jakev627

Hello!

There is an rx-7 I would like to purchase, and some opinions or suggestions would be great for my situation. Here are the details... 1987 RX7 Turbo II. 90,000 miles on the body, has been sitting for about two years. NEW crate motor (factory) with it (not installed) along with a backup turbo. Overall the interior/body is in GOOD condition. This will not be a daily driver, simply a car to rip on during the summer and on nice days. Basically I am looking to put the new motor in, fix a few odds and ends and be done for awhile with any sort of repair. I will not be doing the work.

Once new motor is installed what are potential issues I could run into, if any?
Is there anything I should know about this car?
Are there common problems with this motor? ( besides seals )
Are parts very exspensive or hard to find?
Is there anything else that would probably need replacing for a 22 year old car that has sat for two years? suspension components, brake lines etc
Is there any sort of special maintence involved with a rotary engine?
Whats the average mileage for the seals to last?
How are the transmissions on this car? ( manual )
Do these cars take light modification ok?

Thanks for any help, I am sorry if this is not in the right section or there is a similar post out there..

jakev627

nothing? Wrong section?

funkjaw

iTrader: (3)

1. Rx7s are the best cars ever. You will be getting a nice rare car. TIIs aren't exactly abundant. However, they are really heavy (about 3k pounds) and in my opinion if you are going just for racing you would be better off getting a base and doing a TII swap. It would be about 250 pounds lighter.

2. Not really the motors are pretty strong they usually run like champs until they either blow up or the oil seals go out, in which they eat a lot more oil than usual.

3. Most parts are not very expensive nor are they hard to find. Most dealerships still carry a wide variety of 2nd generation Rx7 parts. Other places like www.racingbeat.com and www.mazdatrix.com have plenty of parts.

4. Of course! Common problems/parts include: Door handles going bad, idle issues, not passing smog, oil pan gasket, dash getting cracked, wiper switch going bad, transmission bushings going bad, paint peeling, oil cooler lines leaking or bursting, suspension bushings, etc...

5. Nothing more than a normal car really, just make sure to change the oil accordingly and stay on top of its cooling system; you do not want these cars to overheat. Also these cars generally always take 20-50 unless you live in freezing temperatures.

6a. A well taken care of NA engine will last about 150k. Although it is not uncommon to see them go to 200k.

6b. A well taken care of turbo engine will last about 100k. When you start modding and boosting more expect anywhere from one quarter mile pull to 25k.

6c. With both types of engines if the oil control rings start degrading you will burn more oil than usual, however, since your engine is getting more than the usual amount of engine oil circulated it will actually prolong the life of your engine.

7. The transmissions actually aren't the greatest... expect problems typically after 100k.

8. NAs: Absolutely. TIIs: Not at all. You put exhaust on and next thing you know your car starts experiencing boost creep. Which means running leaner or possibly detonated because of the fuel cut defender. With TIIs always start with basic reliablity mods, followed by ported wastegate, upgraded fuel pump, larger injectors, and some sort of engine management like an Rtek chipped ECU.

jakev627

Awesome thanks alot! I would be purchasing this car from a good friend, who is an experienced mechanic. I still want other opinions, ya know? I cannot work on cars so I don't really want to walk into a bunch of problems. I figured I would have a new motor, I would definatly get ALL NEW hoses for everything, new brake lines.. put new suspension parts on ( car has also been sitting for awhile ) and then some new tires.. Transmission has 90k on it along with everything else on the car.

There are just a few mods that I am now wondering may cause problems. It has a full exhaust, no cats, I believe 3 inch all the way, a BOV, and a turbo timer. Would any of this cause reliability problems? You mentioned boost creep, is this a serious problem?

I really just want a fairly reliable car for the summer and nice days...I will not be racing really, just very spirited driving. I would not be going past the current mods.

funkjaw

iTrader: (3)

Putting on a better flowing exhaust especially on an S4 like that will always cause boost creep with the stock wastegate; which is a serious problem. Boost creep can easily lead to premature engine failure. The first thing you should do is port the wastegate since the car has exhaust. Look at this write up to learn how.
http://fc3spro.com/TECH/MODS/TURBO/wgp.htm

A BOV is actually a pretty harmless mod and should not cause any problems, same with a turbo timer.

After that the car will be good to go and pretty reliable, again just make sure to stay on top of maintenance such as oil and cooling, and port that wastegate as soon as possible.

jakev627

Porting the wastegate doesnt seem to hard. Thanks for all the information, its VERY helpful. I was a bit nervous jumping into another 20+ year old car, ESPECIALLY a rotary. I wouldn't be doing it but the new motor just seems to good to pass up on a rare car like this. It looks cool, sounds cool..its going to be a blast to drive. I had a 5.0 Mustang that I got rid of.. Had some issues and I would prefer not to re live that! I guess I just have a few more questions..

The car has been sitting so I would like to replace all of the hoses. This may be a silly question but should that be done while the new motor is out, before its put in? Any opinions on what else should be replaced?

I would change transmission fluid and brake fluid. It would get the fresh oil and coolant once motor is put it. Should the differential fluid be changed too?

Now maybe I should correct something. The motor is in a crate, and its a Mazda Reman motor.. does this mean everything was replaced, or just what was broken? Whats included in the motor? As far as pumps go and whatnot...this car does not have power steering either.

Sorry for the scattered thoughts and questions!

funkjaw

iTrader: (3)

A lot of things are easier to replace and fix with the engine out absolutely. Redoing all the vacuum lines and stuff wouldn't be a bad idea. Changing all the fluids is vital as well, even the diff fluid.

Know I am no expert on Mazda remans but I have heard that they do reuse good parts instead of just replacing everything with new parts. To be honest though to get a good answer I would start a separate thread on that to find out exactly what is done. Possible in the 2nd gen section. A lot of knowledgeable people there.

jakev627

I will make sure to do that! I am curious to find out..quality parts are a good thing for sure!

Is the clutch on these cars cable or hydraulic?

funkjaw

iTrader: (3)

Hydraulic.

jakev627

ehhh I guess that will work..