90 Rx7

[g0stx]

Theres a 1990 rx7 with a nice new paint job, new performance headers and a 3 inch exaust and nice tip for sale in the local used car lot... It has 138000 miles, but seems ok.. The shocks are stiff and the underbody isnt gouged or rotting.. I have yet to drive it, but would anyone say go for it?

He wants a little over $3,000, but I think I can get a few hundred off..

With this kind of mileage, and with a rotary engine, what kind of problems am i looking at in the future?

Also, how hard is it to turbo the N/A engine?
If not that, what about a turbo engine transplant?

[RXtony7]

Well, $3000 is a pretty good price for a 90 RX-7 if it is in really good condition. As far as the turbo the N/A or swap, you are better off buying a turbo model. And at 138k miles it has probably been rebuilt at least once. Average life of a rotary is 100k, but they can last longer depends on the maintenance.

[Steel]

Actually, i was wondering about swaps. I wanted to swap a TII engine into my '87 GXL N/A. Ill have enough money to get the engine, intercooler, TII tranny, TII ECU, and the TII exhaust system, but i was wondering if the engines share the same mounts or what. I can hide the 'cooler in front of my radiator (No hood scoop for me; wolf in sheeps clothing). Wooould it be that much of a problem to do?

[RXtony7]

If you have everything needed to do the swap then it shouldnt be that bad to do. Just time consuming. Good luck.

[FC3S]

Originally posted by g0stx
Theres a 1990 rx7 with a nice new paint job, new performance headers and a 3 inch exaust and nice tip for sale in the local used car lot... It has 138000 miles, but seems ok.. The shocks are stiff and the underbody isnt gouged or rotting.. I have yet to drive it, but would anyone say go for it?

He wants a little over $3,000, but I think I can get a few hundred off..

With this kind of mileage, and with a rotary engine, what kind of problems am i looking at in the future?

Also, how hard is it to turbo the N/A engine?
If not that, what about a turbo engine transplant?

Buying a '90 rx7 at $3000 is definitely a go coz' 1st point: series 5(newer) and 2nd point: plenty of refinements. But, u gotta check all the joints to make sure no illegal welding points and fake parts. Then, make sure the car is start-up and take it for a spin to feel the engine before u go for it. Give 5 minutes for the engine to warm up before u drive it to make sure that there is no white smoke behind besides the initial start-up phase. Also, make sure u redline it a few times to check the engine condition. After u redline the engine, the rev should go down smoothly(no jerks) until idling point. But idle should stay above 1k for a few sec before going down to 700-800rpm depending. If the car body vibrates on idling/plenty of thick white smoke from exhaust during start-up/engine hesitates to rev above 3.8k, then u should bargain for a better price coz' chances are u may need to rebuilt the engine soon.

The most u should pay for it $3500.

RXtony7 is right, an average rotary engine last about 100k but it could put in more if there is regular maintenance and improve breathing system on the car. As the car ages, the original parts gets more wear n tear and things may start breaking down one day due to age. These breakdown may lead fatal blow to engine. Assuming it is 1st engine, 138k mileage is good but its time is near.

My 85 rx7 13B n/a lasted until 151k before rebuilt. rotary n/a generally has longer lifespan than the turbo version. If u save on maintenance on rotary, u'll end up paying big on rebuild. Bearing in mind that rotary requires more frequent oil changes than piston. For example, recommended oil change of a particular oil is 5k mileage but on rotary it should be at 2k - 4k depends on engine mods and travel frequencies.

Again, I agree with RXtony7, u might as well look for turbo model but otherwise, a engine swap is the way to go. Cheers...

[Steel]

Originally posted by RXtony7
If you have everything needed to do the swap then it shouldnt be that bad to do. Just time consuming. Good luck.

ok, but well, how expensive/ easy is it to get a TII; tranny, driveshaft, rearend, and computer?
cause i can get the TII engine for about 2700 i believe (revolutionrotary.com), street ported, and whatnot, BUT if it has too much HP, its gonna break shit. And i wanna put a TII into my N/A, as a sleepr, wolf in sheeps clothing, ya know. That OR i can get an HKS turbo system for 2K. sooooooo what shoooooould i do? thanks guys.

[g0stx]

Well, I would think that your original transmission could handle the tII, and shouldnt need to be swapped..

A refurbished rx-7 engine can cost anywhere from 700 to 2000 dollars, depending on what you want to get..

Make sure the turbo isn't coked though and that the bottom end/oilpan isnt bent or crushed, thats expensive to replace.

Also, you may want to look into a diffrent exaust system, specifically for the turbo engine. Turbo engines use a diffrent design exaust than on the naturally aspirated engine...

Good luck and hope this helps a little.. Look on sites like ebay and such for a used rx-7 engine.

[Steel]

well the problem is, the N/A tranny can only take up to aobut 200 hp
and so if i change my tranny, the N/A driveshaft doesnt fit, and the TII drivashaft doest fit onto the N/A pumpkin, soo i have to change the whole dsrivetrain.

but...i forgot what i was gonna say, hold on. .. .

[g0stx]

At this point, the only reason I would do the swap would be just for the hell of it, and if i had a ton of $$ to blow...

If you arent concerned with working on the car and were going to have all the crap done at a shop or what not.. Just sell the NA rx7 and find a turbo car to rennovate.. It'll cost alot less in the long run I would think..

[FC3S]

The n/a TII tranny is the mazda type-M taken from 1st gen rx7 and the turbo TII tranny type-r taken from RX3 where the Ist and 2nd is slightly widen for easier and smoother gearshifts. My advice is u go for turbo tranny as well if u swap or upgrade to TII engine. Make sure get a new or refurbished engine coz' u dunno how much a 2nd hand engine has left in it. U could try guess the life span by doing compression test.

U can go for used parts for the other parts maybe except for tranny. A used tranny is better off overhauled/refurbished for better longevity.