93RX-7

This is my first post on the forum and I do not own an rx-7 yet but im in the process. I have to sell my Civic Si first. But anyway, I was wanting to know how reliable the 3rd gen rx-7's are? Ive tried to read all I can on them and find several common problems with these cars. Can I rely on one for long trips? Will I continuously have these constant problems? If someone could just give me a heads up of what I should look for when buying one. Im looking at buying a 1993 with 59,000 miles. It appears to have no modifications done to it. Here is the link.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=en&cardist=68

I appreciate this help. I did a search and didnt find a post which asked everything I wanted to know so I started a new one. My apologies if there are already post like this one.

'85GSL-SE

iTrader: (2)

1) First and foremost you need to inspect everything and get all details about the car.

2) Get a compression check on the engine. Make sure it is in the 90's and above for reliability on all facings.

3) Next you need to install a downpipe 3".

4) Aluminum AST is a must.

5) Get a new radiator with aluminum end tanks. If you keep the stock radiator you need to goto a coolant mixture of 85-14-1. That is "85% Water-14%-Antifreeze-1%Water Wetter." That will keep your car Whistling Dixie. I run that year round with no problems. And my temps are rather low. When I get home sometimes after boosting it really hard I can pop the hood and put my hand on my UIM (Upper Intake Manifold) and it warm to the touch not HOT but warm.

6) Get a boost controller. I have an Apexi AVC-R. I set my daily driving boost to 6lbs MAX. It helps to keep stress, and heat off of your engine and it feels like an NA car. Then I have a second setting for my 10-9.5-10 boost pattern for when you need to play. My car has the stock sequential setup. I have a write up on the boost settings for the AVC-R.

7) Check Oil Level Every Week!!!!! That is a must.

8) Change oil every 2,000 miles. Which will be frequently. I use penzoil 10W-40 regular oil.

9) Change your spark plugs and wires every 15,000 miles.
***If you want.*** You could install an MSD ignition box to make sure all your gasses are burned in the combustion chamber or nearly all. Andit helps to get a little more power out there as well.

10) When you do an oil change. At every oil change use "gunks" Engine Flush. It will bust the carbon deposits out of your engine every time. Keep your seals nice and clean. I know this because I have done it every oil change and when I did a spark plug change I put a small mirror up to the hole and shined a flashlight inside. It was nice and shiney in there for the most part. It looked very healthy. THat is why I have never had problems with my rotary engines.

11) Get a Boost, Water Temp Guage. I also have a volts guage for my system to help me know when my alternator or battery might be on the way out since the car doesn't come with one. You need a Boost guage to verify your Boost pattern. You need a Water Temp guage to see exactly what your system is cooling to.

12) Best maintenance to your car is preventative maintenance. You will head off all problems this way all the time. I get underneath the hood of my car every day to make sure everything is in check. I have found things that needed repairing that were minor but could have lead to a catastrophic catastrophy.

--------------------------------------

This is what I have done to my car. I daily drive my FD every where I go. I bought her last september and I have put 19,040 miles on her with no problems. I have taken her to Norfolk Virginia countless times from Greensboro NC. 4-5 hour drive each way. I have taken her to Flordia twice. Need I say more?

In mostly stock form except for the AST (Aluminum Air Seperator Tank) and 3" Down pipe and Apexi AVC-R boost controller and the boost turned down to roughly NA specs she is a very reliable car. I have a '78 that is March of 1978 RX-7 she has alittle over 550,000 miles on the original engine. I just recently pulled the engine even though it was still running to tear it apart and inspect it. I am going to get a rebuild on the engine and put it back in. I keep up this maintenance schedual I have written above and in another thread. To me my rotary powered cars will outlast their piston engined counterparts. I know this becouse I am very meticulous about my cars. I am going for the record of 200,000 miles out of my FD's Engine. I have it documented.


Well I hope this will help. It certaintly has me.


Haha where at in NC are you friend?

Welcome to the forum. The search police will be following shortly. I say screw 'em here some good info for you to know!

BTW if you are going to sell your civic PM me. I need a car that is good on gas.

93RX-7

Thanks a lot for that info. That was exactly what I was wanting. I heard a lot of how these engines heat up quick and can cause the turbos to go out easily. I appreciate your help. Hopefully my car will be sold this week or next and I can buy my rx-7. Im really excited. I absolutely love the motor and body style of the 3rd gen rx-7. The interior is the only thing im not in love with. Some parts of it just look to old fashioned to me. I guess ill get over that though.

spooledUP7

At first I could not believe you said this, the interior is years ahead of its time, but then I remember my first impression was similar. It was the chrome rings around the gauges. It's funny though, now I love the chrome rings, but I can't say why. I guess it just grows on you.

The red interior in the car you are looking at is a bit much, but then again Porche still offers the combination.

Lupercal_CATS

Bahah, I was looking at the same car.

93RX-7

Yea, I truly want a black rx-7 with the black leather. I cant find one that hasnt been messed with. I want something that hasnt been raced a lot. Also, it must have 70000 miles or under for me to buy it.

FD3S2005

iTrader: (11)

umm what did u mean use gunks? i never heard of that

93RX-7

Also, what is the deal with making sure the car warms up and when you turn it off, let it cool down before cranking again or something like that? This will be my turbo vehicle so I am very curious and find it to be very important to know this information. I hope im not bothering any of you with these questions. Thanks

'85GSL-SE

iTrader: (2)

"gunk" its a brand of engine flush ... from autozone or advance autoparts I think. I can't remember which it is. But it is a brand.


About the car warming up before you shut it down. It is so you don't flood the car.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

You must have missed the FAQ thread:
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68640

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Ayup. In fact, make sure the FD you buy isn't the first FD you see in its mileage/condition. I thought mine was much nicer than it turned out to be. Only by seeing/driving a better one (with higher mileage, as it was) did I realize I misjudged it some.

Yep. Mileage alone means nothing. Also be sure to witness it cold start and look for signs of coolant seal failure, which will not show on a compression test.

I agree that the downpipe is important. Not needed immediately, but at the first reasonable opportunity.

Well, something should be done about the original AST. You can install an elimination kit, a new(er) stock AST, or an aluminum AST. A new stock AST is pretty cheap and will go for another 60k.

The aluminum radiators are nice, and a relatively safe solution, but there's not a whole lot wrong with the stock radiator. A new or low mileage stock rad is a good alternative to spending $300+ on an aluminum one. If anything, start by replacing all of the coolant hoses first, then spending the leftovers on the radiator.

The key to keeping cooling temps down is in fan control. The stock fans are set to turn on relatively infrequently. You can rewire the fans for manual control, or set them for a lower threshold by swapping out a 2nd gen RX-7 or Miata thermoswitch. Combined with a water temp gauge, this is a very good system for monitoring and preventing overheats.

The other moral to the boost story is to not turn up the boost until you know the car, have done all the maintenance, and have the proper tuning/fuel/etc already in place. Get the boost gauge installed, and watch it like a hawk at first to make sure it isn't boosting too high or too low. 10psi is normal, 11psi is a maximum.

Def check it, but some don't eat much oil. Mine eats nearly none b/t oil changes.

It's been said that boosted rotary engines tend not to collect carbon. It's more of a problem on NAs. So in other words, most FD owners don't do this Engine Flush step.

If you're accustomed to the bulletproof running of a civic, prepare for more thorough maintenance and more attention to the condition and running of your car. Hondas forgive and forget, which is because they were designed as a basic passenger car. RX-7s were built like racecars, which is to say that components will fail more frequently and not last as long. I would keep that civic or at least have a reliable daily driver just so you won't be tempted to cut corners on the FD maintenance and problem solving.

Dave

tom tim

Rotarys reliable? gauges,windows,relays,sensors............. . theres always something going wrong with them. if you want to have honda reliablity and dont want to spend alot of time with not knowing whats wrong with your car,dont get a FD go with honda. But dont get me wrong when the FD is running perfect, My god It's a great car and ooo so fast. get ready for the flaming!!

RX7JCHIII

get a turbo timer and then no worries hehe

ehos

Sorry bro, but I'm already at 206,xxx Miles

Stock AST, stock downpipe (but it's been replaced a few times with a stock ones from Mazda).

No boost gauge, no water temp gauge, totally stock.

tom tim

1 out of how many? and probably not mods?

93RX-7

Hmmm this is a lot to think about. Right now I can not afford to have 2 cars in case something does go wrong with the FD (if i get one). It would be my only car. I have a truck I can drive if I have no other option but its not mine. Basically im only concerned about this FD getting this stuff done and being reliable enough for my senior beach trip this summer. This car has to take me and a friend, with our crap, about 300 miles away, drive us around down there, and back with no problems which could cause me to be without a car. You guys think the FD is capable if I get the boost guage, water temp gauge, radiator, replace my hoses, change oil, and change spark plugs and wires?

skir2222

I really dont see why it wouldnt last for a road trip just thouroughly inspect the car test drive it make sure its all there.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

As long as you pack light, it should be fine. You'll see when you take it for a test drive.

But this is one of the last cars I would choose if the word 'reliability' and 'budget' are used in the same sentence. Even though it CAN run flawlessly, so can any car. FDs just don't do it as often as other cars. It takes a lot of effort to bring the reliability to a very high level.

Dave

JConn2299

U da MAN !

We were discussing this on another thread. What's your secret?

I replaced my stock AST with a metal one. The plastic one was still in perfect shape, but I kept it.....thought the switch was a sensible precaution.

I keep meaning to replace the pre-cat, but haven't gotten around to it. Now in recent years, the 3 mod rule and the thinking on boost spikes seems to have changed, so I'm having second thoughts about going to a downpipe. Sounds like you caught your pre-cat clogs early. If I get one, I'm going to be tempted to finally go to a downpipe. But it's hard to argue with your kind of success. I'd love to hear more, especially about your maintenance routine / schedule.

ehos

I can't take all the credit But I've always had great success with rotaries. Never had a blown one on me yet (knock on wood!).

The previous owner bought the car brand new, and he always did all the basic stuff and kept it 'smog passable.' No mods. And the stock pre-cat was always kept 'in shape.' (Replaced with stock Mazda comps, same with the Cat/airpump etc).

Also, he always used something in the gas tank (sometimes pre-mix), sometimes Seafoam, etc etc. I swear by the stuff (or premix). I think it helps keep the engine 'clean'/carbon free.

Other things, he didn't rag on the car, and neither do I. I think it's PLENTY fast 99% of the time. The other 1% I usually can reign myself in.

Always warmed up/cooled down. Easiest way to kill a rotary I think. Get in and jump on the boost = short time before rebuild.

I had my Turbo II up to 185,000 KM's and it was really strong (no issues). I don't see why the FD shouldn't last just as long.

I do plan to mod my car however, and I think that will probably set it into 'rebuild' mode. Also, 200,000 Miles isn't THAT much. It's only 20K miles a year. That's nothing actually.

Sorry for the long post..

jp

'85GSL-SE

iTrader: (2)

I don't know what to say..lol


You have just started and arms race between us! The first one to 300,000 wins... haha

Thats cool! I hope to get there one day!

JConn2299

I'd say 200k is high mileage for any car. For an FD engine? I'm ready to call you the Jesus of Rotaries. I do much of what you do....the warm ups and cool downs.
I also open the hood after a drive as often as I can. I recently looked at my turbo hoses and they're still soft and pliable. So, I'm pleased with how things are going. I'm only at 33,950 miles, so I've got nothing to brag about except that the car has run with no serious problems.
I've never used that Seafoam stuff, but now I'll have to investigate it. Frequent coolant and fuel filter changes are a priority for me. All oil changes have been under 3,000 miles.
Other than that, my only new trick is that I've stopped using fuel injector cleaner and switched to exclusive use of one of the top tier gas brands......shell, chevron, etc. Have you heard about that? At the urging of BMW and some others, some gas companies have agreed to meet a new (increased) standard for detergents in their prem. gas. If I remember correctly, the URL is www.toptiergas.com
The website explains what it's all about.

ehos

Oh yeah, always running 94 Octane gas (in town, sometimes it's hard to find 'on the road'). I don't know if that helps or not, but my 'gut' tells me it's worth it.

Also, the vacum hoses have been done, as have the fuel filter changes (regularily). The suspension is starting to get 'soft' so it's probably a good time to get in on that bushing group buy and re-do them and the pillow *****/bushings. Other than that, I'm very happy with it, as I've been happy with all my rotaries in the past.

93RX-7

Anyone have a guess at what the average loan value of a 93-95 rx-7 would be? The one im looking at is a1993 with 59,000 miles. Think I could get a $13,000 loan for the car? I know the KBB value is over $14,000. Just something im worried about. A lot of people are telling me i shouldnt get one of these because they are afraid i will have too much trouble with it. Do you guys truly have that much trouble with them? How many times a year are you left without a car due to repairs?

SINxSELEKTAH

iTrader: (2)

hmm...i paid $13k for my car with 110k milage... had it for 2 weeks and now it's up for a rebuild.. there's no price too expensive when paying for a used FD no matter the milage... it could've been owned by some old dude who drove it daily and racked up the milage yet cared for it, or it could've been owned by some young schmuck that drove it hard with little milage...
my 2cents