Dueled

I just picked up my car a 1994 white rx-7 with 76k og miles. I drove it 60 miles home with some worry behind my head hoping i make it home ok.. Although wanting this car since i was 18 and now 6 years later i get one is a weird feeling too.



Everything seemed good. Revs are smooth. It does have the 5th gear syncro, but when i rev match, it shifts good. Throughout the drive the aftermarket temp gauge showed 180 average.



I have a couple of newbie questions. (I know, my real first turbo car.. and its an fd). I don't like sounding newbie, but now that i have one, i better start learning.



1.) When i'm done driving, and i'm leaving the engine on to cool it down. Should i just go by time or should i go by the temp gauge? I noticed when the car is sitting there it usually jumps to 200-210. When the car is in motion its 180. I drove it for 60 miles so i left it on for about 10 mins, while i was cleaning the other car out.



2.) Are there any signs of anything bad i should be looking out for? (i.e. leaks, smell, driving).



3.) The car mostly idles at 800-900, but i noticed sometimes it jumps to 1100, 1200 and stays there for a few mins, then it drops down again. Anything to worry about?



4.) There is the smell coming from the car when i turn it off. I noticed it with my TII too. I just assumed its the "rotary" smell, hard to explain. I'm just hoping all rotaries have that distinct smell. Been awhile since i sat in friends fd.



Also tips on driving it. Right now i haven't even taken it above 4k rpm. I plan to drive VERY conservative as i really don't want to do an engine rebuild or the like right away.



Car has (repost):



Fluidyne radiator

Tri-Point Intake (seperates intake airflow from intercooler)

Tri-Point aluminum AST

Tri-Point silicon vacumme hose kit (installed by them)

Samco 4" hoses with the big clamps from the Y-Pipe to the engine

Downpipe (heat-tape wrapped)

R-Speed(?) Can type catback with silencer installed



Any mods you guys recommend? Right now only thing i can think of is a turbo timer, so i don't have to sit there waiting. Has a temp gauge + boost gauge.



Goal for the car is to last the 6 months I need to pay it off. I don't want to do much more than that. I will be daily driving this car, but i do have a back up car incase of worst case.



Car already passed smog, so i'm not worried about that.

Compression results as of last week:



Front Rotor: 8.7/8.8/8.8 at 227 cranking rpm (~125 psi)

Rear Rotor: 8.8/8.8/8.7 at 265 cranking rpm (~125 psi)



Pics coming soon!

and sorry for the long post.

amp

consider heatsoak during these supposed cooldowns..

id run the fans and pop the hood and let her idle for a minute..

turbo timers are a waste of hard earned money imho..use it for a boost gauge..

Fd3BOOST

I wouldn't sweat the turbo timer. It doesnt sound like your hardly even running the turbos anyway with you not taking past 4k. There is no need to baby the engine. It is a rotary and it does not wear on the engine to rev it high like a piston engine. If you want to drive it hard you can run it on up to the red line. I don't remember if the stock ECU has a rev limit but I doubt you will be finding out anytime soon. Another reason that I would not worry about hurting the engine is because with 70k original miles you are due pretty much any time now for a coolant seal failure on the engine and it is going to have to be rebuilt anyway. This is pretty well know that the average life span on the O rings in an original stock motor is somewhere in the 60k area. Some go longer but its something you should to be aware of.

The jumping idle is most likely the fans kickin on and changes the load on the engine and the fuel map is just compensating for it. Or something to that effect.





You sure your not smelling coolant? You burn the same pump gas that ever other car does so your engine should not be smelling different.



Best way to know if your cooling system is ok is to pressure test it for leaks.



Instead of a turbo timer I would get a boost controller.

Dueled

Nah it doesn't smell sweet.

If the O-ring fails, is the rebuild the same price as a blown apex seal? Or are all rebuilds the same.

What signs should i be looking for to know the orings failed?



Ill look for a local shop to test the pressure + flush the car.



Thanks.

sweet7

The turbo-timer is a matter of prefernce. I dont like sitting there with it. Alot of people say its not necessary, but some of the biggest names in buisness recommend it, take that for what you will.



I agree with FD3boost, get the coolant system pressure tested.



He's already got a boost gauge Jio

RE-Amemiya7

-When you are cooling down the engine after regular driving a 2 min cool down is just fine. After spirited driving a 5-6 min cool down before the car is shut off should do. Something I used to do before I got a vented hood was to put the hood up every time I shut the car off, certainly after a few laps around a track.



-There are a few thing you want to look for with the car. The first one I guess you know about, and that’s the 5 gear syncro. One other thing is white, sweet smelling smoke on startup. This could be a sign of an O-ring break and inevitable engine failure. When the engine is shut off, the coolant is still pressurized while the combustion chamber is not. The coolant is then forced into the lower pressure combustion chamber through the break in the O-ring. When the engine is then started up, presto white, sweet smelling smoke.



NOTE: if you live in a wet and cold climate such as I do, this will happen most start ups. Don’t worry, if it doesn’t smell sweet then it’s just the moisture in the exhaust.



-Idle does jump around slightly if you turn on the lights, a/c, heat, or have some large subs drawing loads of current.



-One tip is to get it out and drive it, get the car up passed 4k rpm. Cars are ment to be driven, and you need to get the rpms up to clear all the carbon out of your engine/exhaust.



Besides, the party doesn’t start in a FD Rx-7 until 4500 anyway!

Fd3BOOST

Well that all depends on who does the work I suppose. If you do the rebuild yourself or can find an honest shop to deal with then a coolant seal rebuild can be a lot cheaper. Generally speaking you should not need to replace housinsg and or rotors like you would if the engine breaks an apex seal. So theoretically you should be able to break down the engine, clean and inspect the parts. Replace all the gaksets and rubber oil rings,springs, seals and put it all back together.

Now if you break an apex seal it may be better to just replace the engine with a reman. Last I heard they were going for about $2200 for the short block not counting for the core charge. Most shops will add about 2k onto that for the install etc.

So start saving now...



Seriously though just pressure test the coolant system, make sure you are using a clean fuel filter, get a boost controller and keep it down to 10-11 psi and you might be able to make it a while before running into problems. I have seen a stock motor last 130k before crapping out so there are exceptions. Just know that the engine will at some point in the future need replacing so if your short on cash be smart and don't go modifiying the car much past what you have now and keep your eye on the boost gauge. Especially now that the weather is getting cold. Cold air = Boost spikes= Blown engines.

Best of luck.

Dueled

Thanks for the advice. I'll be researching local shops to pressure test the coolant systems and get a boost controller. I'm new to FD3s and turbo's in genral so i'll be keeping it at the reliability mods and nothing more, till i learn the car. Even when it comes time to modifying the car, i'd prob dump all my money on suspension anyways.

Signal 2

Respectfully, I think Fd3BOOST might be worrying you unnecessarily. Yeah, the 13bREW isn't as bullet-proof as some 4 cylinders out there, but taken care of, I think they can last way past your 70k. Turbos are another issue, but they should be regarded as a consumable, not unlike clutches, brake pads etc.

I agree with getting the boost controller. You also might want to research the FC/Miata Thermoswitch mod, which turns on your fans at a lower temp. Also agree on forgetting the turbo timer. The turbos on these cars are water cooled, so a couple of minutes easy driving before turning it off should do. You already noticed that temps can actually go up at idle. Now the "Fan Mod" is another thing to consider to reduce underhood temps, but a separate issue from the timer.

Best advice I think I got as a new owner was to be religious about maintanance. Oil change with a quality filter every 2.5k IMO. Also think about changing your tranny and diff fluids, and plugs, as soon as practical. None of the stuff I mentioned is very expensive, and it'll also allow you to get some "hands-on" familiarity with the car. Just my .02. In any event, sounds like a nice car. Post some pics and keep us updated, and congratulations.

Dueled

Just so i'm less paranoid.



Above what temperature (off my water temp guage) should i start worrying about the car?



Right now its mostly 180f when i drive. I have seen it go up to 210 once, and that was because i did drive a bit harder on some local turns. heh.



Funny thing is i've been reading about the FD for the last 5 years. Right when i get the car, my mind goes blank