I know that there has been a lot of talk about engine swaps, but I wnat to make an engine swap based purely on reliability. I love the body of 3rd gen. rx7's so much that I am willing to sacrifice speed for reliability. I have been wanted one of these for 8 years and I just dont have the money to spend thousands on one and still put thousands more to keep it running. I know about the supra motor swap and that gave me hope, but again it seems that that swap is done just as much for speed than reliability. This is why I wanted to know if it is possible to swap something like a celica, prelude, integra or miata motor in a 3rg gen rx7. I basically want an rx7 with the reliability of my corolla. Is this possible? Has it been done before? Lastly, I live in San Diego any recommendations on a good shop that can work an a rx7.

thanks

 

Absolutely horrible idea. Read up on reliability mods in one of the numerous threads active in this very section of the forum.

 

Of course, every engine swap done properly will still cost thousands. A good candidate donor engine, machining to mate that engine to the FD transmission (all the engines you mentioned are from FWD cars minus the Miata), wiring, integrating the new ECU into the car, exhaust fabrication, engine mount fabrication, etc. etc.

A 3rd gen in good shape with reliability mods applied, ran at stock boost, will actually be fairly reliable. It would likely cost you less to make those reliability mods as it would to swap in another engine.

Another choice is to buy someone else's swapped car with a nice modern V8 in it. Sometimes you can find projects half done for a significant savings, but of course then you have to deal with the possibility that their work is crap.

 

how dare you put a honda motor in a rx7

 

fwd fd!!!!!!! w/vtech lol

 

Rotary engine + turbo = RELIABILITY FAIL. No matter how much stuff you do to it to keep it running longer.

Put a 22RE in the FD and watch it last for 300k and still pass smog. No joke.

If you honestly want a reliable FD you have the right idea of getting rid of the engine for something else. Would I do it? Heck no, I love to go fast.

 

Believe me I have. I have also read a great rx7 website by Rob Robinette which pretty much tells you everything about the 3rd generation. My conclusion is that even with reliability mods things will still go wrong. Case and point I went to test drive an rx7 with a new motor from mazdatrix and it turned of it had to be jump started and the guy had already spent 4500 on the rebuild.

 

oh so jump starting means that mazdatrix and the rotary engine are not reliable, i thought jump starting happens when you have a dead BATTERY. so it's not the BATTERY's fault, its mazdatrix's.... good to know..... dipshits.

 

I disagree. Have a look at what the AI systems are doing now.

On another point a turbo'd rotary with reliability mods can run quite well for quite a long time. It's no stock civic motor, but remember the car is not pants-around-the-ankles slow either.

Dave

 

I don't think you should get an RX7.(PERIOD)

 

What does the battery have to do with a rx7 engine reliability

 

Seriously?

So if a customer came into my smog shop and asked me what an example of a reliable engine would be and I said a turbo rotary I wouldn't be the most retarded smog tech in the world?

Can you get up to 150k out of a turbo rotary? Sure if you are extremely lucky and have some docile driving habits with the occasional rev to burn off the carbon.... Can you get that kind of miles when you like to tear up the local mountains, attend drift/track/drag events, do donuts and burnouts in front of your neighbors house? HECK NO. You'd be lucky to get 60k

I still love rotaries don't get me wrong AND plan on having at least one (3 right now lol) for the rest of my life; but the OP was asking about a reliable engine swap... And instead of actual answers he or she got flamed from hot heads trying to contend that a 13bREW is a reliable engine

 

no, he got flamed for suggesting putting a miata motor in a 7.

 

well i believe your a retard ............................ if is true that you got a 3rd gen then please sell it and get something else ....... sometimes dnt blame the rotary ... blame the owner

 

Can you get 150k out of any engine if u like to tear up the drag strip and the road course? NO! not just no but hell no! dude just bcuz ur a smog tech doesnt mean u know everything. a 13brew is reliable as any engine provided you take care of it the way ur supposed to.

 

This op isn't a customer in your smog shop. He's a poster on an rx7 forum. He didn't ask for an example of a reliable engine. He is asking about swaps into an FD.

The lifespan of a turbo rotary depends on too many variables for anyone to argue. The op got flamed because he came on an rx7 forum and began spouting garbage about swapping fwd engines into an fd. An fd and a honda are two different animals but there is the ever present v8 option. If you want to spend your time pondering fantasies with the op, be my guest but please don't be hostile when one of you gets flamed for doing it on this forum.

 

or a vvti in an FD thats the worst idea , people by rx7s for what they can do so what if you break them havin fun, fix it . if you wont reliability drive the a celica or an explorer or an accord . an FD is not for you if you wanna change it so bad

 

Dude if you don't want a rotary motor in an rx7, then don't get an rx7, buy a miata, or an eclipse or a civic, it's that plain and simple. If you actually research and learn rotary motors they can be absolutely reliable if you actually keep up with them on the maintenance, and don't buy an rx7 with a motor that already has 100k on it, unless it has good compression numbers, it's that plain and simple. I hate when dumbfucks buy an FD with 100k on it and expect it to last another 10 years, knowing good and well the motors don't last too much over 130k or so, so they bash an engine that they don't even know anything about. lol

 

It is not as reliable as any other engine. I have worked next to a mazda/rotary specialist for the last 5 years, I know first hand how unreliable and money consuming FD engines are, even when taken care of.

I have met people who within the first year of owning their used FD have had to replace the engine. I have met many people who are on their third, or even fourth 13bt in their FC. I have met people who after a month of extreme driving blow a seal and have to tear their engine down.

Non turbo rotaries are great though; I will say that. They will last for 150k, another 50-100k after that if the oil seals are blown lol.

 

yep, the n/a's are quite durable..n/a FD maybe?

:AA:

 

I was one of the very few people with a NA FD.

I think NA would be the better and cheaper alternative to celica,prelude and miata engines.LoL

 

If you're trying to compare engines simply on the basis of reliability, the 13bREW is not going to be on the short list. It's simply too hot and complicated for that.

Now if you pare that list down to motors with the same power/weight ratio, it's probably average because there aren't that many engines that can pump out that kind of performance/lb.

The FD is a performance car, and it's not just the engine. My FD has 75k on it and haven't had much trouble with it, and of the trouble I've had most of it was not in the engine bay. From the door handles to the fuel tank baffling to the pillowballs to the window switches, to the exhaust gaskets. Which is to say that an engine swap would have bought me nothing. If you want a reliable FD you'd need to change everything.

A good v8 swap costs as much as the car. For someone looking to buy an FD that's a huge cost for what? Maybe nothing.

PS: five smileys? Did you intentionally put those in?

Dave

 

That's unique but you we're probably one of the few because most people don't want to buy a performance car and make it slower.