Quick Question before making my first FD purchase
11-11-08, 02:10 PM
#26
Thanks for all the great advice. I dont mind spending some money to maintain and rebuild it and the main purpose of me getting the Rx-7 was to have it more so of a weekend/every once in a while car since I have a 2004.5 VW Jetta GLI as a daily. I just wanted to get a heads up on how soon I would have to rebuild it. If I go through with the purchase, I have planned on installing all the gauges first (Vac/Boost, Oil Pressure, Water Temp, Oil Temp, Air/Fuel), which I already have laying around. Excessive I know but I am **** when it comes to cars.
Do it myself list:
Replace all the hoses with silicon hoses.
Replace the AST with an aftermarket one.
Purchase and Install Apexi Power FC with datalogit, commander, and boost controller.
Replace intake with Apexi intake.
Custom make my down pipe(Reduce engine temp), cat, and exhaust. (With the intent to pass emissions in Texas)
If I have to replace the turbos, I was planning on getting the Efini turbos from Rotary Performance.
I am currently sitting at the 85 percent chance of buying the car.
Do it myself list:
Replace all the hoses with silicon hoses.
Replace the AST with an aftermarket one.
Purchase and Install Apexi Power FC with datalogit, commander, and boost controller.
Replace intake with Apexi intake.
Custom make my down pipe(Reduce engine temp), cat, and exhaust. (With the intent to pass emissions in Texas)
If I have to replace the turbos, I was planning on getting the Efini turbos from Rotary Performance.
I am currently sitting at the 85 percent chance of buying the car.
11-11-08, 02:21 PM
#27
if it is the original motor with 88k on it, it probably is getting close to needing a rebuild. But you never know. It could be one of those anomaly engines that has an extended life.
But yes, 85 and up you are looking decent. Anything above 95 would be phenonmenal.
T
11-11-08, 02:28 PM
#28
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Thanks everyone. I'll take a look at the car this weekend and get the compression tests and what not. If everything turns out good I will be driving home in it as well. I will give everyone heads up on how it goes.
11-11-08, 02:33 PM
#29
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If you really want the car then results of things like compression tests should be used as negotiating points, not buy/no buy points. Face it, the car is going to cost you more money sooner or later. Forewarned is forearmed...
11-11-08, 03:00 PM
#30
If you have a budget for the mods you already listed, plus you're looking at a rebuild at Rotary Performance, then I would NOT buy any used turbos.
If the turbos you have are in decent shape, keep using those after your rebuild, and then when the time comes and you have more $$$, get the BNR's ... everyone here on the forums who got them, including me, has not and will not be disappointed. They will probably outlast the life of your next rebuild, unless you plan to boost 20+ psi on them all day long.
How good is the body, paint and interior? Interior stuff is mucho $$$ and if you like your FD and if you plan to keep the car for awhile then that is something that you will want to be nice as well..
As surfmon said, you only live once! But I would go with a street ported motor and bnr turbos if you can afford the $20k price tag.
And I think $9-10k would be a fair price for the FD unless there are other flaws.
PICS ???
If the turbos you have are in decent shape, keep using those after your rebuild, and then when the time comes and you have more $$$, get the BNR's ... everyone here on the forums who got them, including me, has not and will not be disappointed. They will probably outlast the life of your next rebuild, unless you plan to boost 20+ psi on them all day long.
How good is the body, paint and interior? Interior stuff is mucho $$$ and if you like your FD and if you plan to keep the car for awhile then that is something that you will want to be nice as well..
As surfmon said, you only live once! But I would go with a street ported motor and bnr turbos if you can afford the $20k price tag.
And I think $9-10k would be a fair price for the FD unless there are other flaws.
PICS ???
11-11-08, 03:02 PM
#31
And ignore the $1k rebuild estimate - this is absolutely a best case number and assumes that you pull and reinstall and rebuild yourself and that rotors and housings are within spec, which is unlikely for an 88k mile car, and that nothing else needs to be replaced when you rebuild, which is even more unlikely.
11-11-08, 03:12 PM
#32
N BOOM goes the Dynamite!
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The body is in good condition with some minor paint chips. Interior is in good condition as well. I am currently at work so I can't post up the pics. It is black on black straight from the factory as an option. From what the owner says, it is in prestine condition. Clear title, no accidents, interior is in excellent condition. No tears in the seats, no cracks in the dash. No broken panels either.
I do plan on replacing the interior in the future as well. Just the seats, different head unit, and that is about it as far as it goes to interior.
Money isn't an issue for me, but I would like to save as much as I can.
Yea I do plan on doing a street port if it were to be rebuilt. After the turbos go out, then I will search around for a good replacement. I have heard a lot of people on here talking about bnr turbos.
So $10 would be a fair price? I've been looking around and lots of people are selling stock 7's for $13+.
I do plan on replacing the interior in the future as well. Just the seats, different head unit, and that is about it as far as it goes to interior.
Money isn't an issue for me, but I would like to save as much as I can.
Yea I do plan on doing a street port if it were to be rebuilt. After the turbos go out, then I will search around for a good replacement. I have heard a lot of people on here talking about bnr turbos.
So $10 would be a fair price? I've been looking around and lots of people are selling stock 7's for $13+.
11-11-08, 03:14 PM
#33
still standing by my original statement that 5k is INSANE for a rebuild unless you are building a monster
but then again I did buy my FD for $4500, so my opinion might be skewed
good luck whatever you do
betcha most of those had a fresh motor though
but then again I did buy my FD for $4500, so my opinion might be skewed
good luck whatever you do
So $10 would be a fair price? I've been looking around and lots of people are selling stock 7's for $13+.
11-11-08, 03:35 PM
#35
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you definitely want the compression to be consistant, idk what the spec is probably a certain percent of difference is what your looking for maybe 10%??? umm you can do compression tests yourself, get a test from autozone if you like.........and how long has the car been for sale???
11-11-08, 03:50 PM
#37
I presume this is the car:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=211
Unlike most Autotrader FD listings, the price is not way out of line. However, a $15k FD (e.g., https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-rx-7-1993-2002-vehicles-107/fs-1993-bb-r1-w-62k-miles-799155/) would make far more sense.
Too many prospective FD buyers concentrate on minimizing the initial purchase price.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=211
Unlike most Autotrader FD listings, the price is not way out of line. However, a $15k FD (e.g., https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-rx-7-1993-2002-vehicles-107/fs-1993-bb-r1-w-62k-miles-799155/) would make far more sense.
Too many prospective FD buyers concentrate on minimizing the initial purchase price.
11-11-08, 04:01 PM
#39
^If it is the Autotrader one, that looks pretty nice and clean. Also like the black on black interior.
Get a compression test done on it and if that checks out, I say go for it. Just remember the costs of ownership can be high. Not meant to scare you off as these cars are great, but we've all dumped tons of money into the cars and you will too.
FYI - the stock Bose system sucks and needs to be removed.
Get a compression test done on it and if that checks out, I say go for it. Just remember the costs of ownership can be high. Not meant to scare you off as these cars are great, but we've all dumped tons of money into the cars and you will too.
FYI - the stock Bose system sucks and needs to be removed.
11-11-08, 04:14 PM
#41
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i say it looks clean to me, low ball him with whatever you want, worst thing he will say is no and go from there, you sound level headed to me and prepared to get one, do it do it!!!!!! just dont pay any more than you budget for.......I will admit that is very cheap, I paid less for mine and I got a killer deal(red on blk touring model, with old school yokohama wheels-intake, catback, and springs and shocks for $8k) difference is mine had 138k mileage but off a freshly rebuilt motor......................you wont regret it..........and most of all enjoy it!!!!
11-11-08, 05:02 PM
#42
I just saw that post, haha. I always get pissy when people at work interrupt me posting or reading 
That FD is
... You should buy it before someone else on here does and then you should drive the **** out of it until you break the motor and then get that street port with the 
you want. And some new rims, I hate the look of the stock shiny wheels on FD's.
11-11-08, 05:05 PM
#43
Any compression tester will do, just remove the schrader valve and have the proper adapter to fit the plug bosses. Pulses should be uniform. 80-100 psi is normal with no less than 20psi differential between chambers.
Follow instructions on page C9 of your shop manual.
Later
Follow instructions on page C9 of your shop manual.
Later
11-12-08, 11:02 AM
#46
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11-12-08, 11:12 AM
#47
I disagree about 95 being so great. If I wanted to stay rotary for a long time, I would take 95 as being just good. I would say 105 is very good. For 88k though I guess 95 isnt bad. Compression in the 80s is WAAAY to low.
Also, the difference per reading should be low. According to
http://robrobinette.com/compression.htm
I believe 1kg-f/cm2 is around 14psi. I think thats kinda high though. I thought I read 5 psi variance was ok but I forget where.
I have seen 2 rotaries tested. The variance on a 60k renesis was around 1psi. Mine was 37k with a variance of 2psi (for all faces)
Also, the difference per reading should be low. According to
http://robrobinette.com/compression.htm
I believe 1kg-f/cm2 is around 14psi. I think thats kinda high though. I thought I read 5 psi variance was ok but I forget where.
I have seen 2 rotaries tested. The variance on a 60k renesis was around 1psi. Mine was 37k with a variance of 2psi (for all faces)
Last edited by Supernaut; 11-12-08 at 11:36 AM.
11-12-08, 01:11 PM
#48
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1 kilogram-force/cm2 = 14.2 psi
however, pressure in metric notation is usually stated in Pascals (or kilo-Pascals, kPa) 100 kPa is supposed to represent one Standard Atmospheric pressure, or about 14.5 psi
14.5 psi = 100 kPa
1 kPa = 1 kN/m2 = 0.145 psi
On piston engines (can I say that here?) a variance of less than 10% between cylinders is considered acceptable. I don't know if that is also applicable to rotaries though.
however, pressure in metric notation is usually stated in Pascals (or kilo-Pascals, kPa) 100 kPa is supposed to represent one Standard Atmospheric pressure, or about 14.5 psi
14.5 psi = 100 kPa
1 kPa = 1 kN/m2 = 0.145 psi
On piston engines (can I say that here?) a variance of less than 10% between cylinders is considered acceptable. I don't know if that is also applicable to rotaries though.
11-12-08, 01:36 PM
#49
Look at this site to...
http://www.fd3s.net/compression_test.html
Unless I am misunderstanding, the limit there is 21psi.
Here it states the manual says the max limit is 20psi.
http://advantia.ca/blog/1994-mazda-rx7-my-new-ride
Yikes that seems like ALOT. I would agree more to the 10% figure you gave.
BTW, I found a cool rx7 compression test video...
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/rx...est/3159476660
We need more like em.
11-12-08, 02:12 PM
#50
^Really? Don't know of anyone reputable that does a rebuild for that little. Check all of the better shops. Here is a link to Rotary Performance:
http://www.rx7.com/engine.html
$2,400 for a basic non-ported rebuild. Yes, you could do that but if you want to make any power, you'll need the ported rebuild and that's $3,400 for starters. How about new rotor housings? They'll set you back another $1,500 or so, bringing the total to the $5K we've discussed. Had my engine rebuilt by Pettit and paid $4,800 for it.
Regarding turbos, $500 for new turbos? Maybe a set of used ones but then you take your chances on how good they are. The better option is to go BNRs for $2,350:
http://www.rx7store.net/category_s/130.htm
A nice upgrade to the stocker ones and the flow much better.
It's not cheap owning a rotary car, but it is worth it to me.
http://www.rx7.com/engine.html
$2,400 for a basic non-ported rebuild. Yes, you could do that but if you want to make any power, you'll need the ported rebuild and that's $3,400 for starters. How about new rotor housings? They'll set you back another $1,500 or so, bringing the total to the $5K we've discussed. Had my engine rebuilt by Pettit and paid $4,800 for it.
Regarding turbos, $500 for new turbos? Maybe a set of used ones but then you take your chances on how good they are. The better option is to go BNRs for $2,350:
http://www.rx7store.net/category_s/130.htm
A nice upgrade to the stocker ones and the flow much better.
It's not cheap owning a rotary car, but it is worth it to me.
Also for $800.00 more he can have new rotor housings
Another 200.00 will get him ALS seals. There are plenty of reputiable shops that offer quality below $5k.If he sent me his block(assuming all parts are reusable) I could build him a new housing rebuild with ALS seals for around $2400.00. For less than $5k I could build him an entirely new engine.
I do have to agree with you though on the BNR suggestions, out our Speed For Sale event a couple weeks ago watched a guy trap 122-124mph consistantly on about 16-17lbs. Great turbos for a great price. A no brainer when it comes to choosing between the BNRs and the efini twins.
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