What makes you guys stay with the rotary?
08-22-09, 05:33 PM
#1
Rotary Freak
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: US
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What makes you guys stay with the rotary?
What makes you guys keep your cars and the rotary? I just bought a 94 RX7 a month after the previous owner spent $20,000+ to rebuild the motor with 3mm seals, rebuild the tranny, replaced suspension, exhaust, and converted to single turbo, only to see the rotary will likely need a rebuild after 2,000 miles.
So my question is, what makes you guys keep the rotary? What makes you feel confident that after doing a rebuild, it won't blow after the first few thousand miles. This motor was just built by one of the best builders in the area and it's gone after 2,000 miles. I don't know how how the previous owner broke the new motor in, or if he did at all, but I'm just trying to convince myself that the car will run 100% after the rebuild and proper break in. Right now it's running on a conservative Steve Kan tune.
So my question is, what makes you guys keep the rotary? What makes you feel confident that after doing a rebuild, it won't blow after the first few thousand miles. This motor was just built by one of the best builders in the area and it's gone after 2,000 miles. I don't know how how the previous owner broke the new motor in, or if he did at all, but I'm just trying to convince myself that the car will run 100% after the rebuild and proper break in. Right now it's running on a conservative Steve Kan tune.
08-22-09, 05:41 PM
#3
When I do a rebuild I expect it to last much longer than 2000 miles. And as far as breaking in a motor goes, everyone has their own opinion. But I honestly don't know why I stay with the rotary. I have had piston cars, but my roots are in RX7's and it is where I like to be.
08-22-09, 05:43 PM
#4
Rotary Freak
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: US
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yea that's what I'm expecting. I'm guessing the previous owner didn't break in the engine very well and something got damaged when Kan was tuning because it only has 2000 miles on the new engine, so I'm guessing he got it tuned by Kan before it was completely broken in.
Reason why I am keeping the rotary? Because the body of the car is one of a kind, and the engine is one of a kind. So many people ask me if it's a V8 and I get the explain what a rotary engine is.
Reason why I am keeping the rotary? Because the body of the car is one of a kind, and the engine is one of a kind. So many people ask me if it's a V8 and I get the explain what a rotary engine is.
08-22-09, 05:44 PM
#5
I dunno im on the same boat. First one went at 3000 miles(detonation apexi PFC went into a different pim volt), second(side seal) went 3 days after i picked it up from a different shop, third one same shop went after 4000 miles and dunno just yet but went just like the second one normal driving and started running like crap. All this within the last year and a half and the last two engine with in the last 6 months. And i have had the car 2 years been in the shops over a year, been off the road sitting numerious times for like a half a year and driven it total less then 6 months. FD is about to get sold, getting tired of it and everyone agrees its cool but not worth all the hassle. The second and third engine build was a brand new core from malloy, balanced, atkins cryo seals, and a large street port with single turbo and all supporting mods and tuned safe to a 10.8 to 11.2(depending on weather) afr.
08-22-09, 05:47 PM
#6
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 655
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't want to sound pretentious, but...
If your car's previous owner spent 20K on a rebuild and it now needs to be redone after 2k miles, I would say that the only answer to that is that whoever did that or broke it in, simply did everything wrong.
Had it not been a rotary, if the mistakes were made in the process, another engine would have been gone as well.
I love this car because of what it is. If I felt I needed pistons, I'd sell it and I'd get something with those in.
Some people can appreciate the value of having such a rare piece of machinery. Which, BTW, works fine, as long as you treat it properly. I would like to know how many 17 year old cars that have been beaten on for that long a time, don't have problems.
I believe that the word "convenience" should never be part of the equation when you own a sports car. The only words that matter are how unique, performing, beautiful and fun to drive.
I stick with it because of those things.
Cheers
Had it not been a rotary, if the mistakes were made in the process, another engine would have been gone as well.
I love this car because of what it is. If I felt I needed pistons, I'd sell it and I'd get something with those in.
Some people can appreciate the value of having such a rare piece of machinery. Which, BTW, works fine, as long as you treat it properly. I would like to know how many 17 year old cars that have been beaten on for that long a time, don't have problems.
I believe that the word "convenience" should never be part of the equation when you own a sports car. The only words that matter are how unique, performing, beautiful and fun to drive.
I stick with it because of those things.
Cheers
08-22-09, 05:47 PM
#7
Sir Braps A lot
because 95% of the people here dont DD our FD's so its not like were beating on them everyday. plus a lot of guys on here just love them, they drive like nothing else on the road.. ever since i test drove an FD. ive loved them i could care less if the motor popped a 100 times i would still stay with the rotary. For some guys its easier to just move on or swap a V8 into this timeless chassis, but for me and a lot of guys on the board its something that just cant be explained. all that matters is when we turn the key and the turbo spools that there is a big grin on out faces and we love every second of it.
just my .02 cents
just my .02 cents
Trending Topics
08-22-09, 05:47 PM
#8
Rotary Freak
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: US
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I dunno im on the same boat. First one went at 3000 miles(detonation), second(side seal) went 3 days after i picked it up from a different shop, third one same shop went after 4000 miles and dunno but went just like the second one normal driving and started running like crap. And i have had the car 2 years been in the shops over a year, been off the road sitting numerious times for like a half a year and driven it total less then 6 months. FD is about to get sold, getting tired of it and everyone agrees its cool but not worth all the hassle.
08-22-09, 05:51 PM
#9
Rotary Enthusiast
iTrader: (17)
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Pluto
Posts: 878
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My car is still on its original motor after 60kmiles--it's still a sub 5sec 0-60mph and 160 mph max speed.I just did 1000mile round trip to Riegelsville Pa and averaged 24 mpg and never missed a beat.My air still runs cold,my 2001 Bose 626 radio works great with the 93 amps,seats are reasonably comfortable and it still has original paint.You explain to me why I should NOT keep it.
Why anyone would use 3mm apex seals for a road car,and or boosting less than 17 psi is a mystery to me---Mazda gave up on 3mm seals for road cars 24 years ago.
And if you want too run with big boost why not run ceramic seals.
When I re build my motor it will run jsut as good as it does now,it will have 2mm Mazda apex seals and it will run for at least 50k miles.
Why did you buy a defective car?
Why anyone would use 3mm apex seals for a road car,and or boosting less than 17 psi is a mystery to me---Mazda gave up on 3mm seals for road cars 24 years ago.
And if you want too run with big boost why not run ceramic seals.
When I re build my motor it will run jsut as good as it does now,it will have 2mm Mazda apex seals and it will run for at least 50k miles.
Why did you buy a defective car?
08-22-09, 05:51 PM
#10
Rotary Freak
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: US
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
because 95% of the people here dont DD our FD's so its not like were beating on them everyday. plus a lot of guys on here just love them, they drive like nothing else on the road.. ever since i test drove an FD. ive loved them i could care less if the motor popped a 100 times i would still stay with the rotary. For some guys its easier to just move on or swap a V8 into this timeless chassis, but for me and a lot of guys on the board its something that just cant be explained. all that matters is when we turn the key and the turbo spools that there is a big grin on out faces and we love every second of it.
just my .02 cents
just my .02 cents
08-22-09, 05:54 PM
#11
Sir Braps A lot
Have to agree with this too. The FD is a very rare car and no one even knows what it is. It makes me laugh when they can't even open the doors or know where the door handles are. I sold my first 94 FD about 1.5 years ago and it was the only car that I was literally sad that I sold it. 1.5 years later, I finally picked up the car and although it'll likely need a rebuild, it is well worth it once I can finally spool up the single turbo!
08-22-09, 05:55 PM
#12
Rotary Freak
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: US
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Because I got the car for under $11,000. He had $20,000 into just the rebuild. The body only had 65,000 miles on the car. Touring, everything in pristine condition. I felt like I got a steal as parts alone on the car is probably over $11,000.
08-22-09, 05:55 PM
#13
I was using mine as a daily(no other car at the time) and it had 467rwhp and i had a/c. I did take it to the track once but it was properly broke in and tuned with aux injection and called the tuner right before i took it to the track. The tune was super safe and ran fine for weeks after that. It went the last time when i was driving home in the rain and my avcr showed .25 bar and 45xx rpm max and i had been driving for like 20 mins and it was fine and pull up to a light and it wants to stall. Just tired of the down time really.
08-22-09, 05:57 PM
#14
Sir Braps A lot
I was using mine as a daily(no other car at the time) and it had 467rwhp and i had a/c. I did take it to the track once but it was properly broke in and tuned with aux injection and call the tuner right before i took it to the track. The tune was super safe and ran fine for weeks after that. It went the last time when i was driving home in the rain and my avcr showed .25 bar and 45xx rpm max and i had been driving for like 20 mins and it was fine and pull up to a light and it wants to stall. Just tired of the down time really.
run ceramic 2mm seals with atkins corner seals and corner seal springs..
08-22-09, 06:03 PM
#16
Sir Braps A lot
try RX-7 store they did my motor and its running strong after 5 years of being in the car.. ive had it for the last year and a half and it runs strong..
08-22-09, 06:12 PM
#17
Yea if its not covered like the last time i am taking it else were. Either back up to IRP or another fourm member i picked up a trans from but think i might just get rid of it and build a nice FC(i have had 6 Fc's). They are cheaper lol. I am 19 and am a mechanic(no bank rolls here) and dont have the money to re build the FD every two months.
08-22-09, 06:12 PM
#18
Rotary Enthusiast
iTrader: (17)
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Pluto
Posts: 878
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did read your other post(I think it was you anyway) where you listed the costs for the rebuild.Icannot believe that someone paid the prices quoted,makes Mazdatrix look inexpensive.
08-22-09, 06:17 PM
#19
Sir Braps A lot
Yea if its not covered like the last time i am taking it else were. Either back up to IRP or another fourm member i picked up a trans from but think i might just get rid of it and build a nice FC(i have had 6 Fc's). They are cheaper lol. I am 19 and am a mechanic(no bank rolls here) and dont have the money to re build the FD every two months.
so rebuild it right once and be done with it... im 18 and i make decent cash but when i want something done right i will shell out whats needed to pay for it. im not going to half *** anything on this car that only leads to problems down the road.. like my pops taught me do it right once and youll be good..
and if your a mechanic why not take a shot at it you have the ability to use all the tools go for it man.
08-22-09, 06:17 PM
#20
Im glad you got yourself another FD man. Your other FD was gorgeous.
But i stay with the rotary cause i like my car to be in a class of its own. Its a distinct sound, distinct powerband and makes the rx7 the car it is.
If that engine didnt last more than 2k, that means something went wrong with the build or the owner didnt break it in properly.
Although you still have to realize even on its best day, a properly running engine can go kaput during some non fault conditions. (went and got a bad tank of gas, boost spikes etc etc)
Thats some of the things we FD owners have to deal with but you get to wonder the real enthusiasts are the ones to stick around, even after all the BS.
But i stay with the rotary cause i like my car to be in a class of its own. Its a distinct sound, distinct powerband and makes the rx7 the car it is.
If that engine didnt last more than 2k, that means something went wrong with the build or the owner didnt break it in properly.
Although you still have to realize even on its best day, a properly running engine can go kaput during some non fault conditions. (went and got a bad tank of gas, boost spikes etc etc)
Thats some of the things we FD owners have to deal with but you get to wonder the real enthusiasts are the ones to stick around, even after all the BS.
08-22-09, 06:19 PM
#21
Sir Braps A lot
im glad you got yourself another fd man. Your other fd was gorgeous.
But i stay with the rotary cause i like my car to be in a class of its own. Its a distinct sound, distinct powerband and makes the rx7 the car it is.
If that engine didnt last more than 2k, that means something went wrong with the build or the owner didnt break it in properly.
Although you still have to realize even on its best day, a properly running engine can go kaput during some non fault conditions. (went and got a bad tank of gas, boost spikes etc etc)
thats some of the things we fd owners have to deal with but you get to wonder the real enthusiasts are the ones to stick around, even after all the bs.
But i stay with the rotary cause i like my car to be in a class of its own. Its a distinct sound, distinct powerband and makes the rx7 the car it is.
If that engine didnt last more than 2k, that means something went wrong with the build or the owner didnt break it in properly.
Although you still have to realize even on its best day, a properly running engine can go kaput during some non fault conditions. (went and got a bad tank of gas, boost spikes etc etc)
thats some of the things we fd owners have to deal with but you get to wonder the real enthusiasts are the ones to stick around, even after all the bs.
+1000000
08-22-09, 06:24 PM
#22
To the original question: What makes you stay with the rotary?
I believe you buy a car for what it is... You buy an RX-7 for what it is, which is a sports car using a rotary engine. If or when I tire of the rotary engine, I'll move on to another car.
IMO, the reason you see so many engines "blowing up" is:
A lot of the younger crowd are power hungry and this is just not the car for "big power". If you do want big power, you CANNOT do it reliably for $3-4000. That just isn't going to cut it. The younger group is looking for quick, cheap, power and all that ends up in is blown engines. Look at the post around, people are looking to purchase 500rwhp FD's and only want to spend $12,000 on the car. Looking for cheap, it's only going to be cheap in the short run.
I believe you buy a car for what it is... You buy an RX-7 for what it is, which is a sports car using a rotary engine. If or when I tire of the rotary engine, I'll move on to another car.
IMO, the reason you see so many engines "blowing up" is:
A lot of the younger crowd are power hungry and this is just not the car for "big power". If you do want big power, you CANNOT do it reliably for $3-4000. That just isn't going to cut it. The younger group is looking for quick, cheap, power and all that ends up in is blown engines. Look at the post around, people are looking to purchase 500rwhp FD's and only want to spend $12,000 on the car. Looking for cheap, it's only going to be cheap in the short run.
08-22-09, 06:55 PM
#24
I've never had any real reliability problems with the shortblocks.
My last motor was TOUGH. It had mostly used parts, only new bearings and new 2mm RA super seals. I overboosted and detonated it multiple times. I overheated it over 250 degrees. I ran it on half [sic] a quart of oil. It only blew finally when a vac line blew off and messed up the MAP sensor, causing it to lean out and advance the timing at the 21psi I was running. Suffice it to say that motor was a learning experience.
My old nonturbo rx-7 was a tank. I hit the rev limiter on that thing a gazillion times. I had the crank angle sensor rotated so that the timing was advanced 7-8 degrees and it still ran great on 87 octane.
My last motor was TOUGH. It had mostly used parts, only new bearings and new 2mm RA super seals. I overboosted and detonated it multiple times. I overheated it over 250 degrees. I ran it on half [sic] a quart of oil. It only blew finally when a vac line blew off and messed up the MAP sensor, causing it to lean out and advance the timing at the 21psi I was running. Suffice it to say that motor was a learning experience.
My old nonturbo rx-7 was a tank. I hit the rev limiter on that thing a gazillion times. I had the crank angle sensor rotated so that the timing was advanced 7-8 degrees and it still ran great on 87 octane.