ok, i've been a member at rx7club, for some time now and i've never managed to get a good answer to this question. Maybe you could help me here.



During the winter i purchased a 87 t2 rex. The body is in perfect condition, as is the interior. I bought it w/out starting it, because i was told the engine was blown. I was ok w/this because of the price (it was only $800 and they delivered) and because i was planning on doing a v8 conversion. During my spring break... i started trying to see what was wrong w/the engine, the idea of having a rotary was growing on me.



It started when i jumped it. It actually went into gear. There is no power to it, so i assumed that it was apex seals (i don't know that much about rotaries), but i've heard it could be something else. What could it be. I'd love to find out, perhaps i could keep it rotary. I realize i need to do a compression test to see if it's the apex seals but is that the only possibility?



thanks,



-jeff

dont waste a TII on a V8 conversion! these cars are too rare, and by getting rid of the wankle, you'll get rid of the TII tranny, which is better than the N/A's. sell the TII to one of us, or rebuild it your self.



go to v8rx7.com, realize it isn't as easy as you think. learning to rebuild a rotary will be much more cost efficient and rewarding. while you're at it, you can port it, throw on some exhaust, and you'll have a 250 HP beast with that awesome whoosh of the turbo.



if you wanna waste money on a v8 conversion, do it to a vert or or NA, just dont waste a good turbo b/c of a blown engine

compression is the best way to tell if the engine is still good... and hell for sure everyone's going to tell you to keep the rotary (this IS a "rotary" forum you know?)

I was considering doing a swap on an AE86 but after researching it, I thought that it'd be way too much work. Too much custom ****. I ended up rebuilding a TII. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately i didn't have the patience to wait on getting it streetported. With the 13B you'll keep the 50:50 weight distribution which is a big plus if you like handling.

Verts are worth about the same as TIIs.

Clean verts get top dollar, clean TIIs get top dollar.



Shitty verts are cheap, and so are shitty TIIs.

Basically a TII with a blown engine is worth

about the same as a vert with a blown engine.

But you can be sure that the verts drivetrain will out

last the TIIs as the TIIs are usually abused and beat

to death. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/BURNOUT.gif

I've always seen 'vert's costing 15-20% more than TII's in similar condition, but there are usually tons more verts for sale.



Back to the original question, I think we all know my opinion on this matter, but I'll start one more fight. The engine is blown. Put another engine in there. If you want a V8, put a V8 in there, and if you want a rotary, put one in. It's as simple as that. TIIs aren't that rare, and you're not going to lose a whole lot of resale by putting a V8 in there, so do what you want. You won't even upset the handling as much as people will try and tell you you will. Most of these people have never even seen a V8 in an RX-7, let alone driven one. I saw one last weekend and the only thing that bothered me is that my brain wouldn't let the exhaust sound match up to the car...it's pretty weird. Good luck with your decision.

seems like there are only AE TIIs being sold, lol



For being a limited run of cars, seems like alot of them

get traded?



I of course agree with Unique, do with the car as you please

I always say: a non-running RX-7 is worthless so why not have

fun with the car.

I do see a lot of AE's on the market, for such a "rare" car. I'll sell my TII if the price is right. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...DIR#>/wink.png

I was the one that told him to leave the 13b in it



I met his pops by where I work on my lunch break and he was not very specific on what is wrong with the car. IMHO....stay with the 13BT and if you want a chevy powered car...well, buy a chevy! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif

Thanks for the advice... i guess i didn't make it clear, i was hoping for some diagnostic help... why would the engine lose power??? If i can do it, i'd much rather have a rotary. I definately did not mean to start up a v8 vs wankel debate.



why do these lose power???



thanks,



-jeff

good choice my friend, stick with the wankle...



as for power loss, you'll just keep pulling straws till you do a compression check. find out if any seals have blown, and if you have good compression on the rotors, then go from there.

New here to this board, but....



Compression is for sure where you need to look. My guess is that it's to late though.



The only way I'd do a piston engine in a TII is to do it right....



My LS1 Powered '87 TII



That there is more than $5,000 though.



I've had the car since almost new, and have had A LOT of fun back in the day. However, this latest combo is great! I drive it every day. Over 28mpg on the highway. 1/4 mile, 11.78 at 118 with sticky tires.



I loved my rotary engine, and still have TWO other rotary FC's. BUT, I just wanted to shed a little light. NO FLAME WARS!



--- Not a rotary hater here ---



https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif

If you're doing a non-rotary swap, then either the LS1 or the GN engine are the way to go, IMO. That '87 is a prime example of a nicely done conversion.

wow... i've been to that site before. Nice job. Yeah money is tight, i was planning on trying to build a 327 or a 350, but i slowly came the the realization of the price and my lack of money, so i know its still expensive, but the rotary is looking better and better.

they lose power for the same reasons piston engines lose power. its either the compression is low, the exhaust is clogged, fuel filter? air filter? ignition? some of the details or different, but there not really that big of a difference between a piston and a rotary, when you are diagnosing something.



mike

thanks

they lose power for the same reasons piston engines lose power. its either the compression is low, the exhaust is clogged, fuel filter? air filter? ignition? some of the details or different, but there not really that big of a difference between a piston and a rotary, when you are diagnosing something.



mike [/quote]

Not lookin' for a debate on piston vs. rotary, but I disagree. (I'm keepin' my 13B for now, until inspired otherwise.) I think they are alot different when it come to durability. (But I know you're right about the similarity of diagnosing problems) I have seen literally hundreds of piston engine vehicle with 200K+ on the original, never rebuilt engine. They still run strong. My dad's S-10 and my Ranger are 2 prime examples...over 215K on both, never rebuilt, still run strong. If U see a 200K+ rotary, chances are that it's been rebuilt once, twice, or even 3 times before. (or it runs like $#!^) He's right, they lose power over time. Simply said, they lose compression and have to be rebuilt. YES, piston engines lose it as well, but not near as bad...and NOT to the point that they need rebuilt every 75K.

I say leave it a rotary. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif

You must be talking about 3rd gens when you say rebuilt every 75,000. 1st and 2nd gen NAs run forever if they are taken care of. Even with a TII, they'll get to around 120k - 150k before their engine usually goes. There is a Rotary shop here that has a regular customer with a 1st gen with over 300k on the original engine

300K miles.. damn. That's awesome..

i have put 23k miles on my motor since august, still runs great and sees 8k 5-8 times a day

I decided to rip apart the AE, and my vert had been sitting for like 5 months. Went out, and the vert started up on the first try. I was happy. Now I've been driving it for a week now, and it uses half as much gas as the AE too. Gotta love that!

verts are like a faithfull old friend.

they lose power for the same reasons piston engines lose power. its either the compression is low, the exhaust is clogged, fuel filter? air filter? ignition? some of the details or different, but there not really that big of a difference between a piston and a rotary, when you are diagnosing something.



mike [/quote]

Not lookin' for a debate on piston vs. rotary, but I disagree. (I'm keepin' my 13B for now, until inspired otherwise.) I think they are alot different when it come to durability. (But I know you're right about the similarity of diagnosing problems) I have seen literally hundreds of piston engine vehicle with 200K+ on the original, never rebuilt engine. They still run strong. My dad's S-10 and my Ranger are 2 prime examples...over 215K on both, never rebuilt, still run strong. If U see a 200K+ rotary, chances are that it's been rebuilt once, twice, or even 3 times before. (or it runs like $#!^) He's right, they lose power over time. Simply said, they lose compression and have to be rebuilt. YES, piston engines lose it as well, but not near as bad...and NOT to the point that they need rebuilt every 75K. [/quote]

i didnt mean to even start that one, lol. i was just saying when a rotary or a piston motor fails its pretty much the same thing.

oh and since you started i know of several oil burning @40k miles camaros, and a couple 110k+ orignial engine fd's.



mike

And even if rx-7's are known for having low reliability/durability, it doesnt exactly reflect on the wankel engine, but rather mazdas implementation.



Alot of the piston motors you will mention lasting xxx,xxx miles have recieved far more r&d time and money, if you were to take piston engines back to a level where mazdas 13B is in it's development, you would probably have something that throws rods on a regular basis.

yeah... rotaries can last. My friend had an 83 that he just sold. It was up to almost 198,000 miles. Its rediculious.