TheBornOtaku

well, since i've heard that turbo FD's are really sensitive, and brittle, would a NA motor be a good idea? what numbers do they put out? how stable are they? how tuneable? cause i've heard some things about the TT wankels... i want a reliable and fast car, that looks clean and mean.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

You'd gain reliability, to the tune of 100k miles over stock FD. However, this day and age, mileage is a moot point, since most people use these cars as second or third cars, or weekend warriors. The majority of use these cars see is hellraising, and any engine will give out under those conditions.

You'd be losing power, to the tune of 100rwhp. Most of the fairly modded EFI NA's make 175-225rwhp, while a mildly modded FD makes 300rwhp+. You'd be spending money to do the conversion, as well.

If it were me, and reliability and cost were my main concerns, I'd tear the thing apart as soon as I got it. Replace every coolant and vacuum line in the engine bay. Rebuild the engine, unless it's been done within the last 30k miles. You'd be golden for about 100k miles if you maintained it meticulously, and didn't beat the hell out of it.

Gadd

Dude I've heard some things too.

rotoboy661

why???

if u want na just get an rx8

TheBornOtaku

well, i love the RX-7 FD, and i wouldn't mind an NA swap. reliability is a huge factor (daily driver) and i dont want to have to go and sell my X7 just for an X8. i like the 7's more than 8's. sorry. i'm stubborn.

Res: i got the car with a new motor. thing had 0 motor miles. clean, and nice. i ran it a bit today, being cautious. i want something that's well powered (250-300) and very reliable, for the fact it'll be a daily driver, and like i said, i've heard things about the stock TT wankels. i checked out the engine after my test run (it cooled off before, of course) and like i said, everything looked new, as it should have. and i should replace all the hoses with new ones? rubber hoses, right? and how much do NA RX-7 motors run for? i have quite a nice sum of money, just in case.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

AS I said, I would replace every rubber part in the engine bay...coolant hoses at the radiator, heater core, and on the engine/turbos/throttlebody (there are several small ones buried there, which can cause trouble). Most of these are pre bent hoses available only from the dealer, expect a couple hundred bucks there. IF the car is still stock sequential with emissions, this is a major undertaking, several hours of labor. IT should have been done when the car was apart for rebuild. Same for vacuum hoses for emissions and turbo control, all check valves should be replaced and solenoids checked for operation. And of course both belts replaced as well, I'd recommend dayco belts. You might also consider a new thermostat, aftermarket all metal AST, both coolant caps, and aftermarket all metal radiator, if the stock parts are still in use (plastic bursts with heat and time). IF the rebuild was done well, and the car is to be left stock and driven mainly on road trips, then 100k+ miles should be attainable with this setup...my FD had 107k on the original engine before it carbon locked, and many others here have had 125k+ miles out of an original FD engine...it's the ones that have been beat on, poorly maintained, and passed from owner to owner that last 30k miles that you've been told about.

As for the nonturbo swap, again, expect 175-225 RWhp out of an NA engine, even with a good size port and aftermarket EFI, and full supporting mods. A fairly highly modded street nonturbo engine will barely produce the hp numbers that the stock FD engine produces. This would be a step DOWN in performance, even from bone stock. I think it'd be too much of a trade off, personally.

TT_Rex_7

Just ship your car to RotaryResurrection, he'll take care of it for ya!

-Alex

jeremyb

Doesn't the car's stock ecu run off pressure fed to it? So can't you just remove the turbos, hoses, etc. then just put a custom manifold to replace the turbo manifold?

Jeremy

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

No, because as the map sensor approaches atmospheric, it expects a certain VOLUME of air to be entering the engine, the turbos are starting to work well around that time. Yet, without them, the engine is required to suck in what air it can, and the base fuel maps in the ecu are far too rich for the engine to run well. Yes, I've done this, and it sucks. You can drive around this way, but I wouldn't want to unless I had to. Not only is the car dog slow, but it backfires, bucks, and bogs with too much throttle (more than 1/2).

TheBornOtaku

so, rotary, replacing all that plastic stuff will raise the reliability? then after that, how can i make my engine run cooler? i know of cold air intakes, and will high flow headers and exhaust increase my engine's cooling effeciency? i've decided to just replace the plastic parts. more money for less power? sorry. i was worried too much. now, where can i get all the parts needed? that would be all the rubber, temp gagues (wanna know how hot it runs, accuratly), and a new radiator. i really appreciate the help. i don't want my 7 to be slow, or unreliable.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Eh...headers? You sure you're ready for this car?

FYI, turbo cars don't have headers. Turbo cars have exhaust manifolds, and turbos. Headers are for natural aspirated engines.

For AST's and radiators, there are all metal aftermarket units available, check the rx7 retailers such as rx7store, etc. (top of page). Gauges, well, rx7store, summit, ebay, whatever you can afford. Hoses, are available from mazda or any mazda parts supplier, I'd recommend malloy mazda (search) or mazdaformance.com for best prices. Dont forget thermostat, waterpump, etc. There are also ways to mod or replace your fan thermoswitch to turn them on at a lower temp, search this forum for this info.

Anything you can ask has been asked, and answered, 100 times over. Please read the faq's at the top of the page, and just browse the archives too. You'll answer questions you didnt know you had, and save everyone here some trouble, as well as keep yourself from getting flamed. Trust me on this, you're right on the edge now.

TheBornOtaku

thanks, res. i'm new to rotaries and turbo cars, and i'm learning alot. so, thanks for the help.

rotorsownyou7

Why the hell did you buy an FD? The perfect answer for this, 300 hp, reliable, get a Supra.

`sl!mXP

it would be cheaper to just keep the FD as a turbo and buy a hyundai elantra or accent or something