Rotary engine
 

Hi, a friend of mine told me that rotary engines break down easily and are very pricey to fix, are these facts true?

thanks!

maybe...
supposedly the apex seals, or something like that, go after 120 thousand clicks. i dont know if this is true, but thats wha i've heard.

idiots.. A rotary is no more difficult or expensive to rebuild than a regular piston engine. You need a person who knows how to rebuild them is all. If you get a rubild by someone who has no experience with a rotary they will probably botch it. I currently have my second rx7 and picking up my third. Sold the first one running strong at 235xxxkm. Second one is running great with 150xxxkm. These were both naturally aspirated cars and they are not overly expensive to maintain. I do not recommend a rotary as a first and primary car, since they are hard on gas and kind of rust prone. If its a summer fun car, go for it! I love mine. I bought it dirt cheap, put breaks, fuel lines and a MOP and it passed safety and e-test. Loads of fun. If you're handy around a car I can't think of a more fun easy to drive sports car for the money.

how hard is the rx7 on gas? cause it'll be my primary car actually.

I had an RX-7 years ago and it was awesome on gas, even when I beat on it. 25-30L lasted me a week almost (M-F driving). I hated the choke, esp in winter. If ya didnt get mine just right the first time and it stalled before being warmed up - yer fukked for the day. That was my biggest issue with that toaster sized aluminum motor, it took forever to warm up and give out heat. I was usually at my destination just as the cab was getting warm. But I fukken loved that car, just dont over push in the corner (like any car)

once you understand how to work on it, It's easier than working on a piston motor.

I own 2 rx7s and I wouldn't go back.

Its not terrible. With a good tune up and all regular maintenance done, i get an average of 620km to about 60L. I can get more on the highway, but way less stop and go with a heavy foot. You drive like a granny its easy to get decent mileage, drive it like a sports car, it goes down quick.

TURBO rotaries will not last as long as an N/A.....but if you take care of it it will treat you well. Sometimes the key is to do a rebuilt before your seals let go. Recommendationof re-building after 120,000 km is a good benchmark to go by.....provided you havent beaten it, or done a bad tune.

You run too lean on the rotary, and kill it.......and it wont last you 10km..LOL.

Gas is not great on the 3rd gen.........but that is not what you bought the car for.
I take very good care of my car, and don't beat the crap out of her......compare it burning fuel to that of a V8.

what specif shops around here CAN specilize and know about rotaries?

There are two good shops in Ontario that come to mind,
Jim at Rotary dynamics
Rotary Dynamics Remanufactured Rotary Engines
And Joe at RPM
RPM Motorsports - Import Performance Specialists

1985 Rx7
 

I just purchased a 1985 RX7 ... any tips anyone can give me??...

NVM i see someone already posted that!!!

is SABER Performance still around?
They used to be Scarborough - but heard they moved out to Sauga.
Owner had a crazy go-fast-quick RX7.
Not sure if the shop is still around - he's been busy with CSCS

If you have any questions about your rx7, just pm me.

Or check out the rx7club.com website, lots of info there....

if its a second gen, and you dont know how to fix the motor, then buy a new one, they dont run that much in costs.

A big problem is flooding the engine. If you know what not to do, it should never happen to you..but if it happens it can be costly.

you could pull the fuel pump fuse and crank the motor to clear itself out, the reinstall fuse and your done...

Or just hook up a fuel pump kill switch and use that.

everytime i see this sort of topic it just makes me laugh.

Rotaries ARE NOT unreliable, i repeat rotaries ARE NO unreliable.

If you thrash your rotary, do burnouts, dont check the oil, and generally dont look after it then yes they will become reliable. If you actually check the oil every 1000km, get it services and tuned every 5000km and dont drive like an idiot your rotary will last just as long as any other car.

i have owned my FC for 5 years, done around 60,000kms and never had 1 issue with it, its the most reliable car i have ever owned.

:smilie_da
:smilie_da

true say man!

Rotaries seems to be unreliable only if you don't own one.
If more people have/had one, we can change the "fact" that rotaries are unreliable.

I have yet to own a FD, but I love my FC's, best bang for buck for a sports car in the 2nd gen price range. I couldn't find another car with a better balanced chassis, better output, and having the right wheels driving for a better price.

Best part was, if it does pop, a replacement engine is relatively cheap compared to all popular swaps. Gas consumption is on par with boosted piston engines with similar output. No complaints there.

Lastly, I'd like to recommend getting rotary work and advice at the following shops that actually helped me instead of other rotary shops that seems to get their solutions/repairs from a magic 8-ball.

RPM MOTORSPORTS - Joe
CANJAM AUTO - Stewart or Richard
MAZDEES - Dave

yup so true - make sure you have a good workshop for you rotary as its easy for people to bugger the car up when they dont know what they are doing.