Switching to Mazda RX7 FD

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 29th, 2007, 7:48 pm

well i'm almost nearing my first anniversary with Precidia here, but my mind has been wandering for something new and exciting. That's when RX7 FD stepped into my life. In my area I've come across one dealership who sells Japanese imports and has landed almost 10 of these rotary beasts and selling them from 9000 CDN to 13000cdn ... To start things off, I'd like to know how much more maintenance will it be choosing an RX7 FD as my new partner? Everyone always says they're expensive to uphold because you no longer can do tune-ups at home since it's a rotary engine, but how much are we talking here? tune-ups for the mx3 and all cars are around $300cdn: how much is it to tune-up an rx7?

and my other favorite is the Toyota Supra MKIV. How much is it to tune that inline six? and do these two accept bronze gas?

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » March 29th, 2007, 8:28 pm

Ya, I've always wanted an FD, but I've been worried about the same concerns as well. Good luck trying to find a place that will work on rotaries, most mechanics stay clear of them. Most rotary owners do their own tunes ups i believe because of that. They even do their own apex seals and porting. They're simple engines to work on, just a paint to get to since their burried down int the engine bay.

If you have any questions, i would recommened checking out rx7club.com. I believe there are a few posts about owning an FD, maybe even an FAQ, been a while since i've look at that. I know I'll eventually get an FD, if i have to prematurely replace the Mx-3, that's that it'll more likely be. Just to say, my plan is to get a truck this year, and when it's paid off in a few years, the 96's will be available from Japan, which have the simplified vacuum system for twins.

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 29th, 2007, 8:43 pm

hmm, actually the maintenance price shouldn't be so much different between this rotary car and any other car. I called my mazda and they quoted me $233 for a tune-up on an FD, non-turbo; a turboed engine's spark plugs are harder to get at he said, and its not common for them to get rx7s in their shop for tune-ups since they're so rare, they just need to be warned beforehand so that they have all the parts and tools ready for the rotary; those who bring fd's to them have ignition problems, not maintenance needs ... i'm still having trouble finding information on this vehicle, especially its engine variants although i thought it was always the 13B, but the guy on the phone mentioned a 1.2L suddenly ... and of course i need to learn about the different types of turboes and their year-specs coz i think i've come across both single turboes and twins ... i learned that u can only feed it 94 Octane at least ... i'm also interested in the smaller headlights underneath the 'default' headlights: the 99 spec ones are the nice ones, but i've seen them put onto these imported 92s ... i wonder how much modification that took ...

rx7club.com has been my main source, but even there it's messy: one of those places that are great on technical discussion, but not for a newbie. i'm still in need of basic information on this car. wikipedia is ridiculous. it just talks about rx7s in all its different international forms, here and that, easily losing me in its rant ... the faq's of rx7club aren't newbie friendly. they are treatises on the options an rx7 owner has to begin his/her upgrades.... ....

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » March 29th, 2007, 8:53 pm

I'm farily sure the FD are all 13B's. The 12a's we're only in FB's i believe, maybe FC's, but I dont think so.

As for ownership/maintenance. Here's a thread in regards to importing a RHD FD, it's not about maintenance, but it does bring up the important points

I'm more worried about all the guys who are buying cheap JDM cars to save some money (or couldnt afford a North American FD). If you cant afford to buy this car at 20k, there's no way you can afford to keep it on the road in any kind of decent condition. This is the last car people should be trying to save a buck with. Mazda will rape you with part prices and the FD itself will destroy you with its unreliability.

Let's just say some poor dude lands an FD for 10k from Japan with 90,000km's on it. He thinks he's gotten a deal on a low mileage FD. Problem is they need rebuilds around those kms anyways, so 5k right there for a rebuild. For sure the 5th gear synchros (and probably 1st gear too) are going to be toast on every one of these early FD's, so fixing that will be another 1.5k. That clunking in the back when you go over bumps and the weird feeling you get while turning? That's your rear billow ball bushings... they last about 60,000kms so those will have to be changed (480$). While you're down there, dont forget the engine and diff mounts since they are also guaranteed to be toast (850$). You're already at 7830$.

And that's just the beginning. You'll still havent even checked that 12-8-0 boost pattern, why the engine light is on, why there's a big clunk coming from the front, why the car seems to be running really hot, why there's oil around the turbos, why it stalled 3 times yesterday lol. Oh yeah... and your AST cracked last night and you just overheated you brand new motor

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t ... ge=1&pp=15

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 29th, 2007, 8:57 pm

that's something to think about huh ...
but they can always be thoroughly inspected ...

after all, i paid $100 for a pre-purchase inspection on my mx3 and STILL bought it ...
$3000 was put into new suspension, etc
i knew what was wrong before i bought it. but i kinda volunteered to be its savior ...

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » March 29th, 2007, 9:04 pm

Ya, but only by someone who's pro with rotaries. Those problems described alone are unique to that car. And remember too, the Mx-3 isn't a full out sports car, it's technically a sporty economy car and was built to be fun, yet reliable. The Rx-7 was not only different, it was a borderline supercar back in the day. The thing tho, on an mx-3, if you replace it a defective part, you'll get another 10+ years out of it driving it everyday all year, even in our Canadian winters, an FD, your looking at a just a few years before it wears out, and their hardly daily driven, and i seriously doubt driven year around

2RotorsNaDream · Post by **2RotorsNaDream** » March 29th, 2007, 9:28 pm

I used to have a '93 R1 and I'll tell you from experience it is alot of money to maintain. They run extremely hot compared to regular piston motors, they eat alot more oil, and they are bad on gas. But when they are running properly you can't beat it. They are fast and they handle so great around curves.
Also, 12As came on FAs, not FBs. FBs are the same body as FAs but they had 13Bs.

solo_ryder · Post by **solo_ryder** » March 29th, 2007, 10:58 pm

All FD's are 13b's. I dont remember where your from? Van island... You will want to run premium at all times in the rotory. If you are in the Vancouver area there are a few shops there that deal strictly with rotories actually so you do have places to go if needed.

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 30th, 2007, 2:33 am

well hearing that replaced parts in an rx7 would be outlasted by replaced parts in 'normal cars' is discouraging ... if not an rx7, then what about switching to a Toyota Supra MKIV? ... inline six couldn't be too hard to maintain compared to rotary then right? supra also must run on premium? ... it's either FD or Supra ... I can't deal with any others

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » March 30th, 2007, 3:07 am

Nice thing about second gen and third gen RX-7's.. when the rotaries crap out (and they WILL crap out) Its actually cheaper to buy a small block chevy V8 and a conversion kit ( they are made and available ) and Viola! You have yourself a 12 second car

In the case of the 86-92.. these can be found for as little as $500.. V8 conversion kit.. ( not sure on cost but probably around $500) and a built SBC & tranny.. $3000 (gotta love craigslist).. heh.. less than $5000 for a car that will make just about anyone wish they were wearing diapers

Rotary engines have a reputation for wearing out quicker than their piston slinging cousins. And thats partially true.. But routine and proper maintenance of a Rotary will go a LONG way in prolonging its life. The real expense of a Rotary engine will hit you if you ever have to have one rebuilt.. They are VERY expensive to rebuild.. and in the 3rd gen twin turbo models.. you can double that cost at least. But if you want to build a RWD rocket car on a budget.. a VERY good platform to work with.. in fact.. after I move to a new place that has a garage... a 2nd gen SBC project is gonna be my next project

All passengers will be required to wear depends

LOL

Tunes67

Aston Wards · Post by **Aston Wards** » March 31st, 2007, 12:36 am

Buying a sports car is a stupid decision anyway...., so get the car that you love and just keep throwing money at it. If you want reliability, buy a Corolla!

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 31st, 2007, 3:32 am

so what do u guys think? will a Toyota Supra MKIV be less maintenance than a RX-7 FD? ...

neutral · Post by **neutral** » March 31st, 2007, 5:25 am

illapino wrote:so what do u guys think? will a Toyota Supra MKIV be less maintenance than a RX-7 FD? ...

Absolutely. You'll see greater reliability with the Supra and likely get significantly more time on the road and out of the shop than with the RX-7.

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 31st, 2007, 5:29 am

YES!!!!!!
SUPRA IT IS!

illapino · Post by **illapino** » March 31st, 2007, 5:57 am

as you'd know however, canada isn't a supra hive ... if i'm too impatient to wait for an import (i'd still prefer LHD anyway), i was thinking finding a supra in the States ... one question about this is: how exactly is the mileage converted to kilometerage on such a car crossing the border? ...