The reliable daily driven FD recipe (for beginners)
09-12-12, 12:12 AM
#51
I think I've got my car in the "reliable" zone so far.
Got it with 79,000kms on the odometer, all 100% stock, no mods except suspension and body kit. Previous owner seemed to garage it most of the time in Japan.
Added boost gauge, alloy AST. Fresh set of plugs. Run Castrol or Penrite 20W50 mineral, frequent changes. Premix every other tank.
Check coolant with a voltmeter to make sure its still doing its job.
Still running 10-8-10 boost, stock ECU. Removed all the air con (very neatly) and some other weight savings.
Next up is a water temp gauge and a cathodic anode for the water jacket, to stop any future water corrosion issues.
Car has been my daily driver since June 2011 (every day through winter and summer), and has never ever missed a beat. Nothing has gone wrong.
To everyone who says rotaries are unreliable- you're doing something wrong....
Got it with 79,000kms on the odometer, all 100% stock, no mods except suspension and body kit. Previous owner seemed to garage it most of the time in Japan.
Added boost gauge, alloy AST. Fresh set of plugs. Run Castrol or Penrite 20W50 mineral, frequent changes. Premix every other tank.
Check coolant with a voltmeter to make sure its still doing its job.
Still running 10-8-10 boost, stock ECU. Removed all the air con (very neatly) and some other weight savings.
Next up is a water temp gauge and a cathodic anode for the water jacket, to stop any future water corrosion issues.
Car has been my daily driver since June 2011 (every day through winter and summer), and has never ever missed a beat. Nothing has gone wrong.
To everyone who says rotaries are unreliable- you're doing something wrong....
09-12-12, 03:05 AM
#52
Full Member
mine is manual...anything you do differently vs an auto?
also, you mentioned not getting a vented hood because of water/elec issues...so how do you clean your engine bay? i can powerwash my ls1 & 2jz and never worry about whether or not it will start.
also, you mentioned not getting a vented hood because of water/elec issues...so how do you clean your engine bay? i can powerwash my ls1 & 2jz and never worry about whether or not it will start.
09-12-12, 09:00 AM
#54
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Some will have you believe they eat housings in 3k miles or so like some other unbreakables. I just looked in my exhaust ports yesterday(pulled motor to replace clutch and install single setup) and at 17k+ miles with ALS seals the housings looked great. I rebuilt the engine with the original 61K mile housings and these housings now have 79K miles on them and looked great when looking through the exhaust ports.
But I USED to sell these seals so some think I have some vested interest in these seals and not just makeing people's experience with the rotary a lot better.
On a side note, great thread that is spot on. I am a huge advocate for water injection as a safety net. I dont think guys who DD their cars should tune for it, instead get a nice tune then add a simple small water injection setup for extra safety. You may lose a couple HP but you can beat on the car and not worry.
To those who dont buy the sub 40k mile cars(very few left these days), I am seeing these cars become more restoration/peformance builds than just performance these days. A new wiring harness is one of the best maintenance/perofmance/stress reducing things you can do for these cars these days.
I dont know how many people I have met over the years that are so scared to drive their FD due to believing the rotary is so fragile, I simply wouldnt own a car I was scared was going to break everytime I drove it. Do the simple stuff Fritz recommends and enjoy. This car delivers a thrill factor that is rarely matched by other cars, and for a fraction of the cost(initial purchase anyways
)
But I USED to sell these seals so some think I have some vested interest in these seals and not just makeing people's experience with the rotary a lot better.
On a side note, great thread that is spot on. I am a huge advocate for water injection as a safety net. I dont think guys who DD their cars should tune for it, instead get a nice tune then add a simple small water injection setup for extra safety. You may lose a couple HP but you can beat on the car and not worry.
To those who dont buy the sub 40k mile cars(very few left these days), I am seeing these cars become more restoration/peformance builds than just performance these days. A new wiring harness is one of the best maintenance/perofmance/stress reducing things you can do for these cars these days.
I dont know how many people I have met over the years that are so scared to drive their FD due to believing the rotary is so fragile, I simply wouldnt own a car I was scared was going to break everytime I drove it. Do the simple stuff Fritz recommends and enjoy. This car delivers a thrill factor that is rarely matched by other cars, and for a fraction of the cost(initial purchase anyways
)
09-12-12, 11:40 AM
#55
This thread has cost me more money. I just bought a Denso pump and I'm about to get a better IC and send my injectors to RC engineering for some cleaning/boring.
Thanks for all the great wisdom in one place guys! Thanks for starting this thread Fritz.
I just bought a Denso pump and I'm about to get a better IC and send my injectors to RC engineering for some cleaning/boring. Thanks for all the great wisdom in one place guys! Thanks for starting this thread Fritz.
09-12-12, 09:17 PM
#57
Senior Member
Love this thread – the notion that FD’s are inherently unreliable has always bothered me. I’ve had a completely different experience over the past 19 years. Purchased my car new in July of ’93. Drove it every day year ‘round for the 1st 4 years of ownership, putting 64K miles on it. I then went to “fair weather/summers only” and went another 8 years/32K miles before spending a dime on the car beyond normal maintenance. Car was completely stock.
At about 95K miles the secondary turbo went bad and I began a pretty extensive mechanical refresh. Motor was still making decent compression but I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one from Ray @Malloy and took it. Swapped the turbo’s for ’99 spec, new wiring harness, primary injectors, water pump, plugs and wires, ACT clutch and flywheel, clutch fork/master/slave, belts and hoses, downpipe, etc, etc, etc. Since then I’ve done high-flow cat, 95 stock shocks with progressive springs and many other stock replacements of worn components.
So as a street driven, completely stock car I went 12 years and 95k miles with zero issues. I’m currently @124K miles on the chassis and about 30K on the motor/refresh. To this day the car has never failed me, never left me on the side of the road and I never think twice about driving it anywhere.
Understanding that no one reading this can recreate my experience (can’t buy a new one!), my conclusion from years of reading the horror stories is - don’t mod the car to make appreciably more power.
So I’m completely in agreement with Fritz on this – if you’re power hungry you’ll never have a reliable FD. If you were fortunate enough (and old enough) to have driven one of these when new I’ve often felt that most would have been thrilled with the package Mazda delivered from the factory. With the exception of the 3K hesitation the car was about perfect. My goal has been to reverse the effects of aging and maintain/recapture the new car experience, not create a beast from a ballet dancer. But to each his (or her) own….
-Randy
At about 95K miles the secondary turbo went bad and I began a pretty extensive mechanical refresh. Motor was still making decent compression but I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one from Ray @Malloy and took it. Swapped the turbo’s for ’99 spec, new wiring harness, primary injectors, water pump, plugs and wires, ACT clutch and flywheel, clutch fork/master/slave, belts and hoses, downpipe, etc, etc, etc. Since then I’ve done high-flow cat, 95 stock shocks with progressive springs and many other stock replacements of worn components.
So as a street driven, completely stock car I went 12 years and 95k miles with zero issues. I’m currently @124K miles on the chassis and about 30K on the motor/refresh. To this day the car has never failed me, never left me on the side of the road and I never think twice about driving it anywhere.
Understanding that no one reading this can recreate my experience (can’t buy a new one!), my conclusion from years of reading the horror stories is - don’t mod the car to make appreciably more power.
So I’m completely in agreement with Fritz on this – if you’re power hungry you’ll never have a reliable FD. If you were fortunate enough (and old enough) to have driven one of these when new I’ve often felt that most would have been thrilled with the package Mazda delivered from the factory. With the exception of the 3K hesitation the car was about perfect. My goal has been to reverse the effects of aging and maintain/recapture the new car experience, not create a beast from a ballet dancer. But to each his (or her) own….
-Randy
09-13-12, 02:55 AM
#58
Full Member
Love this thread – the notion that FD’s are inherently unreliable has always bothered me. I’ve had a completely different experience over the past 19 years. Purchased my car new in July of ’93. Drove it every day year ‘round for the 1st 4 years of ownership, putting 64K miles on it. I then went to “fair weather/summers only” and went another 8 years/32K miles before spending a dime on the car beyond normal maintenance. Car was completely stock.
At about 95K miles the secondary turbo went bad and I began a pretty extensive mechanical refresh. Motor was still making decent compression but I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one from Ray @Malloy and took it. Swapped the turbo’s for ’99 spec, new wiring harness, primary injectors, water pump, plugs and wires, ACT clutch and flywheel, clutch fork/master/slave, belts and hoses, downpipe, etc, etc, etc. Since then I’ve done high-flow cat, 95 stock shocks with progressive springs and many other stock replacements of worn components.
So as a street driven, completely stock car I went 12 years and 95k miles with zero issues. I’m currently @124K miles on the chassis and about 30K on the motor/refresh. To this day the car has never failed me, never left me on the side of the road and I never think twice about driving it anywhere.
Understanding that no one reading this can recreate my experience (can’t buy a new one!), my conclusion from years of reading the horror stories is - don’t mod the car to make appreciably more power.
So I’m completely in agreement with Fritz on this – if you’re power hungry you’ll never have a reliable FD. If you were fortunate enough (and old enough) to have driven one of these when new I’ve often felt that most would have been thrilled with the package Mazda delivered from the factory. With the exception of the 3K hesitation the car was about perfect. My goal has been to reverse the effects of aging and maintain/recapture the new car experience, not create a beast from a ballet dancer. But to each his (or her) own….
-Randy
At about 95K miles the secondary turbo went bad and I began a pretty extensive mechanical refresh. Motor was still making decent compression but I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one from Ray @Malloy and took it. Swapped the turbo’s for ’99 spec, new wiring harness, primary injectors, water pump, plugs and wires, ACT clutch and flywheel, clutch fork/master/slave, belts and hoses, downpipe, etc, etc, etc. Since then I’ve done high-flow cat, 95 stock shocks with progressive springs and many other stock replacements of worn components.
So as a street driven, completely stock car I went 12 years and 95k miles with zero issues. I’m currently @124K miles on the chassis and about 30K on the motor/refresh. To this day the car has never failed me, never left me on the side of the road and I never think twice about driving it anywhere.
Understanding that no one reading this can recreate my experience (can’t buy a new one!), my conclusion from years of reading the horror stories is - don’t mod the car to make appreciably more power.
So I’m completely in agreement with Fritz on this – if you’re power hungry you’ll never have a reliable FD. If you were fortunate enough (and old enough) to have driven one of these when new I’ve often felt that most would have been thrilled with the package Mazda delivered from the factory. With the exception of the 3K hesitation the car was about perfect. My goal has been to reverse the effects of aging and maintain/recapture the new car experience, not create a beast from a ballet dancer. But to each his (or her) own….
-Randy
what's the 3k hestitation? you mean the crossover from the primary to the secondary turbo?
09-13-12, 08:00 AM
#59
Matt
09-13-12, 09:58 AM
#60
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"I LIVE FOR YOU" you know from Stephen King's novel The Stand and I think that's the way most of us feel about this crazy little car
There are very few car forums with so much passion and love outside of the RX7 club. Love this thread – the notion that FD’s are inherently unreliable has always bothered me. I’ve had a completely different experience over the past 19 years. Purchased my car new in July of ’93. Drove it every day year ‘round for the 1st 4 years of ownership, putting 64K miles on it. I then went to “fair weather/summers only” and went another 8 years/32K miles before spending a dime on the car beyond normal maintenance. Car was completely stock.
At about 95K miles the secondary turbo went bad and I began a pretty extensive mechanical refresh. Motor was still making decent compression but I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one from Ray @Malloy and took it. Swapped the turbo’s for ’99 spec, new wiring harness, primary injectors, water pump, plugs and wires, ACT clutch and flywheel, clutch fork/master/slave, belts and hoses, downpipe, etc, etc, etc. Since then I’ve done high-flow cat, 95 stock shocks with progressive springs and many other stock replacements of worn components.
So as a street driven, completely stock car I went 12 years and 95k miles with zero issues. I’m currently @124K miles on the chassis and about 30K on the motor/refresh. To this day the car has never failed me, never left me on the side of the road and I never think twice about driving it anywhere.
Understanding that no one reading this can recreate my experience (can’t buy a new one!), my conclusion from years of reading the horror stories is - don’t mod the car to make appreciably more power.
So I’m completely in agreement with Fritz on this – if you’re power hungry you’ll never have a reliable FD. If you were fortunate enough (and old enough) to have driven one of these when new I’ve often felt that most would have been thrilled with the package Mazda delivered from the factory. With the exception of the 3K hesitation the car was about perfect. My goal has been to reverse the effects of aging and maintain/recapture the new car experience, not create a beast from a ballet dancer. But to each his (or her) own….
-Randy
At about 95K miles the secondary turbo went bad and I began a pretty extensive mechanical refresh. Motor was still making decent compression but I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one from Ray @Malloy and took it. Swapped the turbo’s for ’99 spec, new wiring harness, primary injectors, water pump, plugs and wires, ACT clutch and flywheel, clutch fork/master/slave, belts and hoses, downpipe, etc, etc, etc. Since then I’ve done high-flow cat, 95 stock shocks with progressive springs and many other stock replacements of worn components.
So as a street driven, completely stock car I went 12 years and 95k miles with zero issues. I’m currently @124K miles on the chassis and about 30K on the motor/refresh. To this day the car has never failed me, never left me on the side of the road and I never think twice about driving it anywhere.
Understanding that no one reading this can recreate my experience (can’t buy a new one!), my conclusion from years of reading the horror stories is - don’t mod the car to make appreciably more power.
So I’m completely in agreement with Fritz on this – if you’re power hungry you’ll never have a reliable FD. If you were fortunate enough (and old enough) to have driven one of these when new I’ve often felt that most would have been thrilled with the package Mazda delivered from the factory. With the exception of the 3K hesitation the car was about perfect. My goal has been to reverse the effects of aging and maintain/recapture the new car experience, not create a beast from a ballet dancer. But to each his (or her) own….
-Randy
3k rpm hesitation: a slight buck or hesitation usually felt around the 2.5k to 3k rpm range under mild throttle (about 0-2psi built). The problem is believed to be caused by several things and it appears it is never solved by just one thing. Some believe poor grounds cause a drop in amperage at the crossover from primary to secondary injection. Some believe the double throttle blips open and closed during this 3k rpm moment. Some say they've never had a problem a day in their life. Its a very elusive problem almost always solved by getting a PowerFC. A TSB was put out for it that instructed technicians to replace the ground from the upper intake manifold to the firewall and to also clean and retorque the ground from the ac compressor bracket to the battery ground bracket. Most suggest adding a supplementary ground from the negative terminal to the chassis directly. It's a problem most have come to see as "typical" behavior and not an issue.
Matt
Matt
09-13-12, 10:53 AM
#61
Full Member
I don't think there's anyway around the hestitation issue and for those that say they've never experienced it I think there could be some denial. I've purchased a lot of low mileage FDs and some of the owners swore up and down the car didn't hestitate and they all hesitated on me at some point. Some cars are clearly worse than others and this car does have ground issues but the problem is in the ECU and the only way to really get around it is to get rid of the ECU.
09-13-12, 11:36 AM
#63
3k rpm hesitation: a slight buck or hesitation usually felt around the 2.5k to 3k rpm range under mild throttle (about 0-2psi built). The problem is believed to be caused by several things and it appears it is never solved by just one thing. Some believe poor grounds cause a drop in amperage at the crossover from primary to secondary injection. Some believe the double throttle blips open and closed during this 3k rpm moment. Some say they've never had a problem a day in their life. Its a very elusive problem almost always solved by getting a PowerFC. A TSB was put out for it that instructed technicians to replace the ground from the upper intake manifold to the firewall and to also clean and retorque the ground from the ac compressor bracket to the battery ground bracket. Most suggest adding a supplementary ground from the negative terminal to the chassis directly. It's a problem most have come to see as "typical" behavior and not an issue.
Matt
Matt
09-14-12, 09:37 AM
#64
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Hopefully the 1st time a person does it and the car bucks and sputters they decide it's a bad idea. you should never drive any car hard before it's warmed up. My turbo diesel truck will barely go until it's warm I literally have to creep along the road giving people point bys.
09-14-12, 09:46 AM
#65
Hopefully the 1st time a person does it and the car bucks and sputters they decide it's a bad idea. you should never drive any car hard before it's warmed up. My turbo diesel truck will barely go until it's warm I literally have to creep along the road giving people point bys.
OR! the best reply I get is .. it warms up quicker when I drive it hard.
09-14-12, 10:16 AM
#66
Such a great thread. 
+1 for rewiring the fuel pump, changing your fuel filter (I do it every 10k miles), and regular maintenance. Keep a sharp eye on temps (both IAT and water temp), and don't ignore your gut.
For the record, I do have what I'd consider a reliable 500+RWHP FD, although to be fair I only drive it in the summer (being in NY).
Turbo II rear end, solid rear diff mounts, and the Banzai diff brace have kept the rear end going strong, as I drag the car a few times per year. Regarding the trans, I *just* broke the OEM trans @ 110k miles this year, after beating the tar out of it all day @ the track (best pass, 11.6 @ 128.5). However, I'm a firm believer that the stock trans WILL last at high power levels, IF you're not constantly launching the car, full throttle out of every corner, etc. I couldn't be upset at my stock (original) trans failing, since I've had the car @ 500+RWHP for a couple years. Now I've got a low miles stocker in there (would've gone T56 but getting married in 1 week) that should last me for quite some time, with Royal Purple 75w-90 in there as well. 
The other thing I have is the trans brace from Banzai racing. A lot of problems stem from the trans/diff shifting during hard launches and hard shifting.
I did have to laugh though Fritz, because in your first post you described me pretty well. :P When I got the car I initially thought I'd be happy with 300RWHP (been there done that), then with 350RWHP (blew past that), then 400, and well, ... you know how that goes. I did set a goal a couple years back that I wanted a 10 second pass, so I don't anticipate going much farther in terms of power. Shoot, I bought sk8world's drag package with MT ET streets and skinnies for up front, so I'm sure I can hit 10's with my RaceLogic launch control and sticky tires. But I digress...
My car is *mainly* a street car which I track once in a while, so I don't see *too* many reliability issues. Of course I live by the philosophy of overmaintenance, as I change my plugs about every 4k miles, changed my wires this year (at which point I check coil resistance), change gear oil in the trans and diff every other year, change my oil every 1500 miles, etc...Which that isn't even THAT frequently, since I only drive the car maybe 5k miles per year, if that.
You're right on the money about being power hungry, though. It's an easy thing to do, and talk about a slippery slope. I've been through a couple motors, but this one seems to be going strong with 3mm RA superseals and premix. You also can't go wrong with water injection, unless (like you said) you're tuned for it and run out, or your pump fails. I run a dual nozzle kit with variable pressure pump that I couldn't be happier with.
Anywho, great thread! I'll post back if I can think of anything worthy to contribute.
+1 for rewiring the fuel pump, changing your fuel filter (I do it every 10k miles), and regular maintenance. Keep a sharp eye on temps (both IAT and water temp), and don't ignore your gut. For the record, I do have what I'd consider a reliable 500+RWHP FD, although to be fair I only drive it in the summer (being in NY).
Turbo II rear end, solid rear diff mounts, and the Banzai diff brace have kept the rear end going strong, as I drag the car a few times per year. Regarding the trans, I *just* broke the OEM trans @ 110k miles this year, after beating the tar out of it all day @ the track (best pass, 11.6 @ 128.5). However, I'm a firm believer that the stock trans WILL last at high power levels, IF you're not constantly launching the car, full throttle out of every corner, etc. I couldn't be upset at my stock (original) trans failing, since I've had the car @ 500+RWHP for a couple years. Now I've got a low miles stocker in there (would've gone T56 but getting married in 1 week) that should last me for quite some time, with Royal Purple 75w-90 in there as well. The other thing I have is the trans brace from Banzai racing. A lot of problems stem from the trans/diff shifting during hard launches and hard shifting.I did have to laugh though Fritz, because in your first post you described me pretty well. :P When I got the car I initially thought I'd be happy with 300RWHP (been there done that), then with 350RWHP (blew past that), then 400, and well, ... you know how that goes.
I did set a goal a couple years back that I wanted a 10 second pass, so I don't anticipate going much farther in terms of power. Shoot, I bought sk8world's drag package with MT ET streets and skinnies for up front, so I'm sure I can hit 10's with my RaceLogic launch control and sticky tires. But I digress...My car is *mainly* a street car which I track once in a while, so I don't see *too* many reliability issues. Of course I live by the philosophy of overmaintenance, as I change my plugs about every 4k miles, changed my wires this year (at which point I check coil resistance), change gear oil in the trans and diff every other year, change my oil every 1500 miles, etc...Which that isn't even THAT frequently, since I only drive the car maybe 5k miles per year, if that.
You're right on the money about being power hungry, though. It's an easy thing to do, and talk about a slippery slope. I've been through a couple motors, but this one seems to be going strong with 3mm RA superseals and premix. You also can't go wrong with water injection, unless (like you said) you're tuned for it and run out, or your pump fails. I run a dual nozzle kit with variable pressure pump that I couldn't be happier with.
Anywho, great thread!
I'll post back if I can think of anything worthy to contribute.
09-14-12, 10:29 PM
#69
^
Two drain plugs and one fill plug. But mine is a square head with pipe thread...not torx.
---> https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...filled-935343/
Two drain plugs and one fill plug. But mine is a square head with pipe thread...not torx.
---> https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...filled-935343/
09-28-12, 03:41 AM
#71
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Yea thanks a lot, really great info. I'm just getting my engine rebuild
With a street port, hoping to stay between 325- 350 whp with majority, if not all of these
Reliability mods.
With a street port, hoping to stay between 325- 350 whp with majority, if not all of these
Reliability mods.
09-28-12, 01:00 PM
#72
Recovering Miataholic
there's a number of alternative seals more durable than OEM, OEM being the best for longevity sake...
09-28-12, 02:19 PM
#74
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The harder or stronger the seal the more wear to the housing which will lower compression over time as it eats into the aluminum housing.
So far the best overall seal on paper seems to be the soft unbreakable ALS type seals which bend and don't break apart so it should save your rotor, housing and turbo if one is damaged.
Because it's softer the seal to the housing is tighter so the compression should be better.
The only possible negatives I see are that they may not handle really high boost and may wear faster than OEM seals but because the housing is wearing less possibly the compression will remain strong for equal or close to equal to the amount of time the stock seals will last but the jury is still out on the life of the seal.
The next time I have an engine built I'll probably try these seals.
10-01-12, 11:18 PM
#75
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Hey Fritz - great post for us newbies. I would make one suggestion. In the very first post spell out the acronyms the first time you use them. I am new to the FD turbo world and didn't know a few of them. I'm sure others don't either. It would be much easier to read as Front Mount InterCooler at first....then FMIC from then on.