rebuild? or wait til she blows up?
#27
Cheap Bastard
iTrader: (2)
I went with a mild street port, and couldnt be happier. The only effect on my powerband was a little more power at the top end. It had no effect anywhere else. As long as you have the supporting mods, a mild port is a no-brainer.
And I still think the OP should drive the car for a while, and save some extra money before the rebuild.
And I still think the OP should drive the car for a while, and save some extra money before the rebuild.
#29
Full Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chesapeake Va
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'll probably just drive it for a few weeks and enjoy it for a little while then take it for a rebuild. Depending on if I can find more shops. I actually put a wanted ad on Craigslist last night wanting a rotary mechanic and someone emailed me and told me about another local shop. Had that one and one recommending me to the original shop that I knew about.
#30
Rotary Freak
iTrader: (5)
Because if its original it has 21 year old seals . that could be brittle and cracked . and even if hte compression is good if one of those go if its an oil seal spun bearing , if its a water seal warped housings
rather then have the motor refreshed . and he can have a reliable fun car for years to come..
granted it could last for 10 years as is now.. but it could also go in a year.
#32
Sharp Claws
iTrader: (30)
and at roughly 125k miles the 3 piece seals are likely on their last legs, so the recommendation to rebuild is to save those parts(rotors/housings) as they won't be available forever.
i've seen bone stock REW engines go as high as 225k miles but sometimes you just have to consider luck as a factor.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-22-14 at 11:44 AM.
#33
Sponsor
iTrader: (41)
on Wed. I will be picking up a 93 FD with 89k miles on it. still with the original motor. it is not blown, but I was wanting some input on whether I should just go ahead and get it rebuilt right away, or if I should just wait til she goes? I have some things I want to do as far as reliability mods (bigger exhaust, new radiator, possibly FMIC,AST). I have about a 3k budget to work with as soon as I get the car, and I know the rebuild will cost about 2k at the local rotary shop. Should I do the mods first, or should I just go ahead and get the rebuild out of the way? all input (besides smartassness) is appreciated...thanks
#40
Full Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chesapeake Va
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
just spoke with another local shop and was quoted almost 5k for a rebuild of all the seals, plus pulling the motor and replacing vacuum lines as well....a little bit more then I expected/want to pay.
#42
Full Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chesapeake Va
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I could try to do it myself...and spend about half or less....just scared I wont replace something that may possible need replaced. and between that and worked nights full time...I don't want the car sitting in the garage in pieces for 2-3 months. I guess im in quite a predicament right now...
#43
Sharp Claws
iTrader: (30)
you really have 4 options:
risk it by going to the cheaper shop which is probably going to give substandard results
pay the premium and hope they do premium work
do it yourself and probably take 10-20 times the amount of time you originally planned for and not be able to actually enjoy the car for possibly years to come
just drive it and pony up the extra in the event of a more destructive failure
from the sound of it i think the last option suits you best. save up in the meantime for the inevitable, then decide on #2 or #3. but most FD owners who plan to keep their cars long term won't choke up at a $5k major job bill.
a last option is to just buy a spare rebuilt engine and swap it in yourself while documenting the process for review during installation. keep in mind core REWs usually start at $1k and go up from there these days so a spare engine could cost from $2500 up by itself, or a used rebuilt engine for a little more than half that.
risk it by going to the cheaper shop which is probably going to give substandard results
pay the premium and hope they do premium work
do it yourself and probably take 10-20 times the amount of time you originally planned for and not be able to actually enjoy the car for possibly years to come
just drive it and pony up the extra in the event of a more destructive failure
from the sound of it i think the last option suits you best. save up in the meantime for the inevitable, then decide on #2 or #3. but most FD owners who plan to keep their cars long term won't choke up at a $5k major job bill.
a last option is to just buy a spare rebuilt engine and swap it in yourself while documenting the process for review during installation. keep in mind core REWs usually start at $1k and go up from there these days so a spare engine could cost from $2500 up by itself, or a used rebuilt engine for a little more than half that.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-23-14 at 12:34 PM.
#44
Full Member
iTrader: (1)
It's worth having a reputable shop rebuild it. You can do it yourself, I did and I enjoyed it, but if you've never done it before there are things you will miss, things you won't know, and in the end it could all go south on you (hence the reason I drive a hyundai currently and don't own my FD anymore) 5k isn't that much money for a solid build. I would honestly send it to someone who does it for a living like RotaryEvolution^ or Pineapple, or Atkins. Everyone has success and failure stories but you get some sort of guarantee with these people and they can see things about your car that you can't. If you're really uncomfortable pull the engine yourself it's pretty easy and get UPS or FedEx to crate it up and send it off. Otherwise take the car to a shop and let them do the work and look at your car. My next FD will be built by myself to factory spec and if I fail at it again then I'll be sending it out to have it done somewhere. Just don't try and save money, these car's don't like tight wallets and they will let you know.
#45
Full Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chesapeake Va
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i actually got in touch with a local guy that said he worked for mazda for 8 years. 5 time ASE certified tech. said he just rebuilt a rotary last week. he said if I bought the rebuild kit he would do it for cheap. said I could come help too if I wanted to which would be cool I think so that I could become more familiar with everything
#46
I would wait a little bit on the rebuild.
Personally, I would check compression (as other have said) and if the numbers didn't turn out to be stellar then I would purposely drive it for a couple of thousand miles. The reasoning behind it is that I would get an idea of what other issues may be lurking. Such as over heating, boost, vacuum problems, coolant leaks, oil leaks, ect.
Personally, I would check compression (as other have said) and if the numbers didn't turn out to be stellar then I would purposely drive it for a couple of thousand miles. The reasoning behind it is that I would get an idea of what other issues may be lurking. Such as over heating, boost, vacuum problems, coolant leaks, oil leaks, ect.
#48
Like most luxury items in life it depends on your budget. A lot depends on how much you are paying for the car, as long as the price reflects that need for the engine rebuild then it does not matter when you do it. If you are paying full price for it, you might want to shop around for another car.
Keep in mind that age does play a role, we have a car in the shop right now with 39K original miles. Compression was perfect but the customer decided that is was time to rebuild, when I disassembled the engine the outer oil control o-rings crumbled.
Point is you are buying a used car and you need to be prepared to put more money into it. Also be wary of shops that will give you a lowball phone estimate, in an attempt to get your car and money in the shop, just to double or triple the price once your engine is out and apart. Get a written estimate and work order when you drop off the car.
Keep in mind that age does play a role, we have a car in the shop right now with 39K original miles. Compression was perfect but the customer decided that is was time to rebuild, when I disassembled the engine the outer oil control o-rings crumbled.
Point is you are buying a used car and you need to be prepared to put more money into it. Also be wary of shops that will give you a lowball phone estimate, in an attempt to get your car and money in the shop, just to double or triple the price once your engine is out and apart. Get a written estimate and work order when you drop off the car.
#50
Full Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chesapeake Va
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i don't know what im going to do yet. there are a few shops in the area. then I also got in contact with a guy who worked for mazda for 8 years. he said he would do it for 1k plus parts. I told him that was a lil crazy that price was that low, he said he just rebuilt one last week and he is just paying it forward. also said that I could help him too if I wanted to.