Ril_Silver

Okay, my car has taken a dump recently and its been a bit disheartening. I took my car into Mazdas and More and it was a bit of a shock. The compression tester they were using was an old box type thing with a little peice of paper that scrolled and had a peice of graphite to make its 'height'. I scroed about 110+ on the front and about 30-40 on the back. Needless to say they reccomended I went with a re-build.

I know a lot may have changed since Ken Durkey left the scene but I was wondering if anyone had experince with the new Ken Jones. I'm not sure how much of the 'old' staff is still arround but apparently Mark would be working on my car pretty much exclusive like. He didn't talk too much either. They didn't charge for the compression test and they seem eager for my business.

Can anyone shead some light on what I should do in my situation? Should I get a new engine or just have this bad boy rebuilt? If so, where? (I'm not sure how accurate fourm searching is when people can leave jobs and all that). What should I look to pay and any other good tidbits. I know this has been discussed into the ground but i'm looking for insight on my situation as well as a bit of an update.

pp13bnos

iTrader: (1)

Well, I'm not going to lie. You will pay for what you get. If you want the best engine possiable, go to Pineapple Racing. Otherwise, there are alot of other companys out there, that do rebuild engines. CJ

Ril_Silver

Yeah I do want to do the whole pinapple thing but they are so far away and I need this car for daily transport so i'd have to make an advance appointment. Two things I don't have much time for, unless I can drive down, have them dump a new engine in and be done with it while I wait. Hrm...15 mintue engine changes. Be good for us rotary owners.

meximan

iTrader: (37)

ken jones rebuilt the engine on the fc im buying. i have contacted him and he is a really nice guy, i am actually looking to take my fc to him rather than jeff's auto....i like good service and i like people that take care of their people, what ive found with the local shops for my honda is that they are nice when they open then dicks once their business gets goin. id say go for it.

islanders_rx7

iTrader: (4)

I'd say Pineapple too! I am dropping my motor off to Pineapple racing Monday!

pp13bnos

iTrader: (1)

No shop is going to be able to knock it out in 15 minutes. Maybe over the course of a weekend....but i'd suspect the workmanship if they did. CJ

stilettoman

iTrader: (1)

No one on this forum ever seems to mention Jerry Wright. He has been doing rotaries since they came here in about 1970. No one in the northwest has more knowledge than Jerry on these engines. I recommend at least getting an opinion from him.

Icemastr

iTrader: (2)

I have no experience with Jerry's little cars but from what I understand he is more a carb man and I think there are others more experienced with FI rotaries. If Mark Moses is working at Mazdas and More you could trust having your engine R&R there, but Mark has recommended to me before to have my engine rebuilt by someone else. I would recommend Pineapple but the rebuild will probably cost more than your car. You can also try Rotary Resurrection or Atkins. Jeff's Automotive deals with renting and maintaining race cars. I would trust him for the work probably even over Mark but still take the engine somewhere else for a rebuild. If the rates are similar at Mazdas and More and at Jeffs I would probably take it to Jeff. The reason I would go to Mark before is because he is a nice honest guy who knows what he is doing and charged less then everyone else when he worked from home.

stilettoman

iTrader: (1)

"I have no experience with Jerry's little cars but from what I understand he is more a carb man and I think there are others more experienced with FI rotaries."

You have obviously been misinformed. Jerry Wright built racing rotaries in the 1970s and 80s that competed well against the fastest cars in their classes. Mazda was so impressed they gave him their factory built 1st gen RX-7 race car at the end of the season to show their appreciation for his efforts! You know anyone else who can make that claim??? This car was sitting in his shop for the last 20 years or more, and was still there the last time I was there, about 2 years ago.

He is so busy doing tune up and general repair that he doesn't do many engine rebuilds these days, but he has had plenty of these engines apart in his shop over the years - 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen. If you need troubleshooting or tuning done on anything from an RX-2 to a an RX-8, he can do it. Unlike some other shops, Jerry will not use substandard parts. That is why he is still in business, with people waiting in line, after more than 30 years. He does not have time to bullshit with you , but if you need the work done right and can pay for it he will do it right. If you are looking for a "bargain rebuild", go somewhere else.

Jerry might well recommend a Mazda rebuilt engine for a daily driver, as he says they use mostly new parts. They have the advantage of getting the parts for a low price. It is really hard for a local shop to compete with their price.

F0RSAKEN

Buy a reman and drop it in yourself in a weekend, keeping your old engine to rebuild at your own time. You come out with the knowledge of the rebuild, how to install an engine, and a rebuilt engine for when your reman dies 20k miles later :P

pp13bnos

iTrader: (1)

Nothing against Jerry or anyone else....but here is some neat things I've learned over the years.

Little known fact-

When Rotor housings/3rd gen remans where on back order due to the demand for Rx-8 rotor housings, a couple mazda dealerships had Rob Golden building there engines.

Also, with remans, you never know what youre going to get. You might get used rotorhousings, apex seals, corner seals, etc.....as long as the parts are in "spec" at the time of assembly, thats all that matters. I have seen remans with rotor housings that had chrome flake in the bottoms of the rotor housings. But alot of engines, are nearly brand new. A bit of a gamble, but chances are you'll get more new parts than bad.

But with that said, if I could'nt go with Rob, a reman would be a quick solution if you have the skills/tools to do a motor job yourself. CJ

Blake

True, some of the local dealers farm out the work to us, not only because of the long lead-time in getting a Mazda reman, but also because they get a known package and a longer warantee.

That is true. By and large, Mazda replaces a lot of parts so you get a pretty nice engine for the money, but what is and what is not replaced is kind of a crapshoot. Sometimes you feel like you are stealing from them because it is practically a 100% new motor and other times you scratch your head and wonder what they were thinking (mismatched, used rotor housings, etc). We often buy them simply as cores, to break down, inspect, port, oil mod, and reassemble. One of the local dealers agreed to start stocking them for us. With our discount, we may be able to give you a better price than the dealer, and since we have three on their way here right now, it will likely be a shorter wait than through Mazda.

I definitely agree. A Mazda reman is heads and shoulders above the quality of work you typically find elsewhere, from builders who assemble engines from a bunch of used parts. When you pay more for a quality rebuild, the cost difference is almost entirely going into the new parts for the engine; not the builders wallet. A Mazda reman is generally a quality piece of work with lots of new parts, so even if you don't win the reman lottery (and get a 100% new parts engine), it's still usually pretty damn good for the money.

WallyHojo

Yea Pineapple is overbooked right now. I talked to the owner and he said he really doesnt care if he gets anymore customers in just becuase he has so many right now. If you want to spend a little less go for a JDM engine. Then get a rebuild kit from Pineapple and find someone with a lot of knowledge to help you with the rebuild. This might be a little risky, so take your time on it... planning if you have time in the first place.