kuning

The time's 10:44 AM. Just got came back from work at McDonalds. Was supposed to be asleep by now coz i have to wake up at 3:00PM to go to another job but I'm having difficulties sleeping with this problem in my mind.....I'm hoping you guys can help me decide...

Dear respectful FD owners all around the world (mainly US),

I became a proud owner of a black 92 R1 back in March. I got it cheap with all the problems, mainly exterior and interior damages because I thought it'd be my project car with the aim of reliable daily driven 300-350hp car (YES, I know the word 'reliable' is taboo for FDs). 114,000km on the clock. Had no history as the owner had already gone back overseas.
Some el cheapo mods I got with the car are :

Mine's ECU chip
K&N intake
HKS SMIC intercooler Pipings
Turbosmart BOV
3" SS catback
Boost gauge and
Tein coilovers.

I had done compression tests on the rotors and it was 95 front and 90 rear. I also had the car full serviced, fixed leaks,replaced heater core with 2nd hard part (pressure tested) and all, car runs smooth, turns on everytime i want to have a drive thanks to the under estimated budget that made me spent AUD$4000.00 to get the car running smoothly as opposed to my original AUD$2000.00 budget.
So there I was, a happy sunshine although I was already counting my last pennies to pay for my living costs.

As a start, I'm having rear pillowball bushings clunking noise and my clutch is on the fly as well as clunking noise from the front suspension during braking. I was saving to get new clutch,bushings,etc.

Nightmare started when the Australian coppers pulled me over several times and defected+EPAed my car for having loud exhaust and Turbosmart BOV (cost me AUD 500.00 to rectify and clear the defect notices). So in the end, I took off the BOV as of mid may(car running w/o BOV). Early June, the car started to pisses me off. There were steam coming out from the air vents after I drove her for half a day (+- 200km). The next weekend, I took the car out after that 200km travel and idle was rough. Engine idles above 1000rpm, more steam came out, and coolant leaked to the cabin. I stopped driving, head back home with weiry feelings. The next day, I top up the coolant as it was on L. Then I HAD to drive the car to help my friend. Everything went fine till I was on the way home. Standard water temp gauge rose dramatically and there were weird noise coming out from under the hood ( I know this the instant when the noise started since I always open my window when driving). I pulled over, switched the car off and Coolant tank started to overflowed and burst into the ground which is normal as the coolant overheated. I'm assuming the coolant is leaking somewhere near the heater core that it doesn't flow back to the engine.

I parked the car, left it on the street for about 2-3 hours, went back to pick it up (it was a cold night btw), drove for about 5 mins trying to rev below 3000rpm. As I arrived outside my garage, the temp rose again. So i quickly parked it and towed the car the next day to a rotary workshop. On a note, I had to switched the engine back on again to get the car to the tow truck, that's when I see black smoke coming out from the exhaust which I know is a bad sign.

I'm just hoping that the problem doesnt lead to engine failure.
70% probabilty it's blown heater core. the other 30% that makes me crossed my fingers is the leak somewhere in the hose.

I pulled apart the dashboard hoping I can save some 3 hours labour to take the dash out. So far the workshop havent work on my car yet. maybe today they will.

I'm in the point of being broke. I'm starting to lose faith on the car as a project car. I've been spending heaps yet I'm no where near in making any progress on the car. All I found is one problem after another.
Who knows later on another problem arises? Maybe the turbo will fail? maybe the air pump, maybe the injectors,etc.

On the other hand, I'm having family problems that MIGHT requires me to go back to my home country (originally from Indonesia, currently residing in Australia for study purpose) and hence, sell the car.

Even if I don't have to go back, I'm thinking of selling the car and get another car.

So far I'm down to two choices:

1. Get another car.
Another car that came across my mind is the S2000 although I don't feel the same 'feeling' as the FD but it's the closest thing that resembles the FD. Superb handling (FD is better IMHO), drives like a gokart, n/a with enough power (although the FD can pump out more HPs),RWD, plus cabriolet and the main point, won't make lots of hassles as the FD since it's newer which means there will be less wear and tear parts, hence the reliability issue. Cons: it's everywhere on the roads, can't reach the 350hp on n/a engine, a goal I'm after in the long run. But still the only option I have for a 2 door coupe. No crappy Skyline GTS/GTT, can't afford z350 neither.

Option 2. Stick to the FD, Grounded
BUT! I feel reluctant to sell the FD. Although she's pissing me off, I still love her whole heartedly. It's just the faith I'm losing to continue working on the car. I still love the look on people's amazed faces that there's still people 'sucessfully' make the FD driveable than just a pile of junk, changing people's view of 'RX7s are **** cars' or 'what sort of car is this?' or 'I've never seen this kind of car before looks sick (sick is Australian slang for 'wicked' and all those sort of stuff.

If I end up not selling the car.... I'll :

Ground the car, rip the whole interior, pull apart any necessary parts that needs to be replaced, E.g clutch, pillowball bushings,etc.
Save up to get the car resprayed and fix all the exterior damage, do 99 front conversion in the same time.
Save some more.Get a new carpet (currently dirty, and soaked by coolant) as well as retrimming the interior (fix the scratches).

Once all is done, I'll save up some $$ to fix the EXISTING problems. Then rebuild the engine, or if it doesn't require recondition, I'll start driving the car as well as slowly start doing the reliability mods along with gaining power car to reach my 350hp goal (ECU, V-mount, injectors,pumps, etc).

It would take me about 10 months to get to put the car back on the road. The FD is my 2nd car. I have a Mazda 6 that my parents bought for me and my brother to share. So if I ground the FD, I will have to fight with my brother to get to drive it.

During the times that the car's grounded, I'll surely have a lot of pressure from other people. Mocks from friends and families (especially mum and dad) that I bought AU$28,000.00 piece of junk, stupid enough to buy a 13 years old car.

Those alone won't guarantee that mechanical problems will stop arising. Afterall, it's no ordinary car.

Dear wise FD owners,

I'm lost. Please help me solve my problems. What would you suggest me to do? What would you do to if you were in my position? Sell the FD and get the S2K? Stick to the FD, deal with all the problems as it will become a valueable lesson in life (mechanically and morally)? What have I done wrong? Am I in the right track? Am I not good enough to own an FD?


On the other hand, Let this be a warning and lesson to future FD owners.....



Regards

Yans

7_rocket

iTrader: (6)

ok.. coles notes please

LaRazaUnida

DAMNIT ROCKET! Who are those girls that are always in your avatars? Is that your chick?

mibad

S2k

7_rocket

iTrader: (6)

Nah, but i know her personally

neit_jnf

iTrader: (17)

sell this one and buy a newer, low mile FD.... I thought they imported them to AU until 2000?

Recentlyconverted

Firstthing you gotta do dude is get a cheap beater car (I know I shouldn't talk because I daily drive my FD, but I do have access to another car if I need it). That way with the beater car you can still get back and forth when the FD is down. Sorry to hear about the problems dude, I'd say if the money's really a problem either get another car for a project car or get another car as a beater, keep the fd as a project car, and save the money as you can to have the FD worked on. Looks like your motor might be blown dude, but I'm no expert, so will keep my fingers crossed for you. I feel for you man, I know what it feels like bein stranded on the road next to a busted car.

Honestly man, my reccomendation is to keep the FD and get a beater car for like 300-400 bucks with low insurance if you can afford it. It'll also keep you out of the cop radar as well when drivin the beater. You really do seem to be into the car, and if you are able to pull the dash apart and not mess up, you have some mechanical knowledge (which means you may be on the way to bein able to do quite a bit on this car as your experience and confidence grows)

And an s2k as a project car is another idea, it is a honda engine after all (so you'll have to shoot it to kill it) and it really is a hell of a car.

Best of luck man. If there's anything we can help with and info you're lookin for, just ask man, that's what most of us are here for.

PhoenixDownVII

Well, I'm not sure how your budget is, but buying an FD at a "discount" due to miscellaneous problems doesn't mean you'll afford the car. You usually will rack up the same amount of $ in the end you could of spent on a better running, unmolested FD.

I honestly don't know how this feels like, and never hope to. I took my time and bought one with almost ALL receipts of it's history, owned by 2 guys from the "Big list", and was bought essentially "stock" with only the right replacements and scheduled maintenance.

Do you have a second car, a cheap daily driver? It could help ease the pain for now.

What else are you going to buy that is a true drivers car for under $15k (USDM)? Anytime I doubt the FD I just go through the motions (hours and hours) checking autotrader on various cars that compare and they usually have more "Cons" than the FD.

I swear, this reliability bit is the only "Achilles heal" the FD has (in most respects, and based on opinions too...), without it it'd just be too damn perfect.

wReX

iTrader: (6)

1) Sell it
2) Get a beater
3) Get a better job (McDonalds???)
4) Have a nice FD later on down the road when you can dump a ton of money into it

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

kuning,

It's tough getting a used car no matter if it's an RX-7 or anything else... There is just so much that you can't check before you shell out the cash that it really can be a crap shoot.

It seems like you are looking for something that you can spend your time driving with rather than tinkering. However, being in Australia there has got to be quite a few VERY good shops who know how to work on the car.

I think you need to think about what you want out of a car. The FD is the kind of car that makes you smile when it's right, but makes you cry when it's not. If you want to spend more time driving, then another car might be the best fit for you. This is not the car for everyone.

While it's harder to get to "350 hp" with an N/A car, you'll have less headaches in the long run. I don't know what cars are available in Australia, but a few to check for would be an older C5 Vette, BMW E36 M3, and of course the S2000 (since you seem to be looking for good handling cars). If you goal is just a certain power number, be prepared to break a lot of stuff no matter what car you get.

IMO, get a car you like and don't worry about how much power it's making; just enjoy the car. Good luck.

FreeStyle

why did you buy the car without having all its **** proffesionally tested. imo you made a big mistake buying it as a project car with no money (can you say stupid?) sell it, get a cheap car, save for a decent one down the track were you can throw money at it.

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

You work a Mcdonalds...

Sell the car, get something cheap and reliable, use the $$ (in the US you could pick up a Toyota 2WD truck for $2-3K that will last 300K miles) that would be spent on a FD or S2K and invest in yourself. College, trade school, buy a house, whatever. In just a few years you'll better off.

It is a no-brainer.

dclin

iTrader: (4)

Bingo. Really like my WRX (thinking of trading it, the FD, and my Civc beater for an 05 STi), but it's appeal has more to do with the fact that I actually drive it, vs the FD project that I start up every other day, but which sits in the garage for the most part (as that it's in pieces). Starting to warm up to the idea of a bone stock car that has the power, handling, etc that I can enjoy, and still have a warranty too.

Get the S2000...

dclin

iTrader: (4)

Missed the part about working at McDonalds (not that there's anything wrong with that, but my guess is that cash flow is a bit tighter). Do what turbojeff suggests.

a-spec fd

iTrader: (2)

I feel your pain!! I waited 5 years to get my FD. When I did get it in January the shocks were blown so I didn't drive it much. Then motor blew in February (not cause I was beating on it, it was it's time.). It's been at a shop that’s an hour away from my house ever since. It's been so BAD when the dmv sent me a register renewal a forgot I owned a 94 Mazda. I work just for the car; it's what drives me. I have thought about giving up the faith, but . . .well I love the damn thing. If you don't like the problems you don't like the RX-7. Leave the car to the pure of heart who won't turn their back on it when it has problems. People who want car that doesn't have problems buy Hondas, and those are by no means racecars.

shrtyGT500

iTrader: (1)

i think u should park it and buy a beater as recentlyconverted said........that way u can still save money and fix the fd along the way...

AnOsA

well for s2k 300 whp hs been made i believe with all motor but over here at least that cars gona cost more. and if you cant afford the rx7 right now. wouldnt that be harder to get? one way or another gl with it.

o btw 92 rx7 typo or am i going to learn something... thanks ^^

eugenchoo

I feel for you bro. I have an FD too. Trust me it can be a bitch of a car. This is my 3rd engine. But if you are on a tight budget best advise is to sell the car. I learnt from past experiences if you stop-fix a problem on the FD it will come back and bite you. Do it right the first time. Sounds like you blew an o-ring so best bet is to rebuild the engine. And TRUST me invest in a ECU. Microtechs are real cheap over there plus they have all the base maps already.

It took me nearly 2 years but my single turbo FD is fine now and driving much better then when I first bought it off the previous owner when it was bone stock. Like I mentioned it will take time and money. So if you like the car because it is cool trust me the problems will wear you out sooner or later (we are talking about a car that is over a decade old). But if you really love the car and are willing to spend the time and money on it there are few cars dollar for dollar that can beat the FD.

Eugene

FormulaRX

anyone who attempts to build a project car CANNOT live with just that car alone...before you thinkabout keeping or selling your FD and before you even think about buying an S2000, you need to get a reliable daily driver that can get you back and forth especially since you are a struggling FD owner financially. Just pick up a cheap Civic or Corolla to get you around town without many problems and you can gather yourself and your money and settle down before having to worry about spending it all on the FD.

Bottom line: it's just a car and it's just a hobby...take care of yourself first and then deal with the car later. There's no reason to dump all the time and money into the FD when you can barely make enough money to survive as is. FD or no FD, you need to worry about more important things right now...save the FD for later when you are settled down and making decent money.

jic

iTrader: (1)

Es Two Kay

kuning

Many thanks for the comments and support. I really appreciate it.

To make things clearer,

First off, I had the car checked when first bought it. That's how I know the existing problems on the car before I bought it but they are not something that stops the car from running on the roads. Plus, I already had a plan to modify the car so I thought I might as well get a 'not so good' car to work with. E.g Replacing the worn out clutch with ACT

secondly
I'm financially adequate to live my life. The problem is to live the FD. My parents are my financial supporter.
They ocassionally send me money for my living cost and college fee.

If I live 'normaly' by means of not spending much money on exquisite foods, clothings and hang out (addicted on playing snooker next to my apartment) I can save up AU$500 per month from the money my parents sent.
I work as a casual employer at two places (local Mc Donalds crew and as a ladder chef at a restaurant, don't know bout the wage in the states, but here they are $17 bucks/hour here down under) to fill my empty uni times during the weekends, more during holiday times. On average, I earn AU$700-800. So all add up to pretty much AU$1000/month or more. This money is what I've been spending to work on the car,also one of the major source for me to buy the FD after I saved up for about a year from $0.00.

The reason I became flat broke is because the under-estimated budget to fix some of the problems when I bought the car (leaks, blown heater core,etc).

My parents were planning to buy me another car before I bought the FD, but I feel bad for keep adding financial burden to them. So that's why i saved up my own money to get the FD.

If I buy the es tuw kay, I can sell my FD and with the budget to do some restoration on the FD, I'll be able to get a MY99 S2000 in no time.

Thirdly, I do have a second car. A beater for daily use, a Mazda 6. I don't drive it much because I catch the train to uni. The problem lies when I need a car to drive but my brother's not at home. But apart from that, I drive my mazda 6 more than the FD itself.

My losing faith problem arises because the FD is giving me zero chance to go 'a step further' to modify my car. Once I fix a problem that suddenly apears, it will spark/leads to another problem. It's like a never ending problem and I haven't even started fixing the clutch/pillowball bushings. For example,
I was saving up to buy a new pillowball bushings, at that time I was about to order a set from Malloy, but then the coppers pulled me over, issued a defect notice,EPA, along with a ticket for having a 'defective vehicle'. So I had to put my stock parts back, paid the ticket and cancelled the bushings.

Now my heater core blew up again after I had it replaced with a 2nd hand part. Yes, I know I'm stupid to get a 2nd hand part but at that time I had no other choice than to get the 2nd hand heater core.

Now that I my heater core blew up...I need money to fix it and IF it leads to engine failure, I will need more money to fix it. This will mean the budget I have prepared to fix the clutch would be gone.

That's why I'm thinking to ground the car...leave it as a wreck in the mean time. Slowly fixing it bits by bits. This will take ages to finish...maybe a year or more. This simply means like some of you have said, more like not having any car at all.

Or, to prevent all the hassle and the mental pressure, get the S2k.

What I'm thinking to myself is, would I be able to bear the burden if I stick to the FD?


AnOsA: yes, mine is a JDM import. In Japan, FDs were released late 92.

dubulup

truely is a no-brainer

DigDug

Don't waste your money on an S2000. If your FD ever performed half as well as it should, you'll be disappointed, trust me.

Sounds like you need to learn to work on the car yourself. Saves a shitload of money to be able to do the work, rather than paying "rotary specialists" or whatever you call them down there. Also, OEM parts don't have to be expensive.

CantGoStraight

Buying the car knowing it had a heater core problew was deffinatley going to lead to the overheating problem you ran into. These cars run on the ragged edge of overheating with an intact cooling system. If you have a leak anywhere in that tystem and it looses pressure, it's pretty much garunteed you'll overheat the motor. Depending on how hot you got it (localized boiling and what not) the damage may have already been done, driven twice after the leak into the passenger compartment. I'd say your looking at some really serious money in the near future. Jack

Montego

iTrader: (1)

My thoughts exactly...