I have been spending alot of time lately reading the forums for both the fd and the fc. i keep noticing that people keep mentioning having the time and money to maintain the Rotary motors. i figured this topic should be elaborated on. i tried to search for information but it turned up empty. if someone could add information to this topic that would be greatly appreciated. i think it could really help new comers such as myself.

 

Maintainence is not that different from regular cars. Some people get OCD and do oil changes every 1k miles with $60 worth of oil, but they're throwing their money away. They're trying to make up for a worn out ride with more regular maintainence.

A 13b doesn't require anything more than 3k mile OCI's with a good standard oil. The cooling system, however, does not take neglect as well as most piston engines because of the weakness of the water jacket walls around the block (86+ rx's). Coolant should be mixed with distilled water ($1/gal at the grocery store) and flushed and replaced every 1-2 years.

The only thing I do differently to my rotaries that I wouldn't do to a piston engine is add 2-stroke oil in the gas at fill-ups. A supplemental mix keeps the internals from wearing as quickly and reduces deposits.

This is all assuming the engine and associated systems are healthy to begin with. What some people call maintainence I would consider repairing a 20 y/o car. The thing alot of people don't get is a rebuild alone isn't going to make the car reliable again. All the components need to be tested against the FSM, all the hoses for vac, coolant, and pressure need to be replaced, etc.