if i get a new rebuild motor, and treat it right with normal maintence do a single turbo kit, and get a quality tune and do all the mods known to protect it.. will these motors last for years to come with no issues??

Id do a search and so fourth but the issue is im trying to prove that these motors can be reliable if taken care of to a guy here at work.. I said id post on it and let him read your guys responces.

he claims if i get a new motor id be changing or rebuilding again about every 2 years or 15K miles.. I raised the BS flag and said no way if you treat one right it will last 70K miles if not longer!

so what you all say!!??

 

we are talking about a street ported motor too if it matters at all..

 

Why not. there are original engines with 70K on them, I don't see why a properly re-built one couldn't. Then again it could blow at 20K, there is really no way to tell how long any engine will last, catastrophic failure is unpredictable.

 

It depends how you drive it, how cool it runs, if you premix, what you replace, who makes the replacement parts, etc.

I expect my rebuild to last close to 100k or possibly more. Some people will probably laugh at that, but the original engine went 130k with only low compression to show for it and the side irons weren't even half way to the specified wear limit when I spec's them out.

New mazda rotor housings, seals, springs, bearings, an additional oil cooler, aluminum radiator, downpipe, 128:1 premix, lower temp fan switch, new or reworked everything else.

It's the attention to detail and prevention/maintainence that will pay off in extra miles. Keeping it at stock power levels while also adding cooling/safety mods should go a long way too. That's the route I took.

 

I disagree. You just have to know what to look for. Apex seals don't break for no good reason and the same goes for coolant seal grooves.

 

From the FAQ

 

looks like i started a fire!! haha.. im just a firm believer that these motors are reliable if maintained correctly.. that being said they wont pop if done right after 15-20K miles..

 

If maintained correctly yes, however, singling an engine and asking it to make 2-3 times the amount of horsepower it made from the factory is not going to make one last 70-80k miles.

There are a lot of reasons the original engines almost always made 60-80k miles. In my opinion one of the biggest is because of the sequential setup. I have seen a lot of fds in my time, and never, ever have I seen one with more than 40k miles that the sequential system still worked properly from the factory not being fixed at some point in its past. Most of the original engines that made it all those miles were likely running on only the primary turbo the majority of their lives.

Im not saying the above happens with every fd ever made so people dont have to jump in and say other wise, but I know I have personally seen this on 50+ fds over the years.

 

hmm so a nice 400whp single turbo 13b-rew prob wouldnt last too long then huh? 30-40K?

 

It all depends on your overall setup, intake temps, water temps, apex seals used, etc. A small turbo running 16-17lbs making 415 rwhp is a little more stressfull than a T-78 making the same hp at only 12-13lbs. Its all relative to each individual setup. Can you get 30-40k miles out of a single setup, sure, not a lot of people do because we all get greedy with power.

Had a friend tell me once that if you have a car that makes 1000rwhp, you will want it to make 1500rwhp, if it makes 1500rwhp, you will want it to then make 2000rwhp.

 

yeah i undertsand always wanting more power.. me personally 415-430hp at the wheels is more than enough for me..

 

its more setup and tuning than maintenance. ive had NA rotaries go 20k without doing anything, just adding oil...

on a NON stock turbo car, the tuning is important, as is setup.

setup meaning the temps (oil, intake air, and coolant) need to stay in certain ranges. it needs plenty of fuel. spark plug wires need to be run away from each other, etc etc

colder spark plugs are also a good idea, especially in the trailing

theres no reason you cant have a 400hp single turbo fd that ran for 70k, although thats like 20years of weekend driving....

 

i just wouldnt want to rebuild my motor every year or every 2 years.. id be thinking every 4-5 years for a rebuild wouldnt be half bad..

 

I'm running 86k miles and still running strong *knocks on wood*
As long as its not abused and you follow the guide lines of how to maintain the car especially if you are planning to daily drive it.

 

how much power you putting out tho swat?