I'm about to purchase a 3rd gen motor from a company in California... the motor is off of a Japanese FD.. it's got about 40-50k miles on it.. wiring, hoses, and everything are attached..

It'll cost 1700 bucks for the motor + shipping..

My question is if there is going to be any things I need to look out for with a Japanese motor? Like what is specifically different from the U.S. spec motors.. wiring harness.. ECU.. etc.

 

That is a lot of money for an engine that will need rebuilt in the near future, especially without a warranty(I am sure they give you a 30 day warranty from date of purchase and it is unlikely it will be installed within those 30 days.) Im not saying they are all junk but research the company very well before purchase.

The wiring harness is useless to you if you have a US spec car(I am pretty certain of this but someone may correct me as I try to avoid most of the the JDM stuff). I can sell you a fresh rebuilt engine with warranty for not much more than they are asking. I could send you a longblock without wiring harness for under $3k shipped. Just some food for thought.

 

If it is a 92-95 JDM motor then the differences are minor and you can use the wiring harness and PCM that come with the motor in your car.Or you could use the intake manifolds,harness and PCM from your current motor an the JDM short block.

As pointed out above the real issue is what are you getting for the money.horror stories abound.In my mind it is a high risk proposition.

I bought a JDM motor and gearbox for about $1100 US but I had the opportunity to drive it first and knew a little better what I was getting---basically a rebuildable core and a good gearbox.

You could end up with an expensive pile of scrap.

 

There are alot of great builders out there that would build your engine for around that price range or less. Dont forget that they will charge you $500 or so to ship your engine....Theres a guy in the 2nd gen selling his race FD engine...you could prolly gett he short block for around what your looking to spend. https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-rx-7-1986-1992-parts-194/fs-fc-racecar-partout-lots-premium-parts-839485/ Consider your options though. I do have a JDM engine in my 2nd gen but wish I had got my engine rebuilt.

 

I wouldn't do it, personally. Odds are even the motor will need a rebuild right from the get-go.

Hell, I just sold the streetported shortblock out of my FD (20k miles on the internal seals, 60k miles on the hard parts) for $1700, and my motor is guaranteed to be in good running order.

 

Way too expensive for a motor with that many miles. 50k is a lot for a turbo rotary. If you are really set on a used jspec motor, contact Japan2la on here. He should be able to get you a lower mileage one. Otherwise it is usually better to go with a fresh rebuild.

 

I will be selling the 15k mile, running, street ported motor out of my car soon at a far more reasonable price than that.

 

Am in Pakistan... blew apex seals on my motor.... have been quoted 1500 US dollars for a JDM low mileage motor and gearbox complete with ecu and wiring.

Now my options are as follows.
1. Rebuild the motor myself... no rotary mechanics in Pakistan.
2. Get a rebuilt motor... shortblock form the US or the UK.... no rebuilt motors import allowed
3. Get a new shortblock... import allowed but have been quoted 5000 US.
4. Get an engine for 1500 US and hope for the best... man says its low mileage from Japan...and then take apart the old engine and rebuild it getting rotary experience the meanwhile.

What would you do in my place???

 

i think there was a thread about this exact same question about two or three weeks ago...

you didnt search?

 

So you couldnt receive and engine from a company like mine or one similar?

 

If you went with a stock rebuild, how would anyone even know its been rebuilt?

 

FYI "Jap" is considered a racist slur.

I don't believe you meant it that way, but that doesn't change how Japanese people may feel about it.

 

Gimme a break

 

I don't see where anyone used that term in this thread

 

^It was in the title originally. A mod must have changed it.

 

It is MUCH more worth your time, effort, and money to get a freshly rebuilt motor from a reputable engine builder on here or locally. Why purchase a motor from Japan? Just to say you have a JDM engine in your car?

 

I agree with this 100%. Some people have to learn the hard way, and I have spoken to quite a few such people over the years.

 

www.azrotaryrockets.com

 

you will want to use the j-spec wiring harness, since your us-spec is probably crispy. But you will have to use the plug from the us-spec. and re-pin the plugs(swap wires around). because some of the wires on the j-spec are on different plugs(like the fuel thermo sensor i believe). Its no big deal if you know how to use a digital multi meter and can read wiring diagrams.

I Bought a low mileage japanese engine swap that was guaranteed to have good compression but when i got it.. I turned it over with my finger on the spark splug holes and could feel it had no compression. So I had to take of the turbos and spray carb cleaner, then pb blaster on all the apex seals, and work them in and out with a piece of wood till they freed up.

then after you get the car running you can inject water into the engine to clean the rest of the crap out.

I called the seller and asked if he minded if i took off the turbos and tried to free the seals before sending the engine back (since the 30days was almost up) and he gave me an extra week to soak it and he admitted that the engines sit for years in a warehouse, and he knew the seals get stuck sitting.

anyways, after unsticking the seals.. the engine has been running great, with no problems, for the past 20K miles. then last week while changing my oil, i noticed the oil pump set crew, stuck on the magnetic drain plug. so now its time to take off the front cover and swap out the oil pump.


Oh yeah.. i paid $2k for the engine, tranny, ecu, with all the accessories.

but theres a guy on ebay that has them in orlando for $1799. go on ebay and search "rx7 engine". its near the top, 23hours left. he has the phone # and shop address on the ad so you can contact him.

and theres another guy in ocala that has them for around the same price.