To all the rotary fans, facts you should know.

[efinilive]

OK, it seems to me like people have finally picked up on the greatness of the RX-7 and the rotary engine. But if you are looking to buy one, this should help you in making your decision. Don't get me wrong, the RX-7 is my dream car and I have wanted one for years, but there are some bad things about it many people really won't know.
First thing you should know, if you don't have the ability to budget enough money as a monthly payment for a $40,000 car, this is a bad car for you. For most RX-7s you will pay around $13,000 for a nice 3rd gen. 2nd gens are a lot cheaper, but heres the facts. 70% of all RX-7s, 1st gen or 2rd gen, turbo or non-turbo, are going to have to be rebuilt before they reach the 10 year mark of their life, its particularly worse with the 13b and the FD3S. The cause of the majority of most engine rebuilds is engine fires. While you may be surprised, no matter how much you spend is upgrading internal cooling, you won't be able to prevent engine fires in rotaries. The nature of the RX-7 makes it produce 50-100% more heat than a piston engine and therefore causes fires. After a fire, the only thing you can do is blow 8 grand on a rebuild unless your an uber-genius in rotary engines and have deep pockets to pay for a replacement, which youre going to have trouble finding in the first place. So what im saying is unless you have 8 grand to spend on a rebuilt soon, because most 3rd gens are due for rebuilds around this time.
But, if you can find one which has been rebuilt, it should last you another 100-150k miles with good maintenence. So before you buy an RX-7, check what year it was made, how many miles it has, and try to find out if the owner did proper maintenence on it because rotaries need much more maintenence that piston engines. Also make sure you have 1 grand to upgrade internal cooling components. i.e. radiator, intercooler, air filter, ecu, thermostat, etc. The main reason as I already said is excessive heat build up that will cause spontaneous fires, yes, you wont know when they happen nor will a rotary give you any signs because of how its built. Basically, your going to end up spending more on maintenence and repairs then you are on the car itself.
One more thing, if you do end up buying one, racing it and going to the 9000 RPM limit wont increase chances of engine fire too much because the 13b was made to be run continuously and raced, not used in stop and go traffic, thats what kills the engine.
Sorry if im wasting space, just though people who dont know this should know before they buy a rotary, because I would cry if I saw an FD broken down in someones driveway, lol. The RX-7 is still my dream car, but I cant afford to own one, o well

[Clutch]

prolly should be in the tech section rather then drifting but is pretty good info for new rx owners

[nighthound]

i've had an fc, and an FB. i love the rotaries.

3rd gens have alwasy had problems with reliability, but with proper maintenance they oughta be fine.

my FB had 140k on the clock when i grenaded it, my FC still runs with over 173k on the clock, although i sold it a while back.

i love them and i will have an FD one day, the engines are amazingly simple, and easy to work with. you can rebuild a rotary just as easy, if not easier than an old 350 or something of that nature, as long as you knwo the basic priniciples of how it operates.

no big deal, i have another 12a coming for my FB, (horrendously cheap too) and my FC still runs great, with proper maintencance and care, they will run a long time. as far as the fires are concerned, they usually originate fromt he catalytic converters. removing them is a good start.

[ECHO15]

Shit, $9000 in a rebuild, where on mars.. You can install a 10 second engine /driveline package here in Australia for about $6500, putting out some bullshit high power. I resealed the 13B in my RX3 for about $1800, doing all the work myself,and before she had a meltdown of cource.Go looking at Aussie rotary sites, youl see..

[DrunknMunky]

well this thought just occurred to me, has nothing to do with the engine lasting, but i just read in my car and driver, that since the "gentleman's agreement" to keep production cars under 280 ps, Mazda is planning a new generation of the RX-7 with 300 horse.

Finally

[ECHO15]

Yeah, I think with will what be called 15G , even bigger capasity 2 rotor NA RENISIS engine...

[Twitch]

Originally Posted by Clutch

prolly should be in the tech section rather then drifting but is pretty good info for new rx owners

Bingo!

[aquito]

thanks for the info

[efinilive]

I thought i was posting in the tech section

[RevvRX-7]

Aw its ok. I will say though.. stay away from the FDs. They'll take a dump on you at around 70k or more. FCs are more hardcore, popular, and realiable.

[crazyboosta]

WTF are you talking about mate. A rotary engine dosent just catch fire!!!!!!

If it catches fire as easy as you say why on earth would Mazda have made them into production and then released a brand new rotary engine car in 2003!?!?!?!

You my friend are the type of person that has no idea about how they work or why, you just spread more myths about the rotary engine.

if anybody is keen on a rotary engine there are pleanty of sites on the net that offer much more reliable information, than some tool that thinks he knows. Ultimatly the best way is to go to a ROTARY WORKSHOP and talk to someone that knows the engine back to front.

[SevPP]

Facts we should know???????

Are you a complete knob jockey?

Perhaps you may want to do some 'real' research before you post up such utter and absolute crap.
This is the sort of rubbish I only hear from people with no idea and have been told by a friends cousins girlfriends siters best friend cos her dad owns one!

If this were the case my RX7 would have caught on fire long ago, my mate sRX3 13b TA45 turbo etc would have burnt to the ground- and he is using the original RX3 radiator, not a flash late model RX7 one!

Why do people talk such rot?

[Verrückt]

Originally Posted by SevPP

Facts we should know???????

Are you a complete knob jockey?

LOL!

HA HA HA!

[ECHO15]

I agree, there are some very crap myths out there about reliability and stuff,etc, Shit its like the myth that you cant keep the engine at the same revs for too long or it will seize. I heard that one alot when i had my RX3. Also another was that the rotary engine had no torque. I took this workmate once for a run in the mazda and he nearly shit his pants,(this was a guy who accused it of having no torque or power). He went totally pale ,gripping the seat and handle, and whimpered, "boy, its got good pick up"....... no idea....

74 RX3, 13B j-port, 51mm webber , lightened flywheel ,tuned twin 3" exhaust,flame thrower,etc. I can only imagine how the hell a fully worked over turbo engine goes, if my one was an absolute ball tearer. You just dont know untill you experience it....As for catching fire, thats total shit.And as for an FD dumping on you at 70k, thats dependant on many factors,**** all people leave them stock anyway.So a hard core driver(sorry for using the expression hard core, I know its dumb) ,would expect some sort of overhaul if they rev the crap out of the engine...

[Sidewaysgts]

Ya this is a little on the "extreme" side. Rotaries dont just spontaneously combust. Their need for constant maitnence is a bit over-played as well.

Change the oil every 2k miles, make sure to use a good mineral oil instead of synthetics. Dont let it over-heat. Real hard. Plan for a rebuild every 80-100k miles (maybe less, but then again ive heard of much longer). You can get it rebuild for like 2k or less, depending on who you know. My buddy was getting his FC rebuilt/ported for 1800.