Possible buy of a 1987 RX-7 Turbo II

Hey rotor guys, I've been looking at 2G RX-7s for over a year now, and now I think I am at a point where I can buy one.
I found one for sale on E-bay that is about 45 minutes away from my house.
I wanted to know if you guys think this would be a good car?

1)It has 135,000 miles, I am going to drive it hopefully on Monday to see how well the engine runs and what not.
Is this pushing it on mileage?

2)The owner said there is a possible leak in oil line going to the turbo. If this leak is only minor, could there be any damage done to the turbo? And how much will this cost to fix?

3)I've read a few precautions to take when looking at a 2G to buy. (look at the dipstick to look for water spots, see if it smokes....etc)
Anything I should watch out for when driving it?

4)With 135,000 miles would $1800-$2000 be an acceptable price to pay for this car?
Which BTW has no major body damage, and nothing mechanically wrong from my observation so far.

Thanks guys, I appreciate any input.

Originally posted by DavidovSpeedWRC

1)It has 135,000 miles, I am going to drive it hopefully on Monday to see how well the engine runs and what not.
Is this pushing it on mileage?

2)The owner said there is a possible leak in oil line going to the turbo. If this leak is only minor, could there be any damage done to the turbo? And how much will this cost to fix?

3)I've read a few precautions to take when looking at a 2G to buy. (look at the dipstick to look for water spots, see if it smokes....etc)
Anything I should watch out for when driving it?

4)With 135,000 miles would $1800-$2000 be an acceptable price to pay for this car?
Which BTW has no major body damage, and nothing mechanically wrong from my observation so far.

Thanks guys, I appreciate any input.

1.) Turbo II engines usually go between 140-145K miles, so yes it is pushing it on miles.
2.) Yes, this will damage the turbo, a used turbo will be between $150-250.
3.)To answer this question I will need the year of the car.
4.) What hood does it have, when you check it out, tell me the condition its in, etc. I would still try to go lower than that

Let me know!

It's a 1987 (S4) Turbo II.
As for the hood, I can't be more specific than saying it had the off center scoop like all the other TII's.
I drove the car the other day, and the motor felt really strong, it could use a complete tune up though.

The paint is near mint condition, there are a few spots that could be touched up, but its glossy and smooth for the most part.

If I maintained it properly and I fixed all the mechanical problems, how long could I expect the motor to last?

about the hood, is it aluminum or steel?

The longest I've ever seen a turbo II engine go for was 211,000 miles. The guy got it from the orignal owner, changed the oil every 1,000 miles and daily drove it. But usually they last between 140,000-145,000 miles. If you buy it and have any questions about it, let me know.

Thanks, I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions. I'm coming from a front drive, I-4 Honda, non-turbo world, with pistons....so this will be a new experience for me!

How could I tell if the hood is aluminum or steel?

Just pick the hood up, you will definatly be able to tell the difference in steel and aluminum... Aluminum is extremly light compaired to the steel.

Ok, I am going to get the car today, so I'll be spending alot of time messing with it!

What is a good service manual for the 2G RX-7? I know Haynes is the most abundant, but also the most general. Any recommendations?

I have owned 2 RX7's with around the same mileage, just save up for a rebuild, because the seals will eventually wear down, and if you find anyone that will just replace the seals for you for a reasonable price without doing the full rebuild , you are probably the luckiest person in the world. If you are that lucky, let me know where I can find him if you live in the ATL area.

Factory Service Manual. Er, you can find a link to the FSM at rx7club.com

Around what price could I expect to pay for a full engine rebuild?

Also, what all do they rebuild. Just the main housing where the rotors are (what's the tech term for that? :smile: ), or do would they rebuild the turbo?

Do most places rebuild the tranny too, or is that usually separate?

The only place I would trust in Texas to do a rebuild would be rotory performance. go to www.rx7.com They are in garland, tx so I dont know how far away that is. DO NOT GO TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP.

you are going to have at least $5k in the rebuild if you dont do it yourself.

There are plenty of places I have found on the net that have engines that are already rebuilt for around 2 grand for a turbo II and 3 grand for the REW engine. If I was in your shoes, I would just go ahead and buy one that is already rebuilt, you would save yourself some money. If you do the rebuild yourself, there are a few special Mazda tools that you will need to complete the job, and I have heard they can be expensive. I was looking through my RX-7 the other day that I just bought and found one of these tools in the car...I guess I got lucky, but I'm planning on just buying a rebuilt engine anyway, so I guess I won't need it.

When you do the rebuild, there are seals at each corner of each rotor that need to be replaced, and that's as much as I know about that.

What is this "special tool" you found???

Yes, I've heard good reviews about Rotary Performance. However I know someone in Grand Prairie (DFW area) that works on 2Gs right out of his own garage. Anyone familiar with the DFW area?

I believe what I found is the Mazda counterweight stopper. I'm not sure though, this is just what I gather from looking at the tool and comparing it to some pictures in the Haynes manual. I have never done the rebuild before so I'm not going to act like I have, I have just heard that there are special Mazda tools that you have to have. I'm sure there are some aftermarket tools that can get the job done as well, but all I have heard is that there are some Mazda tools that are needed.

Originally posted by 13BDriver
I believe what I found is the Mazda counterweight stopper. I'm not sure though, this is just what I gather from looking at the tool and comparing it to some pictures in the Haynes manual. I have never done the rebuild before so I'm not going to act like I have, I have just heard that there are special Mazda tools that you have to have. I'm sure there are some aftermarket tools that can get the job done as well, but all I have heard is that there are some Mazda tools that are needed.

Its probably a ring gear break. Can you take a picture of it? If you dont need it, I will buy it off of you.

Yeah, I'll take a picture of it, as soon as my dad get back from out of town with the digital camera, should be this weekend sometime.

you would be much better off putting that 2-5k for a rebuild into an engine with real hp and torque potential that is reliable like an american v8 or v6. go here for some information from people who really know what they are talking about as far as fast mazda's:

http://www.torquecentral.com

and

http://www.hinsonsupercars.com

go to the v8rx7 forum. a T II is the best FC for this swap

i know that this post will get flamed by people who do not take the time to look into this swap.

if you like the rotory, then keep it, but if you want a fast, reliable mazda that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on, then you should look into it

Originally posted by rogginator
you would be much better off putting that 2-5k for a rebuild into an engine with real hp and torque potential that is reliable like an american v8 or v6. go here for some information from people who really know what they are talking about as far as fast mazda's:

http://www.torquecentral.com

and

http://www.hinsonsupercars.com

go to the v8rx7 forum. a T II is the best FC for this swap

i know that this post will get flamed by people who do not take the time to look into this swap.

if you like the rotory, then keep it, but if you want a fast, reliable mazda that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on, then you should look into it

go to hell you fucking redneck

no

and how does liking powerful engines with reliable horsepower and torque make me a redneck?

Originally posted by dayna240sx


go to hell you fucking redneck

Dude, that shows you to be more clueless and narrowminded that the people you're trying to insult. It's not religion, it's a car. A cheap as hell mass produced one, at that. He's not a redneck, merely a realist.

The best parts of a 2nd gen RX7 are the chassis layout, the styling, the ergonomics, and the build quality of everything BUT the engine, the lighting switches, and Logicon.

The rotary engine, as cool as it is, is merely the thing that makes the car move. It's location makes the car balanced, not what kind of engine it is. But as has been proven, just about ANY engine in that location retains the balance. ANd in the case of the small block Ford or the aluminum small block Chevy, more power is made without adding noticeable weight, more reliably, for less money. You get all the benefits of the outstanding RX7 chassis:(the aforementioned build quality, ergonomics, styling, suspension) with all the strengths of the compact domestic V8.

I'm sure you're going to be one of those who say, "it's ruined!" or "if you wanted a Mustang, you should have started with a Mustang" or, "it's no better than a Camaro with that engine in there." As though the engine is the ONLY part of the car. Would you agree that the Mustang and Camaro have equal suspension, styling, ergonomics, and build quality as the RX7, and the ONLY thing that the RX7 has going for it is that rotary engine?

Please don't get angry, and listen to this with an open mind. I'm not going to lie to you.

I've owned and raced a number of rotary cars over the years, starting with an Rx3, then adding an R-100, RX2, another RX3, and a couple first gen RX7s (the last one with a heavily bridgeported 13B from an RX-4), and installed rotary engines into other cars: a Bug, and an MG Midget). I crewed with an IMSA RS RX3 racer, and later crewed for him with his rotary powered Formula Libre road racer. I'm a road racer and autocrosser, and decidedly not a redneck. But I also don't feel like spending more for less, so when my last RX7 (an '86 Sport model that I had been autocrossing for a year) died (at 100k miles, an apex seal went bad, destroying the back half of the engine) back in '93, I decided that instead of spending $2500 to rebuild the stock engine to 145 hp specs, and not feeling like living with an unreliable, loud, ported, and just as expensive performance rebuild, and not being able to afford the then very expensive turbo swap, I'd put in horsepoer the old-fashioned hot rodder way.

I built a one-off, extremely unique, and extremely fast hybrid. Something along the lines of the old Cobra Daytona Coupe, or TVR Griffith, or Sunbeam Tiger. I dropped a built Ford 5.0 out of a friend's drag car into the rather cavernous RX7 engine bay. 400 hp of daily driver V8 with gobs of torque everywhere in the rev range (it had been built to live at 7500-8000 rpm, but still made over 200 lb ft of torque at 1800 rpm...). Along with the Autopower roll cage, I added 150 total lbs to the car, bringing the total weight of the car to 2720lbs, which is less than a STOCK RX7 turbo (remember, mine was a Sport model that had no A/C or sunroof, had the aluminum flat hood, but had teh turbo's suspension and brakes in stock form). If a stock RX7 turbo is a well balanced car and has no problem with handling, then how can a lighter version of the same car, with the same or better suspension, have problems? The weight balance, according to the Fordahl Motorsports corner scales, was 49/51 F/R, meaning it had BETTER balance than a stock RX7! I didn't have to do any changes to the autocross suspension other than add a new front swaybar (custom built to clear the front of the oil pan). The engine set back behind the centerline of the front axle, with no cutting to the chassis and firewall, and looked samller in there than a turbo rotary...

It was a fun, fast, unique, excellent handling car that I autocrossed and drove nearly daily for years. And the total conversion including engine cost less than the 300 hp Cartech Turbo upgrade that was available then for the car.

Would I suggest doing something like this to something rare and valuable? Not really. But 2nd gen RX7s are neither rare, nor particularly valuable (As evidenced by the fact that a good condition one without an engine isn't worth over $500... and high mileage Turbos that run good aren't worth over $2000-2500). If one dies, the average RX7 enthusiast doesn't want it, as there are cheap, good running examples out there. Even RX7 enthusiasts say why spend a lot of money rebuilding a dead one, when you can buy a running one for much less? That makes a dead RX7 a prime candidate for an engine swap to something that makes more power for less money, and retains all the good qualities of the RX7 car.

An engine swap ins't the only way to make an RX7 go fast, or bea great car. There a re a ton of fast rotaries out there, too. But putting a V8 in one does NOT make someone a narrowminded, ignorant redneck. It IS just as valid a method to build a fast car as rebuilding a rotary.

Here are a couple pictures of mine:

http://speed.supercars.net/boardpics/2003-3-16/972257-Chris%20Va.jpg

http://speed.supercars.net/boardpics/2003-3-16/972257-Chris%20Vb.jpg

http://v8rx7.com/page4.6.jpg

And here it is in motion: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cvetters3/rex1.MPG