Ive had my FC for about 4 years and have put 40K on it. It has 120K on the Odometer. I was wondering about whether the thing has a timing belt or chain? Ive never heard this being an issue with anyone, so i would like to know what it has and how hard it is to change (or how expensive).

 

The timing belt connects the crankshaft with the camshaft in piston engined cars. We don't have one It keeps the valves 'in time' with the pistons.

The only chain we have is for the oilpump...and you only replace that with the engine...

 

Our timing is set via a crank angle sensor and is pretty critical in how the car runs. However, these cars seem to be able to run pretty well even drastically out of spec. Timing should be checked annually as part of a full tune up which always includes the following for me:

-Oil change (I change plugs at every oil change also)
-Air filter
-Fuel filter
-Tranny drain/fill
-Radiator drain/fill
-belts inspect/replace
-hoses inspect/replace
-timing TPS check/adjust

 

On a 2nd gen RX-7, the timing is set by adjusting the Crank Angle Sensor (CAS). This sticks off the front housing at an angle towards the driver's side. It's gear driven off the eccentric shaft, and secured with a nut to prevent it from turning. Theoretically this should never need adjustment unless you've removed it for some reason (usually an engine rebuild). It's not a bad idea to check it every so often, though.

You really do need a timing light to set the timing - setting it by ear will get you in the ballpark... but it is a huge ballpark. The engine sounds about the same through a large range of timing adjustments, and will run just fine with the timing way off (though obviously not run as well as it should be). If the timing is *WAY* off (retarded), the waste spark from the leading coils will actually be firing into the next chamber (insanely advanced timing, effectively). That's Bad.

Checking timing is pretty much the same as on any other car. You'll probably need to remark the timing marks in the main pulley, because they tend to disappear after 15+ years in service. I used white out. Then, clip a timing light on one of the leading plug wires (doesn't matter, they both fire at the same time) and make sure the pin is lined up with the first mark. Clip the light on a trailing wire, and it should be lined up with the other mark.

Despite the bad reliability record of a rotary engine (mostly due to user neglect - oil sludge + oil injection system = blown engine), there are very, very few things on them that can go wrong. Sadly, most things that can go wrong involve a rebuild.

-=Russ=-