i got 115000 miles on my 93 fd. Should i use money to do reliability mods or should i go for a streetport, Reliability mods,and a mazda remanafactured(spelling?) engine For 5gs. Or should i do all the reliabilty mods...ie 180 degree thermestat...turbo timer..ast tank..fan mod..for $600 installed. I could also get a fluidyne aluminum radiator for $700 installed. Are these prices around what you people paid for reliability mods? Also is $400 alot for vacuum lines part/labor? Help would be appreciated.

 

If the car is running fine and you are not loosing coolant or overheating then leave you don't have to do a rebuild yet. Unless you want to do a compression test and see how healthy it really is. $400 for a hose job is cheap, but $250 to install a radiator is a bit pricey. I don't know how much labor is now and days because I do my own work.

 

original engine?

HA! a perfect example of how reliable a FD can be.

rebuild engine!

 

well i dont have 5gs right now...but there are banks and banks give loans........but i might take the gamble and get rel..mods..hope engine holds on for another 10000 miles..or until i save 5gs whatever comes first...

 

If the car aint broke, don't fix it... i'm just hit 94,000 miles on it today. i'm still making 8.7 compression, testament to the power of the rotary. I've always lived by the words "its all how you take care of it" you nuture it and maintain it, it won't break. You can keep anything like new if you want to! Anyways get a compression test done and see what you are making, if it is really low i'd do the rebuild.

Sad you have to pay 5gs... over here a rebuild is 2.5k... not bad for a full rebuild and you get it back in 3 days..

Guess thats the power of having your friend as a rotary mechanic.

 

I disagree....I would do a rebuild every 80000 max... It would ensure you the chance of not damaging turbos by a piece of apex seal flying through them..I had an apex seal chip off at 60000 and luckily lodged into the rotor housing...Result was $425 for new housing not thousands for new turbos.. Total cost of rebuild $4200(port and polish w/ hurley 2mm)...G

 

what mods do you have?

 

Currently i have a Pettit ECU, Pulleys, Fludyne Aluminum Radiator, APEXi Intake, APEXi N1 Exhaust... and ordering my m2 dp... thats it... and the car has new turbos on it from 70,000miles... so the car makes perfect boost and near perfect compression.

 

well how much did your compression test run you???up here its $75....

 

install the reliablility mods and drive it till it breaks

there's no point in getting a new engine put in every 80k if the old one is not toast yet. plus after ~120k you'll probably need new turbos anyway.

just drive it and don't worry about it.

 

do the reliability mods then just make sure you have enough for a rebuild later on. no point rebuilding now. chances are with 115k on it your gonna need new housings anyway. who knows might get another 30k out of it

 

It isn't broken yet?

Good angel whispers in your ear: "If it isn't broken then don't fix it. Spend your money on things that will improve dependability or performance like bigger radiator or big FMIC."

Devil whispers in your ear: "Brake it before you rebuild it."

 

Jon,

My FD has yet to hit 60K. It runs fine. Makes good power and has -19 to -20 vac at idle. I am getting the motor "freshened" nonetheless. While they are there, I am going to get hurley 3mm seals and a street port. I figure it is better to choose do a rebuild now than to HAVE to do one later. The comment about the turbos being damaged is a good one to consider as well. That way if you decide to do any "performance" upgrades, like, say, uh, a single turbo or something-you'll be ready.

 

I would want all of those "reliability" mods done if I had a rebuilt engine anway. If you are going to buy them anyway...might as well buy them first and see how long the engine lasts before its done for. The compression check is also a no brainer. Basically its up to you (and the bank I guess..hehe) what you want to do and what you think makes the most sense economically.

my $.02

 

alright then...so i guess i am going to get compression test to see how strong she is.....then i am going to get reliability mods and drive it like i stole it....until it gives out on me...REBUILD...hopefully one day..when thetooth fairy puts 5gs under my pillow..

 

this is a funny topic at 114000 miles i had my engine rebuilt thinking the thing was toast only to find out it was my turbos and the engine was fine :P ohh well, atleast i got new rotors, housings and gaskets and stuff, but man did i kick myself. Anywayz all those prices seam WAY TO EXPENSIVE, its called shoping around. Also try making friends with a mechanic, any mechanic. even if theyre not great with rotor engines they can still do all the little mods like AST, turbo timer and your radiator, 700 bucks just for the radiator alone seems very rediculous to me. like i said, shop around.

 

alright thanks alot...i looked around a little so far...maybe i need to dig deeper...into the rotary underworld...

 

Sometimes even the best mechanics make mistakes if its running fine enjoy it while it last. In my experience fixing one thing can often cause something else to break or become faulty later. When doing heart surgery on your car many things can an do go wrong so why take the unecessary risk. If its not broke don't fix it is a very good motto for any type of complicated machinery. Just maintain it with a close eye on what can go wrong and repair as needed.