Reliability mods to increase the life of FD3s
 

Hello,

I am in the market to grab a FD3S for a weekend car. Now I plan on grabbing a stock 1 and eventually switch it over to single turbo over the course of three years.

I know to heat is the enemy of the rotary engine, so I've come up with a list of reliability mods that I think would prolong the life of the RX7.

Water Injection, Aftermarket ECU, Vented Hood, Upgraded radiator (eventually moving to v-mount) and oil cooler.

Is there anything else that I've missed?

You're off to a good start OP, don't forget other reliability mods like that rat's nest under the intake manifold & other simple things. The FAQ's are what helped me the most of this subject.

one of hte first mods I'd go with is the V mount , it covers 2 major problems heat soaked intercooler that increases chances of detonation when it gets really hot , and the upgraded radiator

Also you want to remove the stock precats , and replace it with a downpipe .

those precats cause ALOT of heat in the neginebay

^V mounts are outstanding, but require either alot of fab skills or alot of money....or both. For the average guy with a streeted car IMHO they're not as cost effective as a quality SMIC with good ducting...especially with a simple AI system.

this is my first time hearing that term, v mount.

"V-Mount" or VMIC means the intercooler and radiator or mounted relative to each other at an angle. This angle forms a < shape with the open end toward the airflow/front of the car.
V mounts have alot of advantages and are probably the best of of both worlds...in that they don't heatsoak, they get uninterupted air flow that doesn't interfer with airflow to the radiator and usually end up being nice size. Disadvantages...IMO, are noted above.

Also keep in mind bleed the system can become more difficult depending on the radiator angle when using a v-mounted set up.

Deffinitely read the FAQs, they helped me a lot. And i would recommend an aftermarket water temperature gauge