So, I'm searching for an Rx7 right now, but I'm thinking about the time and money needed to keep the rotary engine running well.

And then a friend of mine suggests you could probably run with the rotary until something goes wrong and swap the engine for something else.

what other engines are common to swap in an FC? I've seen a fc go on craigs with a SR20DET engine but it didn't run. Is an engine swap difficult to do in a rx7 if it wasn't a rotary?

 

*hand on face*


Use the search button?

 

V8 swap, fairly easy and common. Kits available. Any other engine, full customization needed.

 

but really... anything besides a rotary is shameful.. unless you are rotary guy and just decide to put a 2jz in it... then hats off to you LOL

 

^ haha, true, Rotary > The World haha. Just some curiosity.

 

mistake

 

^^ lol i want to think of a movie quote for a comeback but nothing comes to mind you win jordan

 

Whats the time and money needed to keep a rotary running well?

 

hmm. you could rebuild it fairly cheap. under 2000 im sure. they can run as long as piston engines if you properly maintain them and break in the apex seals after the rebuild.

 

This question is very broad and can't really be answered accurately. If you focus on preventive maintance and make sure you buy a car with a good engine to start they are very reliable and relativly cheap to maintain. Problem is that mose new owners spend $500 on a catback before $300 on new spark plugs, coolent flush, all new coolent hoses, oil change, trans & diff fluid change, precat hollow out, AWS delete, ect.

 

you can do a complete rebuild for under $1500 if all plates, rotors and rotor housings are reusable. This assumes you have the tools and space to do it in. I have done a complete for around $1300 before. That inclueded everything from the apex seals to the spark plugs to the coolent.

 

^^ man.. you brought some things to my attention. i didn't think about the coolant and all that stuff when i calculated the cost for my rebuild lol. thank you

 

best response ever

 

Lol, rotards.



then install ls1.

 

hahaha this has become one of the best threads i've commented on in a while.

 

To answer your original question, the NA rotary can easily last 200,000 miles if it's maintained well.

It is a 20+ year old car, and thus will have things happen occasionally to it... IE: alt belt breaking, fuel pump going out, etc etc etc...

Swaps are possible, and to each his own, if you're wanting to do it, do it tastefully. A lot of people in the community look down on swaps, but if done well they can't really say anything to you about it.

Take some time, effort, and research what and where you want to take the car.

My personal opinion is it should always stay rotary, but what you decide is up to you.

Good luck with the searching!

 

remember that swaps take time, skill, dedication, money, and more money. yes, some have done swaps with less skill and just studied until they got it, or got help from others, some have done them well on tight budgets... but there are many many abandoned swaps for lack of any of the above and other reasons. then once it's done, the bugs need to be worked out too... sometimes that means pulling the engine or transmission multiple times. and... you must always keep a watchful eye on anything that can and will go wrong (sometimes horribly so)

good luck in whatever direction you decide to go...

 

^^ i see so many abandoned v8 swap shells on craigslist..

 

This is very true. Ideas and words about a swap rarely make it to finished product. For every completed swap I see 10 abandoned swaps. That is a conservative estimate as well.

Start small. Have success, then you will have better perspective on how much work something bigger can be.

 

I was being sarcastic

I've driven a rotary for 5 years and I've never had any problems

People conjure up all these unrealistic expectations for what they have to go through when they start driving a rotary car, when they don't really have an idea of what it really means to own a rotary at all

 

I will follow up my previous post with a note....

the easiest, most common, most supported, and most documented swap into an FC is the LS1(for many good reasons), followed by SBC, & SBF, in that order. EFI swaps are now much more common than carburated swaps, but there are many still being done due to simplicity of wiring. grannys speed shop offers kits for some V6 and turbo 4's as well, some have documentation.. but as mentioned you'll have more research to do in regards to proper hookup and tuning.

I'm not trying to discourage you from pursuing a swap, once completed, they can be a blast to drive, for some the build is more fun. I've seen some get great fuel economy as well (a V6 getting 30-35 mpg)
take going to the auto parts store for example... and telling them you need xyz for your car and watching them look puzzled. you can expect countess such trips.

as was said: start small... excellent advice. there are a few that have done swaps having done little more than brake jobs and oil changes before jumping in, they are the exception to the rule, but they do happen. the key to finishing is persistence and dividing up the whole thing into small parts... i.e mounting, cooling system, fuel system, electrical... etc. also, seeing what other have done helps significantly too.

for more info beyond this... v8rx7forum(dot)com

 

http://tooyoungto.servebeer.com/images/finally.wmv