for aftermarket BOV and muffler for sound effect) and then bank the other $4500 until I need to for school or a new engine down the line. A stock TII will make more power than my n/a, and I can always hop it up after college. Mabye a 2 liter rotary cou;d be in it's future?

 

I am just gonna do this and this doesn't work with a TII. You will see how much power you get with just a cone, then just a catback. You will then want a muffler, then this then that. Boost is addicting, be careful, it easier to stop on an NA becaus eyou spend just as much to get so little power, but when 60hp is an exhaust and cone away, it gets VERY tempting.

 

Anything else?

 

Bump to the Izzo.

 

make sure it idles at the right rpm, and smoothly too. t2's are less tolerant of vacuum leaks than na's. make sure the check engine light is not on, and you may want to check it for codes, there are some that don't turn the light on. apart from that just look for the normal stuff, oil leaks, coolant leaks, does the ac work?, is the bolster on the drivers seat ripped? wheel bearings? has it been in an accident? is it rusty?

mike

 

What does knock sound like, BTW?

 

you'll know it if you hear it, but you probably wont

mike

 

If you acctually get audible knock the only sound you will need to know is the "cha-ching" the cash register will make of whoever you are buying your next motor from.

 

More questions. Would adding a FMIC (greddy), Apex dual N1 catbacks, and Apex dual chamber BOV mean I will need a FCD and bigger injectors to bump to boost to say...10psi?

 

stock injectors are fine for a stock turbo at 10 psi. Just make sure they are clean and flowing properly. I wouldn't go past aboiut 12-13 lbs with stock injectors although my 1sy gen with an 88 13bt went 8 month with stock fuel at 13.5 lbs.

 

Cool. I want the BOV and N1s for sound effect, as I said earlier. But I think the FMIC would be a good power upgrade. I want to keep mods minimal till I finish college, then get crazy with the boost when I can afford a daily driver.

 

So much for trying to keep it as stock as possible...

 

you should make a list of the stuff to check. go down the list and then make your offer. my friends 89 t2 is setup like you want yours, n1 dual and a bov. it runs fine, it did need an fcd on cold nights though, and if you want to be really safe get an fd fuel pump. the front mount is a lot of work, you should wait on that.

mike

 

Cool. I am wanting fast, but not so modded that I have to worry if I get on it every once in a while. I want power with moderate rliability. I am looking for as close to stock and rebuilt, and I plan on spending about $5k-$6k (at least that is what I am budgeting)