rotory newb questions
 

Hi everyone,

so after searching and wanting and scheming a way to get one, tomorrow i pick up my dream car. a series 4 turbo II in white. * excited *

anyways i have some somewhat newb questions that need some rather easy answers. Im new to rotory's but not new to cars at all. been wrenching for 15+ years all on piston driven cars.

for whatever reason many of the FAQ links are broken or i cant view them and i have no idea why.


Basics

Year: 1987
Model: Turbo II
Specifics: 5lug
Mileage: 108K
Rebuilt? No, not that i can tell.

objective with the car: a great example of a rather stock, representation of 1987 that is super (relatively) reliable.


NOTES: i have 0 service records on this car so i have to assume its all original and go from there.


Diff: what type of diff do we have? i know it must be an LSD of some sort since the car didnt do a peg-leg burnout when i dropped the clutch. Also i understand it calls for 75-90wt from the factory but i realize that from time to time people have experience with different stuff that works a little better in older cars. Also is the diff known to be strong or is it a "weak point" ? Also how many quarts to an oil change?


Trans: any specific oil called out for the trans? Is synthetic recommended or is it a "stay dino-oil or risk a dead trans" kind of situation? also how many quarts to a change?

motor: same question about oil basically...what is recommended (brand & "model"). i see 10w-30 is called for given my climate. is synthetic recommended or not? also does anyone recommend "high mileage" oil? i know its formulated to treat seals a little more but there's no valve stem seals in this motor. thoughts on semi synthetics?

Spark plugs & wires: what brand are factory in this car? I know honda's just flat run better with NGK for all ignition parts but what about the RX? Also why type of plug is best? Iridium, simple V-power copper cores, platinum's etc.

coolant: is a specific brand of coolant recommended? or for that matter is "low phosphate" a must or is ol'green good enough? whats the service interval for the water pump?

Thermostat: whats the factory temp that they open at and is there any disadvantage to running a cooler one? aside from the heater not working as well.

AST: do we have one? i saw that theres two radiator caps and i have no idea what the hell the second one is for.

Silicon vacuum lines: are those really needed or would just a quick refresh on the vacuum lines suffice? if its really a "must" where can someone order that online and is there a "kit" somewhere you can buy?



what other mods would help improve reliability? is there a better radiator (i dont consider aluminum ones to be better) or thicker radiator that i can get to help keep the motor cool?


thanks for all the info guys. im really excited about this.

Re: rotory newb questions
 

I'll answer for the bits I know about:

Diff is definitely not a weak point, it's very strong. It's a clutch type. Many people have used the TII diff in other applications (FD) due to its strength. I can't remember the oil, but you need an additive for the LSD to work properly.

spark plug info (mazdatrix is a great resource for many things)

You should use the factory Mazda t-stat. There's also an oil t-stat, they're not known for failing regularly. You can test it by removing it (draining the oil) from the oil cooler and placing it in a pot of boiling water.

Silicone lines supposedly hold up longer than rubber. No other advantage that I know of, except maybe making things colorful. Rubber does the job just fine, it did it from the factory for many years.