rx-7 reliability

do all rx-7s have really bad reliability? this is what i've heard.

go to rx7forum.com and post this question. I can tell you they can be quite a handfull considering most of them have 120+ on them. I bought one with a blown motor and am still in the process of fully restoring it. But if you are interested in buying one you shuold seriously check out the rx7 forums, it's the best place for info if you have a 7.

most of the time when you take care of them, change the oil every 2000 miles ect. they go for a little over 100,000 miles. My bro has a 3rd gen with about 95,000 miles and i met a guy who will rebuild his engine with a street port for about $1500. they can be expensive, but they are awsome cars, and if you have the means its well worth it

i heard from not the most reliable source that they'll last forever as long as you change the oil every 2000 and change the apex seals every 80000. i don't quite believe the apex seals part

thats pretty much what will make the engine blow, if ya dont replace the seals, it'll blow, but if ya replace em it can last a long time

Eh, well "replacing" the apex seals isn't an easy job by any means...actually it involves taking the entire engine apart. The apex seal is what I guess you could say is the equivalent of a piston ring so if you look at it in that respect I guess you can see what I mean ;) Anyway, a great source of info other than the Forum is Steve Ciriani's site: www.scuderiaciriani.com TONS of info there and even a "Buyer's Guide". Reliability wise yeah they're not exactly a Honda...well okay not by a long shot, but they weren't engineered to be. The 3rd gen RX7 is a very high performance car and needs to be looked at as such. The maintenence is high and expensive, but the rewards are great. Plus they look totally :smoka:

FD owners generally don't brag about the reliablility.. cause well frankly they can't ;)
My FC isn't that bad. The only reason it could be deemed unreliable is because of its age. My '86 RX-7 is as reliable as my friends 90ish Grand AM.
Only real reason I have trouble is because of the age... Alternator and heater hose... thats what i've had to fix in the last 4 months I've been driving my current RX-7.

Good point Dave :p To be totally honest the FD is not a reliable car at all. It just amazes me how a lot of owners won't accept that fact. Once you come to terms with it then it changes your whole perspective on the car. However what the car lacks in reliability it more than makes up in performance and looks. :D

The NA motors are very reliable, I got 168,000 miles on the original motor, the last 26,000 with the blower.

I'll have to agree with Supercharged on this one...I know quite a few 2nd and 1st gen n/a owners that have nearl 200k or more on the original engines, but usually force fed rotaries like the 3rd gen aren't nearly reliable. The engine in my 3rd gen crapped out at 48k miles and the car was in cherry shape. I've been into rotaries for years and when I finally got my first one I thought I knew enough about them...and I probably did, but there wasn't anything I could've done. Anyway though an n/a rotary is definatly a reliable engine no doubt about it.

Originally posted by EfiniRX7
Anyway though an n/a rotary is definatly a reliable engine no doubt about it.
Which is why I'm looking forward to the RX-8 with the new normally aspirated 250hp rotary engine. :alien:

Amen! I'm just hoping that IF a 4th gen RX7 is produced they put a 3Rotor RENESIS in it. As much as I love turbos they can be a headache on any engine...particularly a rotary. And besides...a bridgeported rotary just screeeeaaammmmmssss!!!! :D

isnt the 4th gen RX-7 = RX-8?

Originally posted by Steel
isnt the 4th gen RX-7 = RX-8? Nope, the RX-8 is a separate model, to be sold alongside the RX-7 (but only where the RX-7 is sold; in Japan. :()

scheiss.........does the rx-8 have a rotary engine?

Yes, it has the Renesis (Rotary Genesis, I believe) its a normally aspirated version with modifications to the intake, and the exhaust ports have been moved to the side, rather than periphery. I believe its supposed to have 250hp and 170lb-ft of torque.

Yes the 20B engine, it has 3! Rotors

Originally posted by Davidov Speed WRC
Yes the 20B engine, it has 3! Rotors
Sorry, but you're wrong. There currently are no plans to put a 3 rotor into the RX-8.

Oops, well does the 20B have 3 rotors, or am I mistaken again?

it does

the first thing you should if you buy one is take out the pre cat. then buy a better Radiator, better inter cooler, replace all the hoses to silicon and change the fans so they can go on after the car is off.

i have read through everything here and cannot believe that many people believe the engine is so unreliable. its really simple to make these things last forever. first, do not act like its a piston driven engine. change oil every 2000 to 2500 miles. second, the engine burns oil everytime you turn it on, this is what those pretty lil hoses that go under your manifold are for, they are oil metering lines. check your oil level every time you fill your gas tank, if you are low, fill it back up. duh!. make sure you use 50/50 coolant/anti-freeze, if its too rich it will eat the aluminum block, if its too thin you'll burn your engine up, heat is the rotary's worst enemy. my '87 Rx-7 has 289,000 miles on it, apex seals changed once. my '88 rubo Rx-7 has 432,000 miles and the apex seals have been changed three times. take care of the rotary and it will do the same for you.

Good point Dave :p To be totally honest the FD is not a reliable car at all. It just amazes me how a lot of owners won't accept that fact. Once you come to terms with it then it changes your whole perspective on the car. However what the car lacks in reliability it more than makes up in performance and looks. :D

That is very well said however my Fd is the acception to the rule lol...

Almost stock with 47k miles.

Mods:
Hks SMF Intake
Racing beat cat-back
SS mid pipe & SS downpipe
Pettit unlimited ECu
Blitz turbo timer
Lightweight battery

With a small list like that you won't have problems at all. The thing is you an FD is like a giant see-saw. When you add power to it you most also compensate with reliability mods such as cooling/flow/hoses and if need be bigger seals or a port.

Bottom line though > Speed . Reliability . Price ~ Pick two...

this topic has been beaten to death ala the proverbial dead horse.

Furthermore, this topic is from more than FOUR years ago.

moving along...