Is compression testing the be-all and end all?

[SiH]

Hey all
Bit of a newbie thread alert, but hey, we\'ve all had them!

I\'m currently in the market for an FD, and i\'m having a lot of difficulty trying to find the spec i want.
In the last couple of months i\'ve found maybe two that meet my requirements, but, in the case of 1, it had a possibly slightly dubious history, and in the other, the owner appears to have supplied some contact details, but doesn\'t reply to either!

Now I have three main concerns with a car: Bodywork, paintwork, and engine - imho most other things can be sorted, but those three are a lot more expensive than most (to get done properly).

I\'ve found one example that has potential, but, from doing some research, the past two owners have had a few issues that seem mainly electrical - that\'s ok - they can be sorted. However, the current owner has had some boost issues, which i suspect may be down to a decat and OEM management.

Coming from a car with a renowned tough engine, to the Rotary it\'s a whole different kettle of fish - what i\'m trying to establish is whether it would be possible for a rotary to have it\'s life massively shortened by DET from the above overboosting and possible fuelling issues, or whether it\'s basically a case of \'detonation, then engine gone\'.
If the former, then would a compression test give a reasonable idea of general health? I\'m aware the water seals are also a consideration (and a few other things, with reference to the engine lifespan thread that\'s currently causing so much debate on here!), however, the engine is purported to have been rebuilt in japan (with no docs to prove!)
My concern is that, even if the car checks out with a compression test, the engine may have been significantly compromised by previous issues.

Am i being too over-cautious?

Sorry if this is a much asked question, but after searching i couldn\'t really find what i was after
Thanks for reading the Essay!
Si

[Martiny]

SI
You are correct in thinking that a compression test is not definitive. It will only give a general idea of the apex seals health. It can give a general idea as to whether they need replacing around the corner or not.  It will tell us how worn the apex seals are. It will not tell us about any previous detonation or abuse, I\'m afraid.

Having said that, as the Apex seals cannot withstand much detonation, the fact that it is still running COULD be an indication that they are actually fine?

There is no way to test whether a water seal is going to fail next week or not.

[iaint]

It\'s possible to test suspected water seal failure by running a coolant system pressure test with the bottom plugs removed.  You should get water leaking out if the seals have gone BUT it\'s no guarantee that they aren\'t going to go next week or month.

Only way to really be sure would be to strip the engine!

[nikp]

And then if you strip the engine and the seals were ok, they need to be replaced anyway cos it\'s been stripped!

[SiH]

Cheers guys, that\'s pretty much what i thought Just wanted to confirm a few things - tehre\'s so much cr@p floating about concerning the 13b that it\'s hard to disseminate the facts frm the truth. I\'ve found the best way to do this seems to be ask people who actually own/have owned one, rather than \'have a mate\'

Guess i\'d better just stick to the original plan of finding one with a rebuild by a reputable uk tuner, or one that\'s cheap enough for me to take that risk and budget a rebuild into the purchasing equation!
Cheers for your time Much appreciated
Si

[RedRummy]

Do you want to buy stock(ish) or are you after some higher power ??

Might be worth going direct to some of the tuners / rebuilders / traders on here...

Be VERY careful if looking on eBay, private ads etc unless you get it checked out (or its a known car on a forum)