View Poll Results: do you work on your own car?
you do all the work on your car.
114
71.25%
you dont work on your car.
2
1.25%
you do little things.
37
23.13%
i dont have an rx-7.
7
4.38%
Voters: 160. You may not vote on this poll
Do you work on your on car?
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
From: Stanford, CA
Originally Posted by InvisibleMonkey
EDIT: i mean, it's YOUR car, you know it better than anyone else does, and on top of that, it's a rotary, and IMHO i think that they're really interesting and i think that they are/can be better than piston engines (JUST the pistons alone are 4, 6, 8, or 10 moving parts in engines that are much bigger/heavier than a rotary, compared to an engine that has only 3 or 4 moving parts and is very light) it's just that i think rotaries aren't as widely used, so there's less advances in them
Take care,
Shad
boost > *
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 0
From: buffalo, ny
i do maitanence on my own......pretty much all my mods were done at my buddy's shop (not really getting "raped by paying" since he's a friend of mine) and his work is always top notch so its all good. on my daily 240sx i do the work myself
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,038
Likes: 0
From: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted by rynberg
As far as commenting on threads on the forum....I post here to have fun and to help people. There are some definite areas of these cars that I DO NOT post about because I don't know **** about that topic-- but you can guarantee I READ those threads and learn. I certainly have stuck my foot in it a few times, but hey, no one's perfect. I've never once claimed to know everything about these cars (I certainly don't!) and I have and do regularly defer to a few members here who REALLY know their ****. But I CAN tell you that I have helped people on this forum MANY times -- just as the forum has helped me figure something out MANY times.
****, this place has helped me out so much over time that I feel obligated to help others out wherever I can! The way I see it, contribution to the community is like a donation to support it.
I'm sure the people who run this place would gladly accept monetary donations instead, but I have no money as my automotive habit eats all of it...
I do nearly all the work myself. There have been one or two times when I didn't want to do a certain job. Resealing the oil pan was one of them. I just didn't feel like doing it myself 
I've had the car about 3 months now..since then, I've been doing some basic stuff (oil change, sparkplugs, etc). I will be installing gauges and new radiator next. For the bigger projects like engine and tranmission, I won't be dealing with that yet (let shops do for now) until I have more hands-on experience on this incredible machine. Sadly though, my FD is currently in the shop for a 5th gear syncro replacement as well as similar parts around it (Yes, this is me, "efinizero," as I used to go by).
Sadly though, my FD is currently in the shop for a 5th gear syncro replacement as well as similar parts around it (Yes, this is me, "efinizero," as I used to go by).
Last edited by FDZero; Jul 1, 2005 at 04:33 PM.
R1derful
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 702
Likes: 0
From: N Cali
Originally Posted by adam c
I do nearly all the work myself. There have been one or two times when I didn't want to do a certain job. Resealing the oil pan was one of them. I just didn't feel like doing it myself
Sonny
With exception of a few friends, no one but myself has worked on my car since about a week after I bought it (clutch job). Also when Steve Kan tuned it.
Doing everything yourself doesn't guarantee that you know everything, but it sure gives you experience if you ever do it again. The key is to be smart enough to know your limits and when you are in over your head.
Back to the original-original post, for those nay sayers that claim a rotary can't be run off a S-AFC, What did they do before the PFC??? Yup, played with an AFC. While I'm not arguing that the PFC is 1000% better than the AFC, saying that it can't be done is as ignotant as saying that the PFC costs too much. One blown engine trying to tune an S-AFC is worth 2+ PFCs.
DISCLAIMER: I don't claim to know much about tuning an S-AFC, or even much about tuning a PFC....but I guess that goes back to my point about knowing your limits.
Doing everything yourself doesn't guarantee that you know everything, but it sure gives you experience if you ever do it again. The key is to be smart enough to know your limits and when you are in over your head.
Back to the original-original post, for those nay sayers that claim a rotary can't be run off a S-AFC, What did they do before the PFC??? Yup, played with an AFC. While I'm not arguing that the PFC is 1000% better than the AFC, saying that it can't be done is as ignotant as saying that the PFC costs too much. One blown engine trying to tune an S-AFC is worth 2+ PFCs.
DISCLAIMER: I don't claim to know much about tuning an S-AFC, or even much about tuning a PFC....but I guess that goes back to my point about knowing your limits.
Full Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Chattanooga, TN
Early on, I took it to a shop that specialized in rotaries. I wish I had never heard of the place. Only long after they went out of business, I found that I had been sabotaged. 
There is no telling how much that place cost me. Now, I do everything myself. The only thing I haven’t done was the porting of the engine. I left that to an expert.
There is no telling how much that place cost me. Now, I do everything myself. The only thing I haven’t done was the porting of the engine. I left that to an expert.
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, TX
hahaha i can honestly say i do the work on my car, of course i do need help sometimes but im right there with them the entire time. like last week through last night at 5am i had to fix 3 oil leaks and a coolent leak... and we got bored and i had some cash so i decided to spice her up because she was stock. we put a greddy dual intake,greddy pulley kit, apexi BOV, torque brace, programed the greddy turbo timer all in one day. dave (my friend that helps me, wanted to convert my car into a single turbo but it got too late/early. maybe that will be tonights project
You've Been Punk'd
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,727
Likes: 1
From: Branson, Missouri
i help one friend with his fd for the big stuff (rebuild, turbo changing, radiator install, etc) otherwise he does it. and i may be helping a friend build a monster fd shortly. and yes i work on my own fc.
i really wanted to do my engine but didnt ahve the time at all to do it or the proper tools. I figured that by the time i purchased all the right equipment, seals, o-rings, ect. that it would come close to having someone else do it for me. I have done a lot of work on my car, maybe when im not working full time and going to school full time i might have time to tear into an engine.
Originally Posted by manny34711
i do some small stuff wheres my friend Aleem who is the master guru of rx7's in my area does most of it. he did my non-seq conversion along with some other things. thanks bro!
Full Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco, Ca
Dude, are u serious!? I just read the thread you were referring to as regards the advice you had been given. Rynberg was (and usually is) very professional on this (and all) threads). This thread seems more like an opportunity for you to repair your bruised ego.
"...getting raped by mechanics.." come on, man. Just cuz some one had to set you straight as regards rotary tuning there's no need to follow it up with some rant about "..put this thru spell check and tell me about my car!!!!!.."
None of us know EVERYTHING but thats why we're here. Also we all know of the core group of individuals who CLEARLY devote more time and knowledge to the rest of us. Are you one of those people?
"...getting raped by mechanics.." come on, man. Just cuz some one had to set you straight as regards rotary tuning there's no need to follow it up with some rant about "..put this thru spell check and tell me about my car!!!!!.."
None of us know EVERYTHING but thats why we're here. Also we all know of the core group of individuals who CLEARLY devote more time and knowledge to the rest of us. Are you one of those people?
the only thing i dont and wont do is tune..thats what steve kan is for..
ive done everything from engine/trany swaps, suspension, turbo swaps, you name it ive done it to my RX. cause when you want somehting done right, you have to do it yourself.
...and im not knocking any rotary shops.
brandon
ive done everything from engine/trany swaps, suspension, turbo swaps, you name it ive done it to my RX. cause when you want somehting done right, you have to do it yourself.
...and im not knocking any rotary shops.
brandon
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: new york city
Originally Posted by rynberg
There is a WORLD of difference between wrenching, knowing how to rebuild a motor, etc., and knowing about tuning or the components necessary to properly mod a car. They aren't even the same thing. I didn't see a single post by anyone in that thread that was negative or condescending toward you. If you were offended by my posts in that thread, I don't know what to say. I gave you good advice without any attitude at all so I don't know what else I could have done.
The attitude that you HAVE to work on your own car to own an FD or know anything about it is absurd. Wrenching on a car takes tools, time, and a manual (or experience). I don't have a plethora of the first one and I definitely don't have enough of the second one to do all my own work. There is nothing wrong with paying someone to fix something if you have the money. I know a lot of very experienced wrenchers on this forum that wouldn't dream of rebuilding their own engine. Why? Because other people SPECIALIZE in that and would do a much better job.
As far as commenting on threads on the forum....I post here to have fun and to help people. There are some definite areas of these cars that I DO NOT post about because I don't know **** about that topic-- but you can guarantee I READ those threads and learn. I certainly have stuck my foot in it a few times, but hey, no one's perfect. I've never once claimed to know everything about these cars (I certainly don't!) and I have and do regularly defer to a few members here who REALLY know their ****. But I CAN tell you that I have helped people on this forum MANY times -- just as the forum has helped me figure something out MANY times.
Good luck with modding your car.
The attitude that you HAVE to work on your own car to own an FD or know anything about it is absurd. Wrenching on a car takes tools, time, and a manual (or experience). I don't have a plethora of the first one and I definitely don't have enough of the second one to do all my own work. There is nothing wrong with paying someone to fix something if you have the money. I know a lot of very experienced wrenchers on this forum that wouldn't dream of rebuilding their own engine. Why? Because other people SPECIALIZE in that and would do a much better job.
As far as commenting on threads on the forum....I post here to have fun and to help people. There are some definite areas of these cars that I DO NOT post about because I don't know **** about that topic-- but you can guarantee I READ those threads and learn. I certainly have stuck my foot in it a few times, but hey, no one's perfect. I've never once claimed to know everything about these cars (I certainly don't!) and I have and do regularly defer to a few members here who REALLY know their ****. But I CAN tell you that I have helped people on this forum MANY times -- just as the forum has helped me figure something out MANY times.
Good luck with modding your car.
i also think that it is very imporatint to know your car and work on it. i have a good friend who has an r 32 skyline and he knows nothing about the car or anyother car for that matter. he takes it to a shop that charges like $125/hr when something happens and its not even that he cant do anything he dosent even want to learn. he would rather pay? he barely drives it because hes afraid of something happening to it. i think that this is wrong. our cars were made for people who know them to own. thats what sets us aside from the rest. im not saying that if your not a mechanic you shouldent have one, but it will deffanatly help your pockets.
P.S. those of us who have knowlede of this car have an obligation to teach about it to newbees. they need the knowledge too. these cars are too tempermental to pay for the work.
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,988
Likes: 0
From: Home of the 305 Boyz(miami)
i started doing all the work on my car except tuning/rebuild/electrical/porting. the majior things.
Right now the only thing thats stopping me is having a garage like the most of you! since i sit on a hill im limited to what i can do!
Right now the only thing thats stopping me is having a garage like the most of you! since i sit on a hill im limited to what i can do!
Rotary Freak
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,817
Likes: 16
From: South Carolina
I do most of the work on my own cars, but for mayor repairs (like replacing the clutch or changing out the engine), I take it to a reliable shop.
Why? (1) Because I have been wrenching on my cars for many years and I get tired of it. Maybe in I had my own personal lift things would be different. (2) It is more cost effective for me to have a reliable shop do the work. (3) I like having a warranty [such as it is] when major expense is involved.
Why? (1) Because I have been wrenching on my cars for many years and I get tired of it. Maybe in I had my own personal lift things would be different. (2) It is more cost effective for me to have a reliable shop do the work. (3) I like having a warranty [such as it is] when major expense is involved.
I Like Beer
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 808
Likes: 2
From: Vancouver Island Oceanside
I do little things myself (the hose job is a good example). I haven't HAD to do anything major yet.
I would probably not do my own rebuild, even though I've rebuilt piston engines.
I'm lost when it comes to electrical. I can do gauges, but nothing that requires a voltmeter or ohmmeter, for example.
HAving said that, wrenching your own stuff is not that tough. You just have to work at understanding how things work and why they're built the way they are.
A digital camera and Internet access provide a liberating experience for amateur mechanics who work alone.
Nothing replaces having a mentor, though.
I would probably not do my own rebuild, even though I've rebuilt piston engines.
I'm lost when it comes to electrical. I can do gauges, but nothing that requires a voltmeter or ohmmeter, for example.
HAving said that, wrenching your own stuff is not that tough. You just have to work at understanding how things work and why they're built the way they are.
A digital camera and Internet access provide a liberating experience for amateur mechanics who work alone.
Nothing replaces having a mentor, though.
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