rotaryhardcore

I'm trying to assemble as many tips and as much advice as I can on how to treat a daily-driven RX-7. So, if you've got some input it would really be appreciated.

-C

rotary emotions

Extremely simple actually.
Always let the engine warm up before pushing the pedal. Mind you: this doesn't mean you have to let it warm up on the driveway (never a good idea) it just means you need to drive about 15-20 miles before flooring it.
Make sure you always use good quality mineral oil, and check oil level regulary. Change oil every 3000 miles.
That's about it, basicly.

tmking66

Oil change, Oil change, Oil change!!! every 2500 to 3000 miles and use good filters. Check your oil at every gas fillup and top off as necessary. Also check your cooling system (hoses, rad., etc) regularly for any signs of problems and fix it before the problem happens. Do not EVER let it overheat. New plugs every 10k. New air filter as needed. New fuel filter once per year. Alway warm up the engine before any hard driving (over 4000 rpms). These things should keep you running for a long time.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Adding change coolant every 2 years if using standard coolant, if using new advanced formulas every 5 years. Change t-stat every 2-3 years period because there is no service interval. Change all coolant hoses every 5 years and belts, check tension of belts on regular
intervals. Don't pamper engine, which means dont load it up, it is made to rev and take it out
every once and awhile andlet it rev within reason. Fix problems as they happen, dont prolong driveability issues they just make things compound. As far as the other portions of the vehicle. Service brake fluid every 30k or 2years, preferably with dot 4, because it has a
higher boiling point. Also change fluid in clutch system also. Change diff oil and trans oil every 60k. Service wheel bearing every 30k and inspect brakes every other oil change for problems. Inspect idler arm bushings for play every other oil change, rotate tires every other oil change. If you have oil cooler under radiator, recommend draining that every oil change also, also flush radiator every time you change coolant. Use a good quaility fuel system cleaner every 30k like redlines fuel system cleaner. And like the other posts state keep her in tune. Never just start it up and move it ashort distance and shut it off, as every one knows there is a good chance of flooding. rx7doctor

riofrio

What's wrong with warming it up in the driveway?

Elysian

only drive it on sundays on the way to church

Kentetsu

A redline a day keeps the carbon away!

Elysian

oh yeah don't forget to redline it on the way to church... thanks i left that out

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

What's wrong with warming it up in the driveway? It's pointless when driving the car carefully when cold saves gas.

Blake

I just start it up, wait about 30 seconds to a minute, then drive it easy until the temp needle starts to move into the normal zone. No need to sit around in a driveway unless you have a choke-less carb and need to feather the throttle to keep it alive.

Redlining daily is a good thing in moderation to keep carbon buildup in check. However, once a year or so, I "steam clean" the engine by sucking up a 2 liter bottle of water through a long vacuum hose while feathering the throttle to keep the revs up. The engine will consume just what it needs without hydrolocking and do a fabulous job of cleaning out the crud. Do it at your own risk, though.

I much prefer synthetic oil to mineral. If someone tells you synthetics are not "designed to burn", slap them for me! God, I hate parrots. Most of the top engine builders recommend synthetics and I, personally, have been using them for seven years. Absolutely superior in every respect, though they are not necessarily cost effective and older seals swollen from mineral oil might start to leak (synthetic oil will tend to reverse the swelling). With synthetic oil, I change the oil once a year and just the filter every 3K. With a turbo car, change the oil every 6 months, unless you have a bad fuel dilution problem (weak oil control o-rings). I use Royal Purple Racing21. Mobil 1 is also a good brand. I'm not a fan of Amsoil, but some people like it. However, I still use mineral oil on some cars, like my 83...old, stock engine. There is no advantage to converting an old motor to synthetics and mineral oil is still very, very good when kept fresh. I prefer Castrol 10w30. If I lived in a warmer climate, I might use 20w50. Don't ever use "high mileage" oil...it's designed to swell the seals, which is a terrible thing for oil control o-rings.

Coolant...don't use DexCool, aka the orange "long-life" coolant. It is very, very bad for the soft seals. Just use Ethylene Glycol and Water (EG/W), straight water with an anti-corrosive, or even Evans NPG (Non-aqueous Propylene Glycol). NPG is not for everyone, but it does not boil, does not freeze, does not require pressure, and lasts the lifetime of the car if you don't contaminate it. The downsides are expense, the effort to convert properly and the need to always carry some extra in case you need to top off (no water!). For most people, EG/W makes the most sense. Cheap, has a reasonable life, does a decent job and you can top off with water.

Synthetics in the transmission and rear end are no-brainers. Just make sure you are using the right weight and formulation (GL4/GL5). Some have LSD additive already and others require you add it yourself. Again, I like Royal Purple. Mobil 1 is good. Redline is good.

I'm not a fan of ignition upgrades. They are a usually terrible investment in terms of cost/benefit. All the "new" stuff is really rehashed tricks from back in the day and there is a reason the "knowledge" was lost...no real gains. Just get some good plug wires and fresh plugs periodically and you will be better off in the long run while saving you money to spend on more worthwhile upgrades. If there were anyting I might upgrade, it would be the coils themselves, but I would not do it until I needed coils; I wouldn't toss good ones. If you ever get an engine rebuild, make sure they bore out the plug hole "eyebrows" so you can use normal (aka affordable) sparkplugs with a standard socket. Mazda only did that to keep idiots from screwing in something too long that might break a seal. I like NGK BxES plugs (replace the "x" with the appropriate heat range; 7, 8, 9). They are only about $1.50 each and available at any autoparts store, as it's a common motorcycle plug. With cheap plugs, you are more likely to replace them often, so it's a Good Thing (tm).

That's about all I can think of at the moment.

d0 Luck

you only replace your oil once a yr.? so that's guesstimating that you drive 12k or more on 1 oil change? any valid reasons why i should do that to my car?

Blake

Oil only need to be changed when it gets contaminated or breaks down. Presuming you don't contaminate the oil, synthetic doesn't break down anywhere near as fast as mineral oil does. So, all you need to do is change filters periodically to get out any suspended contamination and keep a nose out for a fuel odor to the oil.

jays83gsl

I'm guessing your car will die with many less miles on it than it should -_-

d0 Luck

makes sense. thanks.

Blake

As I said there are only TWO reasons to change your oil: (1) contamination and (2) viscosity breakdown. Mineral oil breaks down very rapidly, so you MUST change oil frequently. Synthetic does not, so the change interval is drastically longer. You could probably run for two years or more with less risk than a mineral oil user trying to stretch a change out to 6 months! Contamination is dealt with by changing the oil filter and sniffing the oil periodically to ensure your oil control rings are not letting fuel contaminate the oil (something a filter would not handle). Turbo owners, as I said, require more frequent changes specifically due to fuel contamination.

My friend Rob Golden, owner of Pineapple Racing, has been using this oil change interval with Mobil 1 for 15 years on his personal vehicles with absolutely no signs of unusual wear and tear. It is also an interval recommended to me by another friend, David Canitz, an oil engineer at Royal Purple. And, as I've said, I've used synthetics for 7 years myself. And, if you don't know me, I am the creator of Rotary Engine Illustrated and a contributing editor for Driving Sports magazine. Before you go publicly doubting my statements, perhaps you should consider whether you have actual, first hand knowledge or if you are mindlessly parroting "conventional wisdom".

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

What about all that gas that ineviteably gets into the oil? Rotaries contaminate (dillute) their oil with gas while boingers contaminate their oil with all sorts of nasty stuff.

Blake

If the oil gets contaminated by fuel, then you change it more frequently...in which case you might want to just use mineral oil. Turbo cars are especially susceptible to oil contamination by fuel, but NAs are not so bad. Again, I'm not recommending that anyone switch to synthetic from mineral oil unless they have a newly broken-in engine with fresh seals. There is no economic sense in converting an older engine and the engine might not respond well if the seals were swollen -- synthetic oil doesn't "shrink" them per se, but it can "un-swell" them, causing leakage.

grantmac

If I've got an engine with seals that are leaking a bit, could I use the high-milage oil once or twice as a stop-gap measure before I rebuild it? Could I just run them for a little while and then switch back to mineral oil, or will the seals shrink back again.
Grant

Blake

I wouldn't use "high mileage" formulated oil at all. Oil control o-rings can be damaged and make your problem worse; not better. Some people have had success with leak-control additives (do a search) but nothing beats a rebuild.

Elysian

i used a leak control additive in a 12A... combine that with a beehive oil cooler and a broken thermostat and overheating, the leak control additive seems to break down earlier than the oil u put it in... it cause the problems to get much much worse, the 12A burned and leaked 4.5 quarts of oil in 15 minutes of driving. i didn't pay much for the motor, and traded atkins for a center plate and flywheel for my SE engine... i guess just be careful with the additives... mine was a terrible situation... atkins said the 12A was pretty well thrashed after that episode

grantmac

I have the beehive, but then again it really never gets very hot here. My electic fan almost never turns on and I've got it set to come on at 1/3 of the way up the temp guage, only if I'm stop and go driving or sitting for more than 5 minutes, and even then once the fan kicks in it cools right down. When I autocross the car stays nice and cool, when I'm cruising up the highway (even crossing over this huge uphill that takes you from sea-level to 600 feet in under 4 minutes) the temp guage sits solidly in the very bottom of the "normal" range. I've often thought about going with the other oil cooler, but I've never really had a need to. I've even blown fuses on my electric fan and made it home through 10 minutes of bad traffic on a hot day without going over the 1/2 way mark on the guage.
Cheers,
Grant

jays83gsl

What I'm saying (mainly) is that this person wanted ways to prolong the life of his rotary.

Changing oil constantly (contamination issue aside) is a good way to preserve engine life even longer. That's all.

Sorry if I came off on that wrong

OnlyOnThurs

Wait wait..i got a question now... so that valvoline MAXLIFE "HIGH-MILEAGE" oil is not good for the 12A rotary...damn well what 20W-50 brand can i use...beside that royale purple stuff??

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Stnadard 20w50 castrol rx7doctor

grantmac

I'm currently using 10w30 GTX but it seems to be going through a bit of oil, especially when cold. I think I'm gonna switch to 20w50 on the next oil change, I used to run that and it seemed to like it better. I may also try using just one liter of that high-milage stuff just for kicks to see if it does anything.
Grant

P.S. there has got to be some sort of additive to extend the life of oil control O-rings, I mean the prievious owner said the motor was rebuild like 60K miles ago and they are already leaking.