3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002) 1993-2002 Discussion including performance modifications and Technical Support Sections.
Sponsored by:

RX-7s, Reliability, and you. a PSA vid

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 02:23 AM
  #1  
rdahm's Avatar
Thread Starter
TurboRX7.com
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 690
Likes: 85
From: Monroe MI
RX-7s, Reliability, and you. a PSA vid

I decided to step in front of the camera for this one. Reliability overview for the 3rd gen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO1DUZUUBEs


Im thinking i should post all these videos to my turborx7.com site for easy access...
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 02:46 AM
  #2  
rx7/24/7's Avatar
go team shake
Tenured Member 10 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: temecula ca
i think its a little harsh, but a good heads up for future fd owners
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 03:27 AM
  #3  
rdahm's Avatar
Thread Starter
TurboRX7.com
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 690
Likes: 85
From: Monroe MI
true... damn it. lol You know how you get in a mood when you realize the car has driven you near insanity? I must have been feeling those vibes.

Its all good. Practice makes perfect. thanks for the insight :-D
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 04:45 AM
  #4  
rx7FDrider's Avatar
Senior Member
iTrader: (16)
 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 256
Likes: 1
From: Torrance, CA
lol.

at the same time... i do believe the 7 can be a power and reliable car. https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ht=making+case
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 06:39 AM
  #5  
rx7rcer09's Avatar
Sir Braps A lot
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,001
Likes: 1
From: Hilliard, OHIO
i honestly think mine is super reliable, for the 2 weeks it was my DD i had not one issue. the only issues i had with my car was when i first bought it from the previous owner. other that that the car has been perfect. no engine problems what so ever an i beat the living SH** out of it. its all in the build my friend and how you take care of it. but none the less nice vid.
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 07:53 AM
  #6  
wolf_9782's Avatar
Drive to Live
Tenured Member 15 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
From: texas
Originally Posted by rx7/24/7
i think its a little harsh, but a good heads up for future fd owners
agreed, thing is they need that harshness so they can know. mainly because the car is going to treat them harshly at the start and possibly for the rest of the ownership hehe

edit: +1 to RX7fdrider, that thread was a major eye opener for me and many other FD owners. AI kit for christmas? yes please
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 10:34 AM
  #7  
FearNoPiston's Avatar
FREAK ALL OUT!!!
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver, WA
I love how you say how its so unreliable and then at the end you say you blew it from not caring about settings or having your car properly set up to run when its cold outside, but I guess thats what makes this car so unreliable.
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 11:30 AM
  #8  
Black_ice-Dragon's Avatar
Junior Member
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Watching this has made me rethink whether or not I want a FD rotary...
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 11:49 AM
  #9  
TRWeiss1's Avatar
LSx 7.0L
Tenured Member 10 Years
iTrader: (20)
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,109
Likes: 2
From: Binghamton, NY
Hahahahaha, I definitely don’t think you were that far off! :P

Funny vid (and fairly informative for those prospective RX-7 buyers)!
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 12:05 PM
  #10  
dgeesaman's Avatar
Moderator
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Liked
Loved
iTrader: (8)
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 12,313
Likes: 27
From: Hershey PA
Originally Posted by FearNoPiston
I love how you say how its so unreliable and then at the end you say you blew it from not caring about settings or having your car properly set up to run when its cold outside, but I guess thats what makes this car so unreliable.
It's a major factor. I think the big difference is turbo rotaries are sensitive to things that piston engines are not (AFRs for example) and not sensitive to things that piston engines are sensitive to (running a lot at redline).

Tuning and settings / change in boost is one thing that new people consistently get wrong on FDs because it's not a big deal with piston engines. So in my mind it both is and isn't a reliability thing.

Dave
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 12:30 PM
  #11  
FearNoPiston's Avatar
FREAK ALL OUT!!!
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver, WA
Originally Posted by dgeesaman
It's a major factor. I think the big difference is turbo rotaries are sensitive to things that piston engines are not (AFRs for example) and not sensitive to things that piston engines are sensitive to (running a lot at redline).

Tuning and settings / change in boost is one thing that new people consistently get wrong on FDs because it's not a big deal with piston engines. So in my mind it both is and isn't a reliability thing.

Dave
Completely agree!
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 01:48 PM
  #12  
catch-22's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte, NC
Also unreliability is a result of people just not doing it right the first time. People wonder why the car isn't reliable when they are running around with 12 psi, full exhaust, and the stock ecu. Sure the car has its qwerks but its mainly the owners that are unreliable, plain and simple.
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 01:54 PM
  #13  
rdahm's Avatar
Thread Starter
TurboRX7.com
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 690
Likes: 85
From: Monroe MI
Totally agree with you Dave. Thats a great way of wording it. My first engine blew while bone stock, BUT full throttle during December. haha. my own fault.

Ill touch on tuning in another video. Obviously this is tongue in cheek. The car is sensitive to tuning, but user error attributes to the majority of problems. at least mine anyways
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 02:14 PM
  #14  
gracer7-rx7's Avatar
needs more track time
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (16)
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,766
Likes: 794
From: Bay Area CA
You are a bitter man.

I've actually had good reliability out of my FD. More so than my previous BMW or VW. I have set it and forgotten about for multiple years.
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 02:16 PM
  #15  
kensin's Avatar
Put it in the microwave!
Tenured Member: 15 Years
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (22)
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,568
Likes: 35
From: CA
my fd is a pain in the rear, but i love it

that simple
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 04:25 PM
  #16  
JStrib's Avatar
Recovering Rotary Guy
Tenured Member: 15 Years
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 844
Likes: 0
From: Brandon, MS
Originally Posted by rx7rcer09
i honestly think mine is super reliable, for the 2 weeks it was my DD i had not one issue.
If you brag about your car not having an issue in only two weeks.....

You might own an RX7.






Jeff Foxworthy pun if you don't get it.
Reply
Old Dec 1, 2009 | 08:17 PM
  #17  
1QWIK7's Avatar
White chicks > *
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (33)
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 13,146
Likes: 1
From: Secaucus, New Jersey
lol as harsh as you may come out man, you make ALOT of sense. And people SHOULD have that mentality before buying an FD because that will prevent future broken FD's from uneducated kids/owners. I was once in that phase where i had to be direct about our cars rep and was very blunt about it on this forum and i got bashed on this forum and created alot of hate towards me because of that lol. So i stopped, but my mentality is just the same as yours. But its all good cause i STILL love the FD.

The people who already own FD's, already know the deal so its their choice to stick with them or not.

I would also like to point out before more and more posts are about if you take care of it, it will run trouble free.

That is very true, im always on top of my car, always checking to see if anything is leaking, are the visible hoses on tight, oil is changed religiously at 3 months regardless of miles etc etc but i remember someone on this forum said, pertaining to the engine, you can have the best running engine, when it decides it wants to go, it will.

IE: coolant seals.
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 01:31 AM
  #18  
rx7/24/7's Avatar
go team shake
Tenured Member 10 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: temecula ca
Originally Posted by wolf_9782
agreed, thing is they need that harshness so they can know. mainly because the car is going to treat them harshly at the start and possibly for the rest of the ownership hehe

edit: +1 to RX7fdrider, that thread was a major eye opener for me and many other FD owners. AI kit for christmas? yes please
oh yeah most deff need the harshness. if my buddy had not given me the heads up before i got my fd i wouldn't know that i would have done when mine popped. because he did i was ready for it and just got here rebuilt and kept on rolling.
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 04:30 AM
  #19  
Ratjar's Avatar
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 462
Likes: 1
From: Orion
I dd'd my FD for about 5 months.

I had to repair the PPF. and thats about it.

but like you said its a "tweakers" car, the car is VERY reliable if yous pend time with it and monitoring it.

then again i just had my engine and entire system reworked. but still.
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 07:14 AM
  #20  
rdahm's Avatar
Thread Starter
TurboRX7.com
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 690
Likes: 85
From: Monroe MI
truth be told, i daily drove my car for a year and a half. Dumbest idea ive ever had automotive wise. (Knocking up my sister was the overall dumbest idea ive had, but i do have wonderful children with 17 fingers)

Why? because daily driving is for civics. I had my second gen the whole time too, but it was too much fun to drive the 93.

I paid for it. clutch, radiator, turbo gasket, pilot bearing (the first time, not my fault) and transmission all failed within that time. I think everyone will agree that this car does not wear like a normal sedan. It breaks much quicker comparatively. and thats what most noobs (we all were there) can compare the car to...
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 07:59 AM
  #21  
zenofspeed's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 762
Likes: 0
From: Austin, TX
I would have mentioned "heat" somewhere in there.
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 08:43 AM
  #22  
wolf_9782's Avatar
Drive to Live
Tenured Member 15 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
From: texas
Originally Posted by rx7/24/7
oh yeah most deff need the harshness. if my buddy had not given me the heads up before i got my fd i wouldn't know that i would have done when mine popped. because he did i was ready for it and just got here rebuilt and kept on rolling.
yup, this car will desensitize you to vehicle issues real quick. you'll start off as putty then soon after you'll be made into iron lol. whenever a friend of mine's car messes up hes nervous and freaking out. "dont you understand what just happened? im screwed!" i usually say "ive been through worse buddy. you'll live"
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 04:42 PM
  #23  
kensin's Avatar
Put it in the microwave!
Tenured Member: 15 Years
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (22)
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,568
Likes: 35
From: CA
Originally Posted by rdahm
truth be told, i daily drove my car for a year and a half. Dumbest idea ive ever had automotive wise. (Knocking up my sister was the overall dumbest idea ive had, but i do have wonderful children with 17 fingers)

Why? because daily driving is for civics. I had my second gen the whole time too, but it was too much fun to drive the 93.

I paid for it. clutch, radiator, turbo gasket, pilot bearing (the first time, not my fault) and transmission all failed within that time. I think everyone will agree that this car does not wear like a normal sedan. It breaks much quicker comparatively. and thats what most noobs (we all were there) can compare the car to...
wow a little extream there sir.
hows the kid with 17 finger doing ?
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 04:56 PM
  #24  
Montego's Avatar
Don't worry be happy...
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,901
Likes: 842
From: San Diego, CA
I disagree with your points...

#1 leave the damn car alone and it won't be a pain in the ***

If you want a reliable FD all one has to do is replace the DP, AST, RAD, & vacuum hoses. Stay at 10 psi and do rutine maintenance (change oil, coolant, clean carbon buildup) and happy motoring.

Yeah other stuff goes wrong but that's just from wear and tear (pillow *****, 5th gear syncro, window switch, motor mounts). It's 15 year old car and one should expect such things.

Last edited by Montego; Dec 2, 2009 at 05:08 PM.
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2009 | 05:16 PM
  #25  
Six Rotors's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 878
Likes: 0
From: Pluto
Well my car is still on the original 93 motor,but it is not a DD.I put a Koyo rad,BNR turbos,exhaust,Power FC and a few others pieces on 2 years ago--still running fine.Reliability for this car is a function of maintenance and driving style.So learn,observe and ask before you
mess with your RX7.
Some people are capable destroying anything.
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:15 PM.