Hey guys, I understand that power power equals more strain and wear on the engine, however if the proper upgrades are done and well maintained and tuned, will increased hp greatly shorten engine life? Not looking for a 500hp monster just something more than factory. I take it most motors are blown from overheating and detonitation and not just due to "normal" wear?

 

Thermodynamics dictates that more power from the same displacement will involve more heat. Modifications to better handle that heat will help, but the bottom line is the combustion chamber is handling more energy, and usually that means the seals won't last as long. If a person puts extra high HP into an FD, the price of a rebuild isn't too big compared to the costs you've eaten to get there.

Dave

 

True, If you're going to play; make sure you have $$$ for a new motor. Or else!!!!hahaha!!!!

 

I understand they won't last as long, but let's say I'm at the 300-350whp range, will this shorten my engine life by say 50% or what's a good guess, I know a decent amount about piston engine but dont' know what similarities transfer over to rotary? When an engine usually fails due to just wear and tear what usually need replacing, seals? I'm asking because I've seen rebuilds from $1800-$6,000. I could afford 2-3K if something happens but not a new motor if it's gonna be 4-6K

 

First off, if you blow a seal or overheat the engine, you don't *have* to do a $5000 rebuilt. You can go the $2k reman route.

Secondly, 300-350rwhp range is actually quite modified for an FD. A healthy stock FD is around 220rwhp so jumping up to 320rwhp or more isn't "slightly modding" the car.

If you are concerned with money, replacing parts (and/or engines), don't get the car. It's not the car to have if you have to complain or worry about replacing anything on it.

 

I do understand. 2 weeks ago I knew nothing about these cars other than horror stories about how "poor" they were made. Know after reading probably close to 100 post I have learned a good deal and would like to learn more. I am willling to spend a decent amount on a re-build if necessary, however I cannot afford a 5-6K new engine. I do not yet understand what $ pertains to what engine replacement parts or what usually "blows" in the engine which will require a $ part to be rebuilt or replaced. Does that make sense? Sorry for the confusing post.

 

I guess I"m looking for someone to say something like: the "blank part" usually wears out which will require a relativley inexpensive(2-3K) rebuild. Rebulds costing 5-6K are only if the engine is pretty much destroyed which usually does not happen if reliability mods are done and fuel and tunning are maintained. Something like that. belive me I"m not trying to complain or sound cheep, I've spend over 30K in aftermarket parts in my last 2 cars but currently I cannot afford a 5-6K bill. Learning about these cars before I get one will ultimately benefit me and I believe save me a lot of money and frustration however I'm sill a beginner and wish to learn as much as possilbe about what goes wrong, how much it costs to fix it, and how to avoid it from going wrong in the first place while improving the overall performance/reliabliity.

 

2

 

do a search for "rebuild", you'll get all the answers you want.

 

Yeah I did that yesterday and read a bunch of post but couldn't really find an answer, think I'll go back and read a bunch more today instead of posting questions that **** people off.

 

That's the problem. People have done everything right and still lost an engine. There have been people who have done everything wrong and never had a problem.

Sh*t happens.

What you need to understand is that these $5000+ rebuild jobs are more than just "rebuilds". People are adding/changing to more expensive parts, porting and other enhancements which cost more for the rebuild.

*IF* you were to blow a seal or cause a lot of damage to the motor, you simply purchase a remanufactured engine. You can purchase remans for $2000 in exchange for your engine (so you pay $3000 for the reman, you get $1000 back when you send back your core). If you wanted the engine ported, you could still pay to have the reman ported before installing it. Keep in mind, most of these prices are without R&R (Removal & Reinstall) labor. Some of those $6000 prices you see are rebuilds with R&R included, some of them aren't.

Bottom line, if you are scared of anything breaking on the car at all, don't get it. It's not a car to have if you are scared of breaking or replacing anything. I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, I'm saying that because you really seem to timid about the purchase. If reliability is a concern, look else where, and that's the truth.

 

Thank you very much, I do not feel bad, I appreciate you telling me your honest oponion. I think I'll keep reading and reading and learning as much as possible and save a few thousand $ as a "reserve" then purchase one when I feel comfortable with my knowledge of these cars and my money situation

 

exturbogsr01, are you still trying to be convinced? you might be better off with a sn95 cobra. cheapers parts, and anyone can work on a stang...lol

 

Now that's a smart man! Why wont everyone else do that

 

You can get over much of that intimidation by having at least $5k socked away in a savings account just for "repair insurance". The car requires financial padding so you can drive it confidently. I've considered trading my FD for a cherry 97 SVT Cobra(gotta love that snarl/5-speed), but I just can't do it. So I'll probably have both with the SVT my daily driver.

 

I like this guy

 

Based on what I've read, it's mostly the coolant seals giving way. Take the engine apart, replace them, put it back in. Mostly labor, and this is the standard $3k job. Failure of the apex seals is a little different - because they are brittle, they will chip and the chips can cause pretty nasty damage to the housings and turbos. But if you never run your engine lean, you'll be fairly safe.

350rwhp isn't a trivial change from stock, but doable and won't kill your engine if you think things through. It will help greatly if this isn't your daily driver so that you can stop and research / check things out when something seems out of line. That's the key to maintaining this car - be attentive and learn about it.

Dave

 

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=172895
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=171289
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...5&pagenumber=1
Here you go, man; some recent threads in just the West forum about people who ran into problems while owning an fd. Whether it's engine replacement prices, other costs, or children it seems like a lot of people get themselves into a situation where they can't afford the car anymore (i'm prob guilty of this also)

Good luck w/everything

 

you also have to factor in how you drive the car. that probably is more important than how much HP you're making.

 

Yeah, I drive pretty hard in my car now. I wouldn't say I really beat on but run to the redline probably a few times a day