FishTunaRX7

I know RX7's have a stigma of poor engine reliability, but i often acredited it to more hype than reality.

I am currently in a position where my previous car was totaled in an accident, and i am looking for a replacement. Being a huge fan of RX7's, that would be my top choice.

However, I am worried about the engine reliability since I tracked my last car A LOT. (not drag, but a road course). At one point over the summer i went once a week to the local track which has evening test and tunes.

A few friends have tried to tell me that I would need to rebuild once every there months, and that a gasket kit is close to a grand.

Is there any truth to this if proper reliability modifications were made first? I have read through the FAQ's and done some searching and it sounds like most people attribute the engine break downs to heat, so obviously an upgraded cooling system would be in order. But I get the impression most of the threads i read were specific to street only cars.

Does anyone have any experiance in this? Obviously driving your car hard for 20minute sessions all night is going to be hard on any car, but I really need to know the potential upkeep cost of keeping an RX7 trackable.

Thanks in advance.

ddewhurst

Fish, I procured a 1st gen with 80,000 miles & preped it for a SRX7 race car. I started racing it during year 2000 including test days & track races at Gingerman/Grattan/Mid Ohio/IRP in your part of the country. 38 races to date, 6 open track days & am now converting & racing for a second year in ITA/7 within the CenDiv. The motor has never been apart. It's also never been low on oil or over heated. This winter I changed the intake o-rings & gasket because of a water leak.

The motor is economical in the stock form, there is no sence turning a stock motor over 6,500/7,000 rpm's & no sence turning a stock motor with headers, a blueprinted carb & a 4.88 over 8,000/8,500 rpm's. In the ITA/7 confirguation I have a new two row cross flow radiator for water cooling (no fan) & a early 1st gen oil cooling radiator mounted in front of the water cooling radiator with a deflector sheet to keep the hot exhaust air from the oil cooler off the water cooling radiator.

Have Fun ; )
David

FishTunaRX7

Thanks for your input, it's a huge help.

That is about how many track days I put on my previous car, and I actually spun a bearing on that at one point so it sounds like your 1st gen held out better.

So your recommendations are that with better cooling and obviously adequate oil, the motor can be very reliable under harsh conditions provided you are not reving the hell out of it?

I am looking to get a turbo (either T2 or an FD) which no doubt puts more strain on it, but I can handle a rebuild once in a while.. just not many times a year.