how long will the motor last
06-07-06, 09:26 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: california
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
how long will the motor last
when i get my fd, i want it to be as reliable as possible. all the mods i will do to the car will be for pure reliability, little to no hp mods. so with all the necessary reliability mods to make a 7 as reliable as possible, how long do you think (on the average) will the motor last?
06-07-06, 09:59 PM
#2
Wishin I Still Had The FD
It's in the FAQ:
24) When does an engine need to be rebuilt? I heard FD engines only last 60k, is this true?
It needs rebuilt when the internal seals or components are damaged.
FD engines usually fail at one of these seals:
Apex seal - hard, spring loaded seal that separates the chambers of a rotor from each other. Often damaged by detonation, which is usually triggered by running lean under boost.
Corner seal - hard seal that fits at the ends of the each apex seal, helps separate the chambers of a rotor from each other.
Oil seal - Rubber O-ring that separates the chamber from oil flowing around the center of the rotor.
Coolant Seal - Rubber O-ring that separates the chamber from coolant flowing in passages in the rotor housing. Also called a water jacket.
Low compression indicates chamber-chamber leakage, either from overall wear or broken apex or corner seals. Broken apex seals cause the engine to suddenly run very rough and shaky with poor idle and little power. The car should be driven in this ‘limp mode’ as little as possible to avoid further damage to the engine internals and turbos. The most common cause of apex seal failure is detonation (from running too lean during boost), where the shock wave shatters the apex seals. This is sometimes referred to as 'grenading', 'blowing', or 'popping' your engine due to the sudden nature of this problem.
Symptoms of burnt coolant or oil in the exhaust, or combustion gases in the coolant can indicate damaged engine o-rings. A coolant pressure test is one test to detect this kind of failure. Overheating is the primary cause of o-ring failure, either by one overheat episode, or repeatedly driving the car too hard before it’s fully warmed up. Overheating can warp the housings, which exposes the o-rings to combustion and quickly breaks them down. Stock engines have had a history of coolant seal failure between 50-75k, probably because average owners were not careful enough with their treatment of the car, and because the stock temperature gauge does not provide a clear warning of overheating.
In good hands, stock FD engines without modifications have lasted over 100k. However, FD motors will never last as long as older NA motors because turbochargers add heat to the engine. Boost and higher horsepower always reduce the life of the engine.
24) When does an engine need to be rebuilt? I heard FD engines only last 60k, is this true?
It needs rebuilt when the internal seals or components are damaged.
FD engines usually fail at one of these seals:
Apex seal - hard, spring loaded seal that separates the chambers of a rotor from each other. Often damaged by detonation, which is usually triggered by running lean under boost.
Corner seal - hard seal that fits at the ends of the each apex seal, helps separate the chambers of a rotor from each other.
Oil seal - Rubber O-ring that separates the chamber from oil flowing around the center of the rotor.
Coolant Seal - Rubber O-ring that separates the chamber from coolant flowing in passages in the rotor housing. Also called a water jacket.
Low compression indicates chamber-chamber leakage, either from overall wear or broken apex or corner seals. Broken apex seals cause the engine to suddenly run very rough and shaky with poor idle and little power. The car should be driven in this ‘limp mode’ as little as possible to avoid further damage to the engine internals and turbos. The most common cause of apex seal failure is detonation (from running too lean during boost), where the shock wave shatters the apex seals. This is sometimes referred to as 'grenading', 'blowing', or 'popping' your engine due to the sudden nature of this problem.
Symptoms of burnt coolant or oil in the exhaust, or combustion gases in the coolant can indicate damaged engine o-rings. A coolant pressure test is one test to detect this kind of failure. Overheating is the primary cause of o-ring failure, either by one overheat episode, or repeatedly driving the car too hard before it’s fully warmed up. Overheating can warp the housings, which exposes the o-rings to combustion and quickly breaks them down. Stock engines have had a history of coolant seal failure between 50-75k, probably because average owners were not careful enough with their treatment of the car, and because the stock temperature gauge does not provide a clear warning of overheating.
In good hands, stock FD engines without modifications have lasted over 100k. However, FD motors will never last as long as older NA motors because turbochargers add heat to the engine. Boost and higher horsepower always reduce the life of the engine.
06-07-06, 11:22 PM
#6
Look Ma! No Pistons.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Cali
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by jay3
when i get my fd, i want it to be as reliable as possible. all the mods i will do to the car will be for pure reliability, little to no hp mods. so with all the necessary reliability mods to make a 7 as reliable as possible, how long do you think (on the average) will the motor last?
Trending Topics
06-07-06, 11:30 PM
#8
Sleeper but still slow
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,766
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Silverstone
Good luck! I said all of the things you just said when I bought my FD with only 42K orig miles on it. I thought I'd hit the jackpot with a clean mint cond FD. I babied the thing and made all the right reliability mods. Now at 47K miles, ENGINE BLOWN. Coolant seal is leaking, rebuild time. The problem is I don't know how the car was driven and taken care of the first 42K miles. I only know I treated it right and spent lots of money on it getting everything right . . . I thought.
06-07-06, 11:52 PM
#10
Wishin I Still Had The FD
Originally Posted by '87 trubo FC
I've heard of an FD that made it past 200k miles but it wasn't driven like an FD should be.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ncds_fc
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
17
09-10-15 03:52 AM