Hey everybody I'm thinking of selling my 99 Mustang GT and gettting a 3rd generation RX-7. Im just a little worried about all the problems I hear about associated with the RX-7. Are people overexaggerating? Also if they do have a few problems, like ive heard of the cars running hot and radiator problems can you give me some tips on what I can do from preventing these kind of problems. One more thing and sorry for the long post, would you reccomend an engine rebuild before any modifications if the car had high mileage? I was thinking of getting a rebuilt engine with a port and polish package which says it gives you a 20% increase.

 

Yes. It's like going back to high school and some rumors starts going around. It's always exaggerated and it tends to be mostly bs.

One of the best mods is to get a fan mod, which will allow you to turn on your fans whenever you want. This will decrease temps by 30C. Also, you can upgrade the radiator to a Koyo or Fluidyne rad.

No. An engine rebuild isn't necessary if the car has a lot of miles. The most important thing is to get a compression test before purchasing the RX-7. This is pretty much the only way to tell if the engine is still healthy and is going to need a rebuild soon. It only cost 40 for a compression test.

 

Thank you for the response

 

Yes and no. It depends on the car and the person. Some people only have bad luck with FD's, while other people have good luck. The horror stories aren't made up, some of those "horror stories" have actually happened to people.

It's not a car for everyone. You have to want to keep it. When it has problems, you'll hate it more than anything in life. When it's running, you'll love it more than anything. It really can be a love/hate ownership.

That's not to say that you won't purchase a good car, and never had problems. Many owners have had their cars for quite some time and never had many if any problems.

The problem with the radiator is not necessarily it's cooling ablility, it's the plastic parts that tend to crack from heat. Thats the main reason most people replace the stock radiator with an all aluminum radiator.

However, there are several things you can do to reduce the amount of heat generated by these engines:

1. Downpipe
2. Fan mod
3. Vented hood
etc..

 

http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/buyaused.htm

very good info site for new owners.

 

definitely buy the KOYO or Fluidyne, well worth it, definitely buy the FD, well worth it...

 

my previous fun car was a 95 cobra... so you are taking a step in the right direction going with the fd. I am not saying the fd is the end all of sports cars, but they are in a different league then the fox mustangs. if you treat your fd well, it will be a great car. I know people with more then 100k on factory engines (light mods). I will agree, there are lots of nasty rumors floating around about fds, and they are partially deserved. I think this has a lot to do with the very high % of people that mod their fd. I know dozens of people with fds, and only 1 of them is stock. I can't think of another car that enthralls it's owners into doing so many aftermarket upgrades. most of the time midding your car will shorten its lifespan... not all the time, but most of the time... (a downpipe is good for reliability, a t78 pushing 450 rwhp probably isn't)

my funny reliability story... I was in Milwaukee for the MRR and was talking to a guy with a nice civic and he made the generic comment about the notorious reputation of the 13b. I stated that my (and the other fd I was with) where both factory motors. I then brought up the fact that he was on his 2nd or 3rd b16 - supposidly a bulletproof engine...