First off, I want to say Hi, Hello to everyone out there.
I just lost my VW GTI VR6 to an engine fire. It was fickle and it broke a lot, and I loved it, even when it wasn't running.

I'm not new to tuning, but i am new to the rotary engines, well not completely new. I just came across a 93 RX7 with a lot of miles on it. 100k to be exact, but I got it at a steal, and i love learning and fixing cars not to mention I've always wanted an on going project.

That being said, I KNOW this car will break, I KNOW I will have to fix it alot, and I KNOW that this car is more of a toy than a family car.

Here are the specs, the car has 100k miles on it, it was never modded, nothing was replaced, I test drove it and it was awesome. I understand that there are a couple of things that need to be done in order to keep the longeivty of this car, it uses no MAF and therefore any creep in boost could cause detonation. It's getting colder out, and I'm bringing this car up to boston. So it will be very cold soon and the boost will start to creep.

I wanted some recommnedations as to what to do first. Here were some of my thoughts, as I've been reading around to try and keep up with my homework.

1) ECU upgrade to continually monitor fuel mapping, etc
2) Larger radiator, or possibly lose the air conditioning system
3) Boost and fuel guage to monitor systems
4) Turbo timer to prevent coking as with any turbo
5) Replace seals and fluids often
6) Always wait to get the car warmed up before boosting or revving
7) Don't think about modding until I\ve done the above

Am I being too cautious? Am I on the money? Did I forget something? Its just the car has a lot of miles on it, which actually has the cleanest dirt free engine bay I\ve ever seen, but anyway what needs to be done first and how and where can I get these things done or replaced cheap?

Im also curious, how much would a rebuild be?

Thanks for looking, and again whats up to all my new fellow 3rd gen owners

 

here a good site to start out with

http://www.robrobinette.com/

 

1) Not necessary. If your car is stock and running properly, you shouldn't be seeing more than 10 PSI which is correct.
2) Stock is fine, assuming the plastic end tanks aren't broken/cracked, but w/ 100K on the clock, it would probably be prudent to replace.
3) Boost and water temp.
4) The turbos are water-cooled so a turbo timer is not a must-have. Just lay off the boost a couple miles from your destination and you can just shut it off when you get there.
5) Fluids, yes. But which seals?
6)
7) Yes.

It would be a good idea to replace your belts and hoses and fuel filter, as well as your AST or you can eliminate it.

Do the 90K service if it hasn't already been done.

$2K - $8K depending on what you do.

Congrats on the new car and welcome to the board.

 

One of the best noob posts ever.

Keep reading, you'll learn it all in days/weeks.

 

Yes, he sounds like he has a great attitude.

And he mentions that he lost his GTI to an engine fire. FDs are known for that too. Now wouldn't it be ironic if...

 

A down Pipe is a first must. For car longevity a metering pump is a good investment. Another must is having the car serviced in time or even before always.

I am new to rotary also but have the luck of having 2 specialist as close friends. I always seek their guide before doing somthing. You may see what I have done so far with mine at my site.

Still have not done a down pipe since I am waiting to see what the new emissions regulations here will be.

 

Well since no one has replied yet....

When was this engine rebuilt? Or has it been? I'd get a compression check for your own sanity to know where you stand engine wise. Is this car stock or what has been done to it that you're aware of?

You should do a silicone hose job. You don't really need a turbo timer, just don't boost the car like mad and then shut it off seconds later. Definitely get a aluminum radiator, prolly an aluminum ast as well. If it's stock, lose the pre-cat and get a downpipe. I'm sure you've read about a "3 mod rule" use that for guideline before upgrading your ECU.

 

1) Apexi Power FC would be an excellent choice if you plan to mod the car in the future.
2) You really can't go wrong doing this mod. Better to be safe than sorry.
3) Boost gauge is a good choice, but I wouldn't waste money on an A/F gauge.
4) I wouldn't bother with this either. Just don't drive the car hard the last 30 seconds of your trip.
5) Fluids for sure, but not sure which seals you are going to replace often.
6) Good thing to do.
7) I agree

Oh, and welcome to the club.

 

Ha, it's a funny thing you say that, the GTI was not my first car fire. The first was when I had just gotten my license, the power steering fluid res. cracked. Lincon Mercury had it repaired only to break again, this time leaking all over a hot manifold, causing my first engine fire.

But thanks a lot, the information is good stuff. I think soon enough I'll have most of it down pat, I can't wait for this winter project to get started.

Quick question, a lot of the plastic moldings inside are broken, cracked, or about to break. Things like the passenger side door handle, the handle for the hood latch, and the center console are all quite beat up, wheres a good place to get inexpsensive replacement parts?

 

This could be the reason why:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=364428

 

For OE parts you might try Mazdatrix:

http://www.mazdatrix.com

or Malloy Mazda (ask for Ray Crowe in parts, and tell Ray you're from RX7Club).

(703) 490-8170

My interior looks like **** too, don't feel bad.

 

Ah, someone learns the hard way that this server is a pain in the *** with new posts.

 

How much did you pay for it, Ghettostamps?

 

Ghetto,

With your luck I think you should also invest in a good fire extinguisher

All my cars are fitted with one..

Welcome to the club!

 

welcome... and I don't have any additions to what my comrades have said. Although, do you have any pics?

 

The hose job isn't necessary if you're not having boost issues. A downpipe is a must-have I forgot to mention, however, the "3 mod rule" is just not true.

http://www.newwave.net/~flanham/wlan.../3modrule.html

You can run all the bolt-ons on your car, keep it @ 10 PSI max, and you'll be fine.

 

Welcome to the club! Feel free to join the folding team. Click my sig to find out more.

 

Well a lot of people seem to think the hose job is necessary since the stock rubber hoses get hard over time and then lose elasticity and crack. But if you want to run 10+ year old rubber hoses go for it, I just think it's a red flag. Just about every site lists a hose job as one of the key bunch of initial maintenance items to do to your fd.

You're right the 3 mod rule isn't "gospel" its just a good guideline, you could always get a boost controller and lock into 10 PSI and be fine.

 

If the engine has not been rebuilt yet then I suggest you do this:

Add a boost gauge, upgrade the AST, replace fuel filter. Don't change anything else. Then read, read, read! and just save money because a rebuild is coming soon. Change the oil every 2k miles.

Once the engine dies (I'm thinking it's going to be sooner than later). Replace radiator, add down pipe, upgrade AST (if you didn't do this earlier), change belts, coolant lines, pulsation dampener (sp?), clean injectors, replace fuel filter (again, why not?). That way there is no extra labor involved and after doing all of the reading you will have a fair amount of knowledge on what mods you want to do to your car.

 

The oem vacuum hoses are much better than silicone so if they look really bad don't switch to silicone go with high temp goodyear hose, or viton (sp?). After owning lots of these cars with different types of hoses this info is not my opinion but simple fact. Silicone hose sucks but if you insist on using it definitely get some nice thick high grade stuff. Rotary shops love the stuff because it's cheap, easy to work with, works great the first time it's done because it seals well and doesn't pinch off etc....However 2 or 3 years later it's splitting and falling apart because it dries out easily. I've had some silicone hose that's dried out so bad you could literally roll it between your fingers and turn it into dust .

 

Fritz,

is it just me or how come 90% of the sites / shops / people I talk to praise a silicone hose job? I did a silicone job on my car years ago and the OEM hoses were nasty and hard and worthless IMO. I've redone some of the silicone I've put in and they seem to be holding up just fine after probably almost 3 years.

I'm not disagreeing with your opinion, it just shocks me that reputable shops and such would praise it just because it was easy to work with. Silicon and viton are good for about 200C operating temp I believe, rubber or goodyear hose is far less if I'm not mistaken in temp and oil resistance. I know I read this somewhere on here.

Eh well, this thread wasn't a hose debate battle so enough from me.

 

Well you have a choice then - silicone which may soften and crumble, or stock rubber which will harden. That's why I chose viton

Although mazdaformance.com has the OEM hose & check valve replacement kit for $168 - if you like OEM this will buy you a guaranteed 5 years of reliable operation, and no worries about pinched hoses since they're pre-bent to route properly. And all new check valves is always a good idea.

Dave

 

Fritz and I have a somewhat unique view of FDs, we've seen, worked on and torn down more than just about anyone short of a shop.

I like the stock hoses if they are in good shape I wouldn't recommend changing them.

I think the thick walled silicone hose is good for vacuum lines in the rats nest. The stuff I see that really sucks is when someone replaces the thick rubber lines on the WG, PC, oil breather, etc with silicone. The silicone hoses do not fit tight so people use worm drive hose clamps which cuts the hose over time. The silicone hose is not formed so it kinks over time. Silicone breaks down when exposed to oil.

Be choosy on which hoses you replace with silicone, don't replace the larger diameter rubber hoses with silicone, the stock rubber lines are frequently in good shape and can/should be reused.

 

where in NY are you?

 

In Westchester, New Rochelle but I'm usually in Boston as thats where my apt is, school is.

I can\t say thanks enough for all the info you guys are tossing out there, it's like a great mystery novel to me, i cant get enough. So the first thing on the list is to lose the pre-cat and hit up the dp. Replace hardened hoses with silicone or not, whichever will last longer.

Quick question, where is the apex seal located, and how hard is it to fix that. Sorry for the noobie question, but it had to be asked. What is the normal compression for the engine, what's acceptible and whats not?

The guy wanted 11,400 I got 9,5 then 8,5 when i said cash. Also because the lot down the street had one as well. Blue booked is 12,400 but you all knew that. So to me its a great deal and with the left-over insurance i can play around with a few things. As for pictures, I will have them up as soon as possible. I'm supposed to pick it up tom (weds), but I WARN YOU, it has a big ricey spoiler on it, and 17 inch chrome wheels. which leads me to my next paragraph...

If anyone wants a big heavy black spoiler let me know, I need something more, simple. And if you want my "please steal me" 17 in rims I'll trade you for stock ones as I\m sure in Boston they won't last long.

Man, can I sell or what? lol I'm not looking for money just some trades. And I'd prolly just give you my spoiler if you ask nicely