MX-3.com

i've enquired about an RX-7 FD in Japan, and the seller told the importer that it "smokes a little during start-up"... what does this mean? obviously i'm assuming that is a bad thing.

It means that when you go to have the engine rebuilt that you should ask the shop to kiss you before they give you the bill. Rotary engine rebuilds are VERY expensive. Now.. depending on what they are asking for the car.. it could still be worth it. But.. rotary engines dont have the lifespan non rotary engines do. With proper oil changes.. a rotary will see 100k miles.. a non rotary will see 200k miles. There are of course exceptions to this.. but as a general guide its fairly accurate. Apex seals are what go bad on the Rotary engines and from what I have heard ( I have never owned one so this is admittedly second hand information) the longer a rotary engine sits.. the faster the Apex seals degrade. Only machine shops that advertise as capable of working on rotary engines will have the proper tools and machines to do the work. About 1 out of every 25 shops is properly equipped.. and yeah.. that means they can pretty much charge whatever they want to rebuild the engine.

Tunes67

if i were to enter an automotive program at a technical institute, i always wonder how much of my education would touch upon the rotary engine. Where do these "rotary specialists" educate themselves, really? I've asked this same question at the rx7club forum, but they're not too friendly to newbies there ... i'd very much like to be able to work on such a car myself, and if i had a diploma in automotives, for some reason I'm doubting that i'd still be unable to know how to rebuild a rotary engine ...

Likely you would have to be educated by mazda itself.. or go to your local mazda dealer and ask them who trains their certified rotary engine techs. Places like Wyotech probably offer classes specific for rotary engines.

Tunes67