Seriously considering an FD any tips

[shifty]

Hey guys well as it says above I\'m considering an fd and would appreciate any tips when buying and even owning as some might know I have an rx8 so I have some rotary knowledge.

I\'m currently looking to spend a max of 4-5k I\'m not looking for a single turbo or anything heavily modified engine or exterior don\'t mind the odd mod if it improves reliability etc also wouldn\'t mine one without any spoilers.

So any advice would help maybe advice on which versions to look for any issues other then compression.

[samoht]

FDs are awesome, do it!  I lost count of how many Sunday drivers I overtook on the B-roads today

Tuning is somewhat critical on these cars.  If it has more than fairly light breathing mods, then it should have an Apexi or similar ECU which has been mapped by someone who knows what they\'re doing.

The twin-turbo system is great, but the successful \'tag-team\' 4500rpm switchover depends upon a network of about 60 vacuum hoses that sit atop the engine; it\'s common for problems here to cause the second turbo not to come in, and troubleshooting is complex with so many possible leaks.
Mitigations are: replace all hoses with silicon; switch to a parallel twin turbo setup using both turbos all the time; or find a 96-on Series 7 car,  with an \'integrated\' turbo control system that is more resilient (but still not 100% reliable).  Any of these is a benefit (I got a stock \'96 RS for £4.5k last month, but I was probably lucky).

You will know about maintaining the oil level and compression tests; the FD can also suffer the water seals going, which is equivalent to a blown head gasket on a piston engine, with similar symptoms.


Desirable mods:
Apexi PFC or similar is recommended to keep an eye on temps if you want to go on track, also provides a pathway to further tuning (another 100hp or so on std turbos).
Larger radiator helps cooling.
Larger/front-mount intercooler helps cooling when you want to run more power
Exhaust and intake obviously help power and sound, although if you have a full exhaust and full intake then most people would say it needs mapping to avoid problems.
99-spec front bumper helps cooling airflow (I think), also vented bonnets help draw out hot air from the engine bay.

You may find a lack of kneeroom, especially with the original Mazda steering wheel in place - a smaller, dished or flat-bottomed wheel can help here.

[samoht]

As far as versions go, Mazda realigned grades every year and information is confusing and contradictory.  Don\'t be impressed by cool-sounding designations such as \'Limited Edition\' or \'Type R\' - these are often near-entry-level versions in FD-land.

What I can say is:
Some cars have larger 314mm brakes.  These will have come with 17" wheels as standard.  94-on RZ\'s and 96-on RS\'s have these.
There are three different suspension setups, \'soft\', \'hard\', and \'Bilstein\'.  94-on RZ\'s, \'97 RS-R\'s and 99-on RS\'s got the Bilsteins I think.
All RZs got special Recaro seats that are worth £1k secondhand, otherwise seats are all the same, but covered in cloth, suede or leather.
Most cars got twin oil coolers and a front strut brace; a few \'Touring\' models made do with a single cooler and only the rear brace.

[shifty]

Wow thanks for all the info and yeah I think getting one is a done deal in my head but I think im gonna watch and wait for the right one to come along I spent an absolute fortune on my 8 and would like to buy a 7 thats in good enough nick that I dont need to do anything to well maybe sort the hoses and tuning out but no resprays or rebuild etc.

Been looking at one on ebay looks in good nick no service history but I emailed them and it had a rebuild 5000 miles ago but before they owned it also the rebuild cost just over 1K from what seems a run of the mill garage this seems a little cheap to me as my 8 cost 3.5K at Haywards.

Seems dumb luck but I looked at the beginning of the year and there was loads for sale maybe its the time of year who knows.

Been looking through here , ebay , auto trader ,cracktree I  mean gumtree , pistonheads and classic cars is there anywhere else worth looking or is that it.

[shifty]

Oh water seal failure whats the tell tell signs for this only might 8 has signs of this in that it has white gunk in the filler cap ,catch can and dipstick but this is normal.
I assume a water seal failure is an engine rebuild fix yes?

[samoht]

Good plan to wait for the right one to come along, you should absolutely expect to find a good car with minimal needs for £4-5k.

Feel free to stick the ebay link on here for second opinions if you like.  I 100% agree that the supply of nice cars seems to have dried up somewhat lately, I wouldn\'t be suprised if some more appear post-Christmas when people\'s budgets are at their lowest.  Only other place to look for cars is FDUK, although most cars get posted here too, but not all.

As far as rebuild costs go you\'re correct that £1k is cheap, my car has a receipt for a £4.8k rebuild.  However my understanding is that rebuild is basically 1) disassemble, 2) repair & replace damaged parts, 3) reassemble.  If it\'s just a minor water seal issue then there could be very little of (2) required, so the cost could be a lot lower.  So to answer your last question, yes water seal failure means rebuild, but it shouldn\'t be as involved as if it\'s apex seal damage.

Gunk is correct, also I think water seal failure can cause coolant overflow & engine overheating.  You can do a champagne test, you need a funnel with the right-sized neck to jam inside the coolant filler, then start the engine, the coolant level will rise, but if there are bubbles it shows water seal failure (hence \'champagne\') - youtube has links for this.

I believe that if a car has sat for a while then water seal failure can result, as well as being overheated or possibly being thrashed from cold.

[samoht]

If you like purple and like coilovers, this non-sequential twin car is worth considering at £4100 (if it\'s still available)
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77891

This white car looks clean at £5250
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77883

This low mileage red \'97 looks ideal if you can stretch your budget a bit
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78016

All the above cars have been for sale for a while, so the last two may be worth making offers on although the asking prices are above your budget.

[shifty]

Yeah saw them the purple one is nice but I\'d rather avoid overly modded ie porting my 8 is ported and its never been quite right since also not sure about purple.
Reds a nice example but its red I\'m only looking at black silver and maybe white.

The white one looks interesting I might look into that further but I think il hold of till after crimbo il have all my funds then and the drama of Christmas will be over.

[shifty]

Seen this its over my budget but seems very clean hate the spoiler but the rest is pretty sweet seems a bit expensive might keep an eye on it encase he reduces the price.

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/mazda/rx-7/mazda-rx7-fd3s-type-r/911623

[samoht]

Looks nice, mods seem to have been sensibly done.  

Personally for £6k I\'d be looking for a stock series 7 car over a modded series 6 one, but I can\'t necessarily justify that opinion.

"hayward rotary where alot of work was done and the engine was checked over and all came back OK" - wonder if this included a compression test ?

You could probably call/email/PM Hayward and ask about the car, they would likely be happy to fill you in on what they have done/checked and any further work that would need doing.

I don\'t know if the wheels are truly worth £1200 but they\'re credibly worth a fair chunk, esp to a wealthy Skyline owner ;-)  So one option would be to buy the car and then recover some money selling the wheels on - it looks like the late-model 17" OEM wheels go for a few hundred on here.

So if you\'re interested maybe contact Hayward, then go and see the car with a view to offering £5500 and making the best part of a grand back selling the rims ?  The spoiler could probably be sold for £100-£200 (?) as well.

[shifty]

Yeah thought about speaking to Carl assuming it wasnt Hayward north might just wait and keep my eye out only been looking a week and dont wanna get impatient lol

[CharlieP]

Hi- I will soon have my black one up for sale
It\'s had a recent rebuild, and Apexi mapped by one of the best tuners

I\'d be happy to take you out in, even if just to see what a well sorted FD goes like

[CharlieP]

[shifty]

Interesting if I pm u my email du wanna fire me over some pics and some details about the car ie year version who rebuilt it mods etc also what you will be after for it.

[shifty]

Cant seem to PM you so my email is greggus@live.com