Mazda Rotary Club

There seems to be a bit of a spate of imported black rx7\'s, I got mine in August while looking for a family car with my wife...yes that\'s right a family car.

Buying the mazda was a spur of the moment kind of thing and it was more of a joke that we put in an offer for the car not really believing that it would be taken seriously...but they did and we are now proud owners of a car that looks good even with a cover over it and has similar characteristics as my wife!

The only downside is that I can\'t really afford the car so we\'ve put a thatcham alarm on, undersealed it and posted it straight back onto Pistonheads for sale.

Now we have had a couple of offers - below what we are asking for which is fair enought - but the last offer came from a gentleman who expressed concern that the engine would probably need rebuilding soon.

There are a number of Mazdas onsale at Pistonheads that have been rebuilt around the 50000 mileage mark.  Now I had an orion that did 900,000 miles before I had to recondition the engine.  (It was a good looking orion with a spoiler and go-faster wheels by the way).

So I guess the question is, is it normal for mazda engines to only last under 100,000 miles and if I did rebuild the engine would it only last 100,000 miles again?

there is no definate time they will go.  some last over 100,000miles some might go after 25,000miles.  but generally they seem to go around 65, 70,000miles mark.  
also very dependant on age, my car is a december 1992 and had done about 60,000 miles probably maybe less (hard to tell as the speedo reading is a mix of miles and kilometers) but the water sealed failed (rebuild needed)  due to its age mainly not the millage.

depends how the car has been treated. If its an import it will have little or no history, so people will have to assume its been thrashed and not serviced, at which point it probably does need a rebuild

I, and I think most people round here would want to see evidence of a rebuild around the 50,000 mark.

one thing you can do is get a compression test, this will tell you if the engine is reasonable or not (although its not a cast-iron guarentee that every thing is okay).

Hmm...that\'s a bit scary so I need to save 2000 quickly and keep it on hand somewhere just in case!

Has any car lasted over 200,000 miles or is this the price of being able to play Need for Speed real time in a real car?

My car is in kph as well which is interesting because the dial says mph but its not!  I need to get some kind of converter I guess.

compression test are no real garantee, as with donatos old car.  compression test was done all showing good results on day of selling etc, 120miles down the road or something it through a tip.

converters are easy to do.  i dont know of any turbo rotary that has lasted that long.  could be though.........? i very much doubt it though.  not many people would buy a rex and puttle down to the shops in it.  so most will have been driven properly at some point in there life.  2000 is a bit optamistic, normally more than that.   they arent cheap cars

yes but a low compression test will definitely indicate whether a rebuild is necessary

as you say though good compression means nothing. but then he can tell potential customers this, therefore the OP will not spend money unnecessarily

One quick point to be made....... if you\'re totaly fresh to the RX7...... it\'s only the rotary engines that have a short life expectancy compair to piston engines, this is the only downfall with the 7 in my view... but I own one and love it to bits (apart from when the inevitable happens..... BOOOOM!!!)

Jono

you can\'t really compare an Orion with an RX7! One is a day to day car the other is a supercar!

Quote from: clandestine

So I guess the question is, is it normal for mazda engines to only last under 100,000 miles and if I did rebuild the engine would it only last 100,000 miles again?

Not normal Mazda piston engines, they\'ll last as long as they\'re treated well... But on the rotary engines, yeah, they\'ll have a shorter life than usual, however the upside is they\'re cheaper and easier to rebuild than a regular piston engine.

Just wanted to clarify as it\'d bad to think *all* Mazda engines go at 60,000 miles ;)

Quote from: gonzoninjayes but a low compression test will definitely indicate whether a rebuild is necessary

as you say though good compression means nothing. but then he can tell potential customers this, therefore the OP will not spend money unnecessarily

yer, sorry buddy.  i should have made that clearer.  

it would be worth doing, as it is prob one of the only test you can really do on a rotary engine to check its health without opening it up etc

what you\'re not saying is how many miles the car has done. From your comments it sounds like you may have paid over the odds for the car. How many miles has it got on the clock? and how many of those are kilometres?
 
Is this the ad? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/102794.htm (http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/102794.htm)

^^^^This car was bought from some guys in huddersfield i believe. Iv met them before and tbh they dont have a clue! They import flashy but trashy motors and show up to cruises in a big convoy to get advertising!

It may be the wrong car...but that is the only Hampshire one. Please don\'t take my word for it.

lol - yes it i...I didn\'t want to put a picture in because basically it\'s just well...gob smackingly beautiful!

And yes...I did actually get it from a guy from huddersfield and the guy dazzled me with mazdaspeed speak which being clueless sounded wonderful...but the car spoke volumes more to me...in fact I\'m not totally sure I really heard a word of what the guy was saying...I certainly didn\'t understand it anyway!  When he took me for a spin it felt and sounded as if  he had pressed the nitro button and the thought of me owning such a car left me like a dribbling wreck.


I apologise, I haven\'t put in the kilometers because I\'m in a very strange situation, I can\'t afford to run but my wife doesn\'t want to sell it so I can see me having to have it rebuilt at some point.  Its done about 90000km.


Hmm, I probably should say that I drive the car to Asda\'s, work...practically everywhere actually...I presume that isn\'t normal but you have to understand that my other car happens to be a dhiatsu hijet...having owned up to that fact I hope that the majority of readers of this post won\'t actually know what one of those is!  For those who do...please keep silent for the sake of my dignity and respect.

So going back to the engine thing, I can replace the engine with either a piston engine which will be more expensive but last much longer or I can replace it with a rotary engine which will be cheaper but won\'t last that long!

That one was on sale on ebay for a good while ( Im sure it was anyway) back in August time,  ( when I was looking to buyone) was relisted at least once on there. think he wanted a fair few grand for it at the time. I might be wrong and thinking about some other car though. lol

Quote from: clandestine

So going back to the engine thing, I can replace the engine with either a piston engine which will be more expensive but last much longer or I can replace it with a rotary engine which will be cheaper but won\'t last that long!

Putting a ****ton engine in a ROTARY is like smoking dried banana leaves,like drinking 0% alcohol beer,like kissing your sister..........:spank :Typing

Ah...best not to mention piston engines at all round here.
 
Well, you have confirmed my suspicions. You\'ve bought an RX on a whim and not researched it properly (don\'t take it personally, you bought with your heart not your head). The reason they gave you a good price is because an RX without engine rebuild history is not worth very much. As a buyer you need to factor in an engine rebuild cost of £3,000 straight away. So the price you think it is worth is actually out by a potential £3,000. £8,000 car worth £5,000 - £6,000 car worth £3,000. Even with lots of mods you own a potential wreck
 
If I were you I would put it on ebay and hope someone else takes the risk on it. Then spend the money on a car from an owner on the forum with a recent rebuild by a reputable tuner i.e. RE:Worx, Rotechniks, WGT etc.
 
Keep your fingers crossed at all times. EDIT: Or start saving for the rebuild now.
 
P.S. For goodness sake, start reading up about these cars on this site so that you don\'t bring a rebuild on yourself. Don\'t ever let the oil or coolant get low! Warm it up and warm it down! Pray to your god of choice every night that the car will start in the morning.

 When he took me for a spin it felt and sounded as if  he had pressed the nitro button and the thought of me owning such a car left me like a dribbling wreck.

Ok, this is MAIN feature of the rotary engine!



I apologise, I haven\'t put in the kilometers because I\'m in a very strange situation, I can\'t afford to run but my wife doesn\'t want to sell it so I can see me having to have it rebuilt at some point.  Its done about 90000km.



I think most of us are in that situation !  If you were keeping the car, then I would not be too paranoid about 90K, thats about 60K miles. Now a lot of people on here are going to say its about to let go. But they can last longer. There is a guy in US who managed 160k miles on 1st engine.


Hmm, I probably should say that I drive the car to Asda\'s, work...practically everywhere actually...I presume that isn\'t normal

Nothing wrong with that. Mine is the same, and why not?

So going back to the engine thing, I can replace the engine with either a piston engine which will be more expensive but last much longer or I can replace it with a rotary engine which will be cheaper but won\'t last that long!

If you can get away with under 2K to have the engine repaired, then surely this is going to be cheaper than having a whole lot of mods done to accomodate another engine

Bear in mind, here, we are talking a car that is 10 years old probably. Also, we ask 260Hp+ from a 1.3 !  Thats a lot of strain on the little parts!

Most owners buy this car knowing the possibility of a rebuild is inherent anywhere from 45K and above. *though 60 k is bandied about and I beleive it can be much higher*

PLUS, any modifications not done correctly drastically increase the chance of engine damage.

You admitted it is a beautiful car , it could even be THE most beautiful car, and you said you were stunned by the performance. Most of us are, and those of us on here are willing to accept the rebuild cost as part of owning such an AWESOME car !

If I were you - invest some of your time to reading all the FAQs and posts on the forum.

Educate yourself on the car, then you can make an informed decision.  What ever you decide to do, good luck.  I hope you keep it and get as much enjoyment out of it as other members.

Something worth remembering - no one who lives within their means owns an RX7 :p

Quote from: TwistedHumourIf I were you - invest some of your time to reading all the FAQs and posts on the forum.

Educate yourself on the car, then you can make an informed decision.  What ever you decide to do, good luck.  I hope you keep it and get as much enjoyment out of it as other members.

Something worth remembering - no one who lives within their means owns an RX7 :p

that statement is spot on.. :D

As above and enjoy it until the engine does let go really... Then when you get it rebuilt it\'s not like you\'re going to do 60,000 miles in 6 months ;)

I\'m lucky in that I commute on the train so my annual milage is probably 8,000 miles at a push... If I done ALL my driving an RX and 60,000 miles was the exact limit, i\'d still have 7 years of driving pleasure ;)

You have my friend crossed a line which most people only dream about.
They sit in traffic and see a Rex and think I wish I had one of those it\'s so beautiful or they stop on the path and dive for the mobile phone to get a picture of the best super-car in the world.
 This is not B.S. You want to come on a London Run next year, we stop the city.
Anyway, your car if standard will take on anything and nearly always win.
 It is a sports car that looks like a sports, drives like a sports car in fact it is a sports car.
The price we pay for that is that the engine does not have a long life when compared to ****ton cars. But and this my friend is the oh so sexy part. When the engine is dead, you get her rebuilt and like a Phoenix from the ashes she comes back with extra porting and all kinds of modifications on her single turbo, lots of power and ever so many BHP.
I challenge you to go out and find me a piston car that was the same price as yours, blow the engine up rebuild it and come back with up to twice the bhp. Without running into the 10\'s of 1000\'s.
These cars are fantastic to mod and a dream to drive.
 Keep it use it, have it checked out ( RE:WORX above banner at top of page are in Portsmouth, pop along and see them ) it will last as long as it lasts, but by god it\'s fun to blast it down that Private road M27 or something you have down there.
Good luck and keep us posted.:Thumbs-up

Quote from: WarthogYou have my friend crossed a line which most people only dream about.
They sit in traffic and see a Rex and think I wish I had one of those it\'s so beautiful or they stop on the path and dive for the mobile phone to get a picture of the best super-car in the world.
 This is not B.S. You want to come on a London Run next year, we stop the city.
Anyway, your car if standard will take on anything and nearly always win.
 It is a sports car that looks like a sports, drives like a sports car in fact it is a sports car.
The price we pay for that is that the engine does not have a long life when compared to ****ton cars. But and this my friend is the oh so sexy part. When the engine is dead, you get her rebuilt and like a Phoenix from the ashes she comes back with extra porting and all kinds of modifications on her single turbo, lots of power and ever so many BHP.
I challenge you to go out and find me a piston car that was the same price as yours, blow the engine up rebuild it and come back with up to twice the bhp. Without running into the 10\'s of 1000\'s.
These cars are fantastic to mod and a dream to drive.
 Keep it use it, have it checked out ( RE:WORX above banner at top of page are in Portsmouth, pop along and see them ) it will last as long as it lasts, but by god it\'s fun to blast it down that Private road M27 or something you have down there.
Good luck and keep us posted.:Thumbs-up

^^^^^ What my man Hog said! :Thumbs-up

:Thumbsup! Cheers guys I appreciate your help and replies.

The car is going into the workshop soon to have an automatic aerial stuck in so I will get the guy to do a compression test at the same time.

I will definitely run through the various posts and faqs because I can see us having this car for some time and of course we do intend to update the car each month because...well...its that sort of car isn\'t it!

I am a great believer in God so I will take andysmees advice and include the car in my prayers.

I\'ve had it for a couple of months and so far we haven\'t let a weekend pass without giving it a massage so I will add coolant and oil checks to it as well.

Thanks for the tip about RE:WORX, I will definitely give them a bell at some point just to see what they have to say etc.

...and last but not least...I have definitely crossed the line and for once the grass is truly much greener on this side of the fence.

Car looks very nice....You might just as well go on driving it and live the dream as it might well last for ages yet and if you punt it on now you\'ll stuggle to sell at a price you\'d be happy with. It is a buyers market and everybody struggles to sell FD\'s at the mo. As has been said you can maximise the engines life by proper warm up and cool down. Never thrash it until you\'ve given it a good 5 or 10 minute run and preferably longer. Keep a good eye on the oil level as some of them do drink oil. Change oil every 3000 miles and keep an eye on the coolant level in case it has any coolant system leaks. If it does, then keep it regularly topped up with deionised water and antifreeze mixture.

Sorry to tell you mate but I very much dought the garage you are taking it to will have a rotary comp/tester, unless it\'s a rotary garage. I travel 130 miles one way to take my beast to Geff, if I was 250 miles away, one way, then I would do the same journey down to him in Portsmouth. You only live round the corner. Get in there.:wiggle

""Curious""  
When u say engine fails at 60k  or whatever.  what actually happens to the engine,  does it smoke, or not start or is there no power. :)

Quotewill he have a rotary comp/tester

Is this a special type of tester.  Sure i could test my compression with the one i have ?? as long has it fits the threads and doesnt allow leakage, it should test it fine..??

Ref engine fails, The normal thing is wear, in that compression rates drop, tips, seals etc. When the rates get to low then one of the first signs is poor starting when hot e.g. you have been on a run and dropped into Shell for some more go go juice, get back in the car and she just will not start. You then feel a prat and push her off the pumps. You have a look at all things you think it could be and ring everybody in the world. By this time 30 odd minutes has gone by and you think I will give it one last go then I\'m calling the AA/RAC and she starts. It then starts to happen a hell of a lot but only when hot and then when cold. You post on here and are told take it to a rotary garage for a comp/test but expect low readings 5\'s 4\'s and it\'s rebuild time. The 60,000 miles thing is just a number that is an average that people use to gauge when a rebuild is needed my one lasted to 80,000 miles.
Ref the comp/tester I don\'t know the full tech details but I think it\'s to do with the leading and trailing edges. I will let someone else explain that one.

As per what Warthog said.
The other problem is that it satrts to use water. A lot of cars seem to have not be filled with the correct coolant. Corrosion sets in, and then the coolant seals fail near the combustion chamber, because their surrounding metal has been corroded.

In a way, I prefer this scenario. Yes I would have to buy new side housings. But when seals fail, they get pulled around and damage quite a few other parts - maybe the Rotor, and likely the (expensive) rotor housing.

This thread should be made a sticky. It explains to a new owner exactly what they\'ve got themselves into!
 
And it\'s really quite balanced - Warthog\'s post particularly...what other car of this power can have an engine rebuild for circa £3,000 (exc. fitting and peripherals!) and come out better for it - I am almost looking forward to a rebuild now...
 
Hmmm...scratch that last comment!

Quote from: andysmeeI am almost looking forward to a rebuild now...
 
Hmmm...scratch that last comment!

lol, your car has a fresh rebuild does it not?

yep...it\'s between 7000 and 8000 miles in now