Calling all RX7 owners

[ISSForged]

Whats up guys. I'm looking to get a 3rd gen Rx7. I found one with a blown motor in great shape and I am thinking this is the one. I need to know the good the bad and the ugly. Please help!

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[got_hp?]

i can try to help......what do you want to know?

also, http://www.rx7club.com/ is a great resource

[ISSForged]

How unstable are the motors. I hear they are really sensitive and can blow from anything. Is that true. I also have the option of going Twin Turbo or Single Turbo. The car has a 60-1 setup now and the JDM motor I purchased has the Twin set up, so what do you think will be the best route.

[got_hp?]

Originally Posted by ISSForged

How unstable are the motors. I hear they are really sensitive and can blow from anything. Is that true. I also have the option of going Twin Turbo or Single Turbo. The car has a 60-1 setup now and the JDM motor I purchased has the Twin set up, so what do you think will be the best route.

lmfao.....rotary engines are used in aircrafts......they certainly wouldnt put them in if they thought they were gonna drop out of the sky.

the big myth about bad rotary reliability comes from the fact that as their have only been a handful of rotary powered cars, the majority of owners AND mechanics did not know how to properly maintain or repair rotary engines, and therefore caused many failures. even the techs at most mazda dealerships in the 90s didnt know **** about working on the cars and were responsible for many screwed up rotarys.

a factory or properly built rotary with proper maintenance is quite a reliable motor. it has far less moving parts than a piston engine to go wrong.

i bought my 93 rx7 with exactly 60k miles on it 1 year ago, today it has 85k miles on it, so 25k in one year of florida heat, driven hard and fast every day. ive had one coolant hose spring a leak (16 year old hose!!) and my alternator is beginning to die (also original). no other problems!
there are some basic reliability upgrades that can be done like upgrading the intercooler, radiator etc, that i would read about on the rx7club forum. i have a better intercooler, but still stock radiator.

if you go with the single turbo, youll also need the supporting mods like an ecu, bigger injectors, bigger fuel pump, intercooler, exhaust.

[djantlive]

the whole car is pretty fragile. i had a 94 and engine started to go out at 105k mi. it was meticulously maintained but constantly needs something fixed. if it were a ferrari, i'd put up with the upkeep but not a mazda.

it's a very nice car when driven. but it squeaks and rattles and interior and mechanical parts are just fragile. no flames intended but just sharing my experience.

[kvsm3]

I bought a 93 RX-7 back in 99 with a rebuilt motor which had 103K miles. I put a downpipe, and a catback and it drove fine. It was upgraded with silicon hoses. Very reliable car for the time I had. I agree its a fragile car but it needs its required maintenance. if you want more mods, then ECU needs to be programmed. I regret selling the car.
There is also a synchro issue ( I forgot if its 3rd or 5th gear) and rear bushing issues (minor fix).
Also try the website www.speedforsale.com , they have rx-7s for sale and knowledgeable folks.

[got_hp?]

the engine started to go.....thats a pretty vague statement. what specifically went wrong?
what do you mean by fragile? what parts broke? what constantly needs to be fixed? im not disputing your claim, im just very curious, since that has not been my experience at all.

mine has been converted to non-sequential the proper way, and various hoses upgraded (which should be done on a 16yo car anyway), and i always put in half oz of 2stroke oil per gallon of gas, every other fill up, to keep the rotor faces properly oiled. (there is a built in system that does this, but it doesnt hurt to throw some in with your gas as well, just to make sure). also have intake, downpipe, midpipe, exhaust, intercooler, and a PFC ecu, and im running 12psi on stock injectors/pump (90% duty cycle at WOT). i have some 1300cc secondary injectors on the way and a new fuel pump so i can run 14-15psi at a lower duty cycle.

after listening to you guys, maybe ive just been very lucky, but i daily drive my car 25k per year and i drive it hard every day, and its been like a tank, very reliable...........nothing mechanical has gone wrong except for the 16yo alternator is starting to die, which is expected. knock on wood i guess!

one thing i will complain about, the air conditioning system sucks.....if my car was in my garage overnight, the AC works fine, but leaving it outside in the hot sun, then try going for a drive and the AC has a hard time cooling the car down unless youre on the highway. it is the same in my buddys supra. im assuming this is because it is probably the original 16yo AC system and probably needs to be replaced someday, but for now its still working, just not as well as id like for florida summers.

[ISSForged]

So I got her and what a car... It has 57k original miles and the AC does sucks... LOL
Even with the blown motor the car has crazy power after 6000 RPM. I did a third gear pull and all you could see is smiles as my brother and I felt the boost kick in. We will be trying to keep as original as possible but I am very tempted to do a 2jz swap. I found a JDM motor and will be staying with the current 60-1 single turbo it has now. I'll post pics as soon as it stops raining in Miami.

You said you add 2 cycle oil to the gas. Any other maintenance tips

[jriggs]

i use to run a pettit built single turbo in my old rx7 r1. the car was a track car, used hard put away wet if you will. it saw the street on occasionally which usually lead to me being dumb or getting caught in traffic.

only thing i had problems with was the body, it didn't handle going backwards into a tire wall then a concrete barrier at near triple digit speeds.

i've heard of the 2cycle trick but never did it myself, just always ran good high test gas. and periodically checked all the plumbing.

[got_hp?]

Originally Posted by ISSForged

You said you add 2 cycle oil to the gas. Any other maintenance tips

there is a factory oiling system that squirts some oil into the rotor area to keep it lubed up, but over the years the hoses for that can fail, so just to be safe, you can add about a half ounce of 2stroke oil per gallon of gas when you fill up.......about 8oz for a full fill-up. even if your factory system is working fine, the extra oil wont hurt anything.

the rotary engine oil will get fuel dilution in the oil, so its good to change the oil every 3k as it will thin out. since youre in florida like me, theres no need to worry about cold temps, i run VR1 Racing 20w50 all year round with great oil pressure and no probs.

just general turbo car rules of thumb, but worth mentioning, let your engine get to proper operating temp before giving it hell, and also let it cool off for a bit before shutting her down (or install a turbo timer).

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=68640


do you know what mods have been done to the car to go with the single turbo?
hope you enjoy the car!!

[got_hp?]

Originally Posted by jriggs

only thing i had problems with was the body, it didn't handle going backwards into a tire wall then a concrete barrier at near triple digit speeds.

lol, ouch! poor car.

[ISSForged]

Yeah dude... poor car!

[telum01]

congrats on getting one. i had a '93 Touring for a while, got it for dirt cheap and pretty much just used it to work on and learn about rotaries. it's an absolutely wonderful car when it's running properly, and is still remarkable even by today's standards.

[ISSForged]

I'm getting it detailed tomorrow and will post pics. Already ordered the JDM motor and time seems to be standing still. Also ordered Coil Overs and will be cutting new wheels for the Car.

[got_hp?]

awesome, which wheels are going on it? what size/offset?

i like the wheels i have now, but im eager for a change