To repair or not to repair
02-03-10, 10:01 PM
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To repair or not to repair
I have a 3rd generation 1994 RX-7 that I purchased new way back in 1995. It has been a very good car and I have enjoyed it a great deal. But I have been thinking about moving on. This has been brought to a head by a "coolant incident" that I experienced last week. My coolant light came on and the engine temperature increased a bit before I got it stopped. I had the car towed to an RX-7 specialist I have been using for many years.
The specialist found that a coolant connection hose at the bottom of the engine had given out and most of the coolant left the engine. At first, he thought it might be as simple as replacing the hose and connector. But after doing that, we suspect it still has coolant seeping into the combustion chambers
A bit of history: back in 1999 the car also suffered from Apex seal failure and I had the work done to repair it with new seals. That was a big affair: engine disassembly is required to replace those seals. It appears that it once again needs to be disassembled to see if it is the Apex seals or something more. It is going to be expensive to have this work done.
If I were to decide to move on and sell the car, is it better to have the repair done or would it be better to see if there is a dedicated RX-7er who might want to try the repair themselves? The car is otherwise in very good condition. Just to give a feel for the numbers, my specialist would probably charge somewhere between 3.5k and 4.5k for this work. If I did not repair the car before sale, I would offer it for that amount less than I would have otherwise asked for it. Opinions?
The specialist found that a coolant connection hose at the bottom of the engine had given out and most of the coolant left the engine. At first, he thought it might be as simple as replacing the hose and connector. But after doing that, we suspect it still has coolant seeping into the combustion chambers
A bit of history: back in 1999 the car also suffered from Apex seal failure and I had the work done to repair it with new seals. That was a big affair: engine disassembly is required to replace those seals. It appears that it once again needs to be disassembled to see if it is the Apex seals or something more. It is going to be expensive to have this work done.
If I were to decide to move on and sell the car, is it better to have the repair done or would it be better to see if there is a dedicated RX-7er who might want to try the repair themselves? The car is otherwise in very good condition. Just to give a feel for the numbers, my specialist would probably charge somewhere between 3.5k and 4.5k for this work. If I did not repair the car before sale, I would offer it for that amount less than I would have otherwise asked for it. Opinions?
02-04-10, 05:28 AM
#2
So basically, you want to know if it will sell better as a fixer-upper or to invest in the rebuild and sell as a car in overall excellent condition?
There are some but not many buyers with both the cash and the mechanical knowledge to rebuild an engine. These are the buyer who've already owned an RX-7. There are others who have not owned RX-7s and they will probably prefer the freshly rebuilt engine. Fortunately it's a break-even thing as far as getting it rebuilt now. So I would get the job done - nothing sells a sports car like a good ride in it.
Rebuilds after an apex seal failure can be brutally expensive. Rebuilds after a coolant seal failure can be less expensive (same labor, fewer parts). One thing is certain, an engine with damaged coolant seals will begin to corrode from leaked coolant and not running. It's best for the car to rebuild the engine now. If the car is for sale for a long time more damage will occur and the bill will go up.
Dave
There are some but not many buyers with both the cash and the mechanical knowledge to rebuild an engine. These are the buyer who've already owned an RX-7. There are others who have not owned RX-7s and they will probably prefer the freshly rebuilt engine. Fortunately it's a break-even thing as far as getting it rebuilt now. So I would get the job done - nothing sells a sports car like a good ride in it.
Rebuilds after an apex seal failure can be brutally expensive. Rebuilds after a coolant seal failure can be less expensive (same labor, fewer parts). One thing is certain, an engine with damaged coolant seals will begin to corrode from leaked coolant and not running. It's best for the car to rebuild the engine now. If the car is for sale for a long time more damage will occur and the bill will go up.
Dave
02-07-10, 11:32 AM
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yea i say rebuild it either way, if you rebuild it now and try to sell it, it'll be much easier to sell it. The market for a good condition 3rd gen RX-7 is way bigger than the market for a 3rd gen RX-7 project car. Also, like dgeesaman said, not many people know how to properly rebuild an engine by themselves, and would probably go to a shop and get it rebuilt the same way you would.
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