hey,
my names chris and im new to rx7\'s and was after some information. Ive had some sports cars before, mx5, evo 4 and just sold my S1 rs turbo and im now in the market for an rx7 now here are a few questions that i would be very greatfull if someone could help answer them.
Firstly:- Ill be using it as an every day car i only travel 5 miles a day too and from work anything else is normally weekend driving for pleasure so what are these things like on reliability because i dont want to be worryed everytime i come to my car if its going start or not (had all them problems with my rs) and can they be used as an every day car.
Second:- how expensive are the parts and how easy to get hold of, and what normally breaks.
Finally:- The engine, now ive heard alot about these over the years and how most if not all need to be rebuilt at some point. And i remember hearing something about the seals on the points needing to be replaced and if they were replaced with uprated seals they would last forever......so i surpose my question is, is that true if so what seals. Also just some info on what to look for with the enigne when purchasing as i dont want to buy a car that blows up after week.
sorry ive waffled on
thanks :Thumbs-up
Hi smitty, you came to the right place to ask about this beast of a car! :yes
There is a section on the site regarding purchasing of an rx7 that should cover a lot of the simple checks and what to look for in them.
I currently use my Rx7 as a daily driver (as do a few others on here) but admitadly it has let me down once, but i can not fault the car i only have my self to blame for not fixing the problem before it became critical! (water pump gasket) MPG is around 20 mpg if your a good boy , less if you give it a bit of go juice or sit in start stop trafic.
As for parts, ive not had a problem! there are a host of companys that deal specialy with this car be in tuneing or parts (look above the post for a few of) and as for price, they aint too bad as with most cars somethings are more expensive than others.
Ahhh yes the dreaded engine... The Apex seals on the engine are what most people cry about, Sadly when they do go in a way that requires the engine to be taken out, logisticaly speaking once its out its worth changing all the apex seals (6 usualy, unless 20b) rather than just one! but the benefit of that is you know you have a ROCK solid engine thereafter! but its not all gloom and doom! Another thing you may have heard of is the waterseals going. the main thing to look out for these is that they have a strong engine. good compression and near equal readings! on front and rear rotor.
I use mine as a daily car, look after it and it will look after you, forget the horror stories. its a car mate. i have nt even blown a bulb in the 2 years of happy motoring.. buy one and enjoy it, the only thing that should bother you is the shares in bp you will need to buy...lol
Thanks for the replies!
its hard to forget the horror stories because its not cheap to have an engine rebuilt and i dont want to buy aload of trouble because i dont have a huge amount of money seem to have the nack of finding them sort, so how long do they tend to last after a rebuild?
the more you modify, the shorter the life, i cant really answer that one cus it aint happend to me
I think the general thought on life span of a well maintained engine is about 60k.
As soon as you start going for more power this figure will almost certainly drop.
just to add my few cents, i dont do much more mileage per day on average than you. me an my rx7 have had our ups and downs, and although there are always bits which "need" doing (which tbh they dont, you can never just stop modding these things :D ) shes never let me down.
not cheap by a long shot, but well worth every penny.
although to be honest most of the stuff bar engine internals (unless you feel realy brave!) can be done by yourself if your handy with a spanner and have a lot of time and patience.:Thumbs-up
i am quite handy with a spanner and normally give the job a go first my self, ive done engine transplant ect but as for time there isnt enought hours in the day!
i think i just need to get together a check list of things to look at when i go and view the rx7\'s.
also could somone tell me the different types because i keep seeing the fr dr ect and dont know what they are :(
i think ill be looking for a car thats had a recent build at a reputable place.
thanks all
This image says it all :Giggle
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a123/frankie404/RX7reliability.jpg)
Short ansers to your questions:
Work: Walk as you will murder a rex doing that short a jurney every day!!!
Parts aren\'t too bad to be honest & not particularly hard to get hold of.
Reliability..... unfortunatly it\'s not if, but when on the rebuild front, but it\'s like any other car, look after it & it will look after you!!
I am sure you have figured it out by now if you are seriously looking for an FD aim to get one thats had a recent engine (with PROOF!!) usaly its the Twin turbo vac assembly that gives agro but once you have an idea of what your looking at they are not too bad, the most simple and effective way of getting an "reliable FD" is to get a Single turbo thats had a rebuild recently running in the low 300\'s
Personaly i would say the worst thing about FD\'s is the Fuel!!! i know insurance kan be a killer if you are young and its a Jap spec car (UK cars are cheaper to insure but rare ;)) and doing short Trips will kill Plugs like there going out of Fashion. BUT all said I would not swap my Fd for any of the Evo\'s or skylines etc out there, they just have some thing about them.
The other thing that you get addicted too if you do buy and FD is Trackdays, if you are short of Cash etc etc don\'t do one because it will take over your Life, i mean the Fd gives you a Buzz when you drive it (big Grin factor) but add a track day into it and next thing you know you will be on your way to the Ring!!! spending all your Holladay money and searching the net for the best Brake pads :)
All said, the Pro\'s are the best looking and handling car in its class, the Con\'s are you really have to read up when buying one (can get a ****ed of bank manager wanting blood very easy) and there are alot of Tired examples out there that have had hard lifes so find some one localy that are in the MRC and ask nicely if they would drive it for you (just remember this, a Bad FD drives like a normal every day car a good FD will put a grin on your face every time you drive it)
I\'ll be honest with you the car can be very costly too run and you need to look after it well,service at regular times etc.My car is is only used at weekends because its a real fuel drinker,and if you have a family ,forget it mate you\'ll need a well paid job to keep it running ,unless your very lucky to find a real mint car there are many bad ones so look hard.Dont be ruled by your heart.
Quote from: Jono FD3Work: Walk as you will murder a rex doing that short a jurney every day!!!
This is not true, can we hear the technical reasons behind this statement, please?
Quote from: Jono FD3Work: Walk as you will murder a rex doing that short a jurney every day!!!
I dont agree, can we hear the technical reasons behind this statement, please?
I don\'t agree either: it\'s a car. It\'s designed to be driven!
My FD has been, other than the engine, the most reliable car I have ever had. It\'s brilliant. Whenever i go to drive it, I am confident in the knowledge that it will start when i want it to. Couldn\'t ask for a more reliable car.
Quote from: Jono FD3Work: Walk as you will murder a rex doing that short a jurney every day!!!
Quote from: MartinyThis is not true, can we hear the technical reasons behind this statement, please?
An RX7 is like any other car, it is designed to run at an optimum temperature. When the engine reaches that optimum temperature the fuel is burnt efficiently, the moving parts have expanded sufficiently, the oil has reached an ideal viscosity and is lubricating everything as designed.
If a car consistently fails to meet than optimum temperature i.e. constant short runs, the engine is always running in a " rich " condition. The plugs coke up, the combustion chamber becomes carbonated and the moving parts wear at a higher rate because they are constantly working at lower temps than the engine and oil is designed for.
No car likes constant short journeys.
Bob
So in other words, an RX-7 would be no worse than any other car! :D
still doesnt explain why it would murder a REX, and your statement even says "is like any other car"
I will admit it might be susceptible to fouling the plugs, so, put in a warmer plug.... no problem.
Quote from: Martinystill doesnt explain why it would murder a REX, and your statement even says "is like any other car"
I will admit it might be susceptible to fouling the plugs, so, put in a warmer plug.... no problem.
Yeh it is like any other car. The only issue with rotary\'s is once you\'ve fouled up your plugs ( hot or cold plugs ) she won\'t spark and floods in the morning ..your on the bus mate !!!. Any piston engine car after a good cranking it burst into life !!
OK murder no ...let\'s say GBH !! .:Giggle
Bob
One thing to remember if commuting a short distance is that you need to redline the car with WOT every trip to keep the carbon from building up too much.
This can be difficult esp in a traffic jam in the rain.
Food for thought :)
Quote from: Red and SingleOne thing to remember if commuting a short distance is that you need to redline the car with WOT every trip to keep the carbon from building up too much.
This can be difficult esp in a traffic jam in the rain.
Food for thought :)
dont worry theres always places to wind it up on the way to work. :Thumbs-up
Thanks all for your comments they have given me alot to think about. Ive still got mixed feelings because i dont want to be forever working on the car and not driving it but i may get one and see how it goes....if i get ****ed off i will sell and move on.
I surely wont be buying one unless its being rebuilt recently and can be proven by a reputable place so along hunt in front of me i think.
Im in stoke on trent if anyone would ever be kind enought to view one with me like mensioned earlyer but for now ill hunt and post up on here the ones i find..
does anyone know wheres theres a buyers guide of what to look for ect.
and whats the best model 1992 - 1997 ect and is there any model or year to avoid ect.
thanks all :Thumbs-up
Quote from: Red and SingleOne thing to remember if commuting a short distance is that you need to redline the car with WOT every trip to keep the carbon from building up too much.
This can be difficult esp in a traffic jam in the rain.
Food for thought :)
i have to disagree, my missus used the rex for 6 months and never took it above 4k, she only drove through brighton about 2 miles a day, every day.
not a problem! (touch wood lol)
Quote from: MartinyThis is not true, can we hear the technical reasons behind this statement, please?
I have to agree with Jono, i used my Fd as an every day car and you could feel it holding back, it also started to do odd things when you pulled up at the Lights. When i took it down the motor way after two weeks of every day running (5-6 miles each way from work) it didn\'t feel right and the first time it came on boost there was a serious cloud of Black C**p blown out of the exhaust. I did ask why it had got so bad?? (maybe a map problem) but people in the know told me an Rx needs to be properly warmed up (Rx\'s run very rich on cold start) and run through the rev range to clear the Carbon every so often.
No car likes short trips, but only FD\'s will act up (flooding or bad starting if the engine Comps on the low side etc)
I bow to all the superior Rotary knowledge on here.
Thanks for enlightening me.
So then Martin with the sarky comments what you are saying the Fd with its love for fuel will see no ill effects of running every day and not seeing full operating temp? i.e not coming off cold start?
Just the extra fuel it will use with it all ways being on cold start will not do your MPG any good.
But hey i can only speak for myself, i have a twin turbo fitted with 1600cc secondary injectors,044 pump,Pfc etc etc running around 300rwhp and was set up by a pro, i supose a Stocker may be diffrent???? but your coments sugest all Fd\'s are the same??
Martin is perfectly correct...he does bow to superior knowledge. Anybody who knows the absolute minimum about engines will tell you that engines that are run regulary below there normal operating temperatures are running constantly " rich " and underperforming.
Don,t rise the the sarcasm......ignorance is bliss so they say.
Bob
Hang on a sec, I\'d like to know what Martin is getting at here? I know for a fact that he knows his engines better than most. I\'ve always thought as above that short journeys and starting and stopping are bad news for any engine. So are you going to enlighten us Martin? :)
What sarcasm? :-) I was trying to gracefully withdraw from the thread :-)
Well, I typed a whole lot of stuff to reply, but actually I gave up and deleted it all. Its up to all of us to try and sift out the real information from the hyped up bar talk that does the Rotary reputation no good at all.
Royal , you have PM.
Honestly, assume I did short journey daily, if I did warm up the car properly everytime before I drove it, Will the situation improve, damage the engine less?
I guess everyone has diffrent opinions, My opinion (that of someone that was low on cash and had to use his fd as an Every day car for 6-8 months doing two trips a day under 6 miles each way) was the biggest thing i did wrong was not open it up every so often, i was more concerned with how much it was costing me to get to work (as it was costing me allot more than an a runabout) Simply FD\'s do not like long periods of low revs off Boost driving, they do loose performance and my MPG (because i was watching it closely) dropped, I also found it killed plugs like they where going out of Fashion.
I would suggest if you are going to do lots of short journeys buy a cheap runabout to go to work in.
Quote from: royalI\'ve always thought as above that short journeys and starting and stopping are bad news for any engine.
In one. Now Imagen a car that runs REALLY!! rich to the degree you can actually flood the car if you don\'t turn it off correctly!! not with that sort of fuel about do you think there is not going to be things like Bore wash or carbon build up going on if its not properly cleared.