I was just speaking to a fellow FD owner who said that running the FD hard (around 7000-8000 rpm) for about 2 to 3 minutes straight is healthy for the engine. Okay, I know that running at high rpms every once in a while is good for burning away carbon deposits, but 2 to 3 minutes? Is anyone else doing this?

 

Im not so sure about 2 or three min, but I know redlining it in WOT at least once a week helps to prevent some carbon build up, but you cant avoid all of it.

 

just make sure you do it frequently enough otherwise it will build up bad, and when u redline it a big chunk will break loose and possibly trash a seal or two. It happens sometimes

 

I usually redline the car at least once every time I drive it....of course, only after it's been warmed up, etc.

Actually, it tends to happen a lot more than just once.

 

You know, I've heard that a bunch as well, but I've NEVER heard of anyone having engine problems because they didn't drive their car hard enough.

If anyone has any real proof that driving the car hard helps engine life, I'd like to hear it (not trying to be an *** - I would really like to know). ... not just a "he said, she said" deal either - I want real proof... engine tear down results, rebuild results, signs of carbon deposits breaking things, etc.

I'd say your friend is full of it. Who is he anyway and where did he get this information? Does he know anything about maintenance? Has he ever rebuilt an engine?

edit: how many of you have grandparents who own cars with *** loads of miles on them? Probably several. I highly doubt they are bouncing off the rev limiter on the way to church sunday mornings and it doesn't seem to hurt their engines.

 

To be fair, this isn't relevant to the current discussion, since probably all of those grandmas drive piston-powered cars.

But I agree that I've never seen a rotary break because it wasn't revved high enough (but I've also never heard of a rotary breaking from being revved too much for that matter either).

Maybe blowing off the carbon deposits is just meant to keep engine perfomance from degrading?

 

I never redline my car that long although with the proper oil mods and pre-mixing, it cant be all that bad (well at least 7k rpm, idk about 8-8.5k being held that long). Taking it up to redline always makes my car run a bit more happy for a while and I usually do it about one a week or so but I never hold it there for more then a few seconds (I shift up baby; faster and faster untill the thrill of speed over comes the fear of death hehe).

 

As for me I too rev up high every once in a while...right now my car is idling at 1.5-2k for some reason (actually it occured after bringing it to Mazda dealership), but after a couple of redline shifts (1,2,3) the idle goes down to 1k. Then i shut off (after cooling) and the 2k idle is back =(.

Laters!
Edgardo

 

hrmmmn mine idles at 800 rpms =\

 

geez, you guys only redline your car once a week? how many miles do you drive in a given week? I would estimate that I "clean" my carbon out about once every 30 miles. (I wouldn't say that I beat on my car either)

.....and yes, my name's Ryan, and I have low compression
I need to try that ATF trick, I might have some carbon gumming stuff up.

 

Shouldn't that be:

"I shift up baby; faster and faster untill the thrill of speed is overcome by the fear of death"

Good thought, I like it.

 

I usually don't redline the engine, but I definitely see 7000 rpm at least once a day (that I drive the car). I have 30,000 miles on a reman engine. I have pretty good vacuum too ... 16psi at idle, ~440 mmHg on the PFC.

 

I am not sure what everyone means when they say redline, but in my fd, when that needle so much as touches the redline, the engine completly craps out. I have a gforce ecu and full exaust which could be causing this. Anyone else have this problem??
-Kevin

 

I hope none of you guys are red lining while you're in neutral.

 

i redline my car everytime i get out in the car thats make the car runs like a baby and make better idle.

 

WOw how interesting. lately i've been driving normally because i didn't want to hurt my car anymore, but i guess i'mma have to start reving higher from now on.

 

From the 2nd gen side of the fence...I've rebuilt probably 15 2nd gen engines in my history of workin' on RX-7's. You can *really* tell when an engine has been "enjoyed" and when it's been babied.

Engines that have been regularly redlined have less carbon buildup on the rotor faces, the seals typically move freely, etc. The worst engine I went through was from an automatic that was babied all the time - the seals were SO carbon locked I ended up throwing away BOTH rotors. The seals were pretty much welded in place! Huge, heavy chunks of carbon on the combustion surface of the rotors, too.

Since RX-7's have secondary injectors that only operate at higher loads/RPMs, you really need to exercise them as well. IMHO one cause of gummed up secondaries with bad spray patterns is just letting them sit, unused. Fuel deposits bake onto the tip and you get a lousy spray pattern.

Drive the car like it was meant to be enjoyed, and you'll reap the benefits.

Dale

 

I read in my mom's porsche manual that if you have a turbo you should redline in first gear before letting the car cool down to reduce carbon build-up, and that's a manual for an '86 911.

 

It happened to me. I floor mine once a or twice a day(like I need an excuse), to keep it clean. I drive it on 10psi though. I figure that driving it hard at the psi level it was desighned to drive at is better for it than pushing it. Don't get me wrong, I crank up the boost a little, but not much, and only when it calls for it. My car runs a lot better when I drive it like it's meant to be driven. If my car's going to break, I want to be driving it, not babying it, when it breaks.
It's keeping the car clean as well. Dave at KD asked me what I was doing, because he said it was burning exceptionally clean. I don't believe there is a need to redline it for an extended amount of time.

 

i actually do have a story about damage to the engine due to babying the car. We had an rx-7 dyno day about a month ago, and there was a chic there who said she never takes her car above 4.5k....im just thinking about all the carbon buildup thats in there. She gets on the dyno, goes WOT from 2k to redline in 4th gear, and just as she lets off white smoke is billowing out of the exhaust. Immediately we take it off the dyno and pull the IC to TB elbow pipe, and its dripping oil. So our best guess was she blew out a shitload of carbon and it got one of her turbo seals.

 

For some reason that story seems kinda funny, I feel ashamed .

 

Good insight.

I've started reving mine up to about 8000rpm once or twice each night that I come from school. I'll see if I feel any results soon.

And it's a little off subject...but the 350Zs are pretty slow. At least the one I went against was. From a ~60mph roll he floored it and got about 2 car lengths on me, when I punched it, I reeled him in like it was nothing and left him pretty bad. Maybe he wasn't really pushing it? Has anyone else raced one yet?

 

hmmm... if you guys watched Best Motoring Video's, they always go above redline!!! i guess it doesnt hurt the engine at all... but 2-3min... hell no...

am wondering... is there a beep sound on the AT?? you know, when you go to red line and it beeps and tells you to change?? whatever you called them... ehhehe

 

I dont think there is a beep on automatics as I dont understand why there would be if it AUTOMATICALLY (hehe) shifts at redline.

 

I know at least auto FC's beep at redline. Gotta hit the hold button.