93+ rx7 reliability... how is it?

[pasha]

i just started to get into rotories and rx7s. and the more i read the more i hear about reliability.. i also see alot of guys doing rebuilds at 60-80k miles.

is the rx7 reliable, as reliable as a honda? if not, what are the common problems? and how long do the motors last on the average, assuming the stock form?

thanks.

[Soyo]

NO they are not as reliable as hondas... very few cars are... thats one good thing about hondas because they are designed to be a reliable luxury sports car where as the RX-& is a full out sports car... if your car was takin care of you can get 150K+ I'd say and if it was treated relatively bad I'd say 100K give or take a little

[Steel]

yar. If you decide to get a 93+, one of the first mod's you should do is upgrade the radiator to a bigger/better one. It'll really help the life of your car.

[pasha]

yeah... i heard about the heat issue.

so i guess the next question is, what is it that makes it not so reliable, i other words, what breaks? as for them not being reliable becouse they are sports cars, thats just an excuse..

im sure supras, nsxs, 300zx would run without problems, and they are sportscars too..

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by Soyo

NO they are not as reliable as hondas... very few cars are... thats one good thing about hondas because they are designed to be a reliable luxury sports car where as the RX-& is a full out sports car... if your car was takin care of you can get 150K+ I'd say and if it was treated relatively bad I'd say 100K give or take a little

Almost every RX-7 has had the living shit kicked out of it for its entire life. So you are buying a well beat on car no matter what the owner claims.

Would you buy a Honda with a touring wing and Fart pipe?? Would you suspect it has most like had the shit kicked out of it. Most stock Hondas you find have been driven passivly hence the big miles. But a Ricers car that he had for 2 years and put 40K miles in it and see how long it lasts.

I am starting to see more and more riced out hondas bellowing smoke out their exhausts like their rings and valve guides are shot.

Pettit racing offers some great mods to do to the car right off the bat to help with reliability. Remember it a sports car it need a little more TLC than a commuter car. It is also pushing 250HP compared to a hondas 120HP. I would do the expansion tank 1st and foremost. After that ground out the engine real good. A tune up including fuel filter, wires, plugs, and air cleaner. Change the oil and continue to do so every 3K miles or less. Get rid of the pre-cats and put on a Downpipe I would wrap the downpipe with header wrap. Heat is the enemy - A downpipe will make the rear turbo happy and in turn the rear rotor.

Here is pettits site.

http://www.pettitracing.com/Frameset.html

Other sites of interest for a new owner:
http://www.mazdatrix.com

Racing beats site is down right now but they have a lot of good parts for RX-7's as well
www.racingbeat.com/

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by pasha

yeah... i heard about the heat issue.

so i guess the next question is, what is it that makes it not so reliable, i other words, what breaks? as for them not being reliable becouse they are sports cars, thats just an excuse..

im sure supras, nsxs, 300zx would run without problems, and they are sportscars too..

My buddy just blew his engine. His car had 250K miles on it. It is a turbo RX-7 and the engine let go during a spirited highway run at 150MPH.

My brothers RX-7 has 140K miles on it and runs strong.

My dads RX-7 had to have a new engine dropped in at 90K miles the previous owner beat the living shit out of it. When we pulled the engine the 6 puck clutch and flywheel were shot!!!! 5th gear on the tranny was shot from missed shifts. He will get lots of happy miles out of this car now. We did all the reliability upgrades. Now he runs around Vero Beach Florida beating up all the BMW's LOL! My dad in his 50's carries on like a 17 y/o in that car. He leaves his 2000 C-5 Vert home in the garage and favors driving his FD. How that for a testimonial??

My buddies 300ZX TT just dropped a rod at 70K miles at the track. Hmmmm...
Toyota Supras have bulletproof engines and are tanks of cars to match the engines.

Your typical $30-50K NSX owner babies his car a NSX will not see the abuse a 5K or 15K rx-7 will see.

See my post above for my opinion of the future of Ricer Hondas trying to drive their cars like sportscars.

[Shiftlock]

The radiator is also not in the best place.The A/C blocks a lot of airflow.Some people relocate them,others rip the A/C out.If you were pretty diehard,you would end up ripping the A/C out anyways.