How reliable are the FD series of the RX7? I know it's a rotary but how reliable are they?

 

Rotary engines have always had some issues. They have poor low-RPM torque, get poor gas mileage, use more oil on the average than conventional piston engines, have relatively weak apex-rotor seals (comparable to a conventional engine's piston rings), pollute a lot requiring a lot of emissions hardware, and, on carburated versions, sometimes have flooding issues on cold starts, creating big clouds of smoke. Parts for them can also be expensive because there relatively few places to get them. But they are small, light, help the car have ideal weight distribution and a low center of gravity for good handling, and rev almost as smoothly as an electric motor; virtually vibration-free.

Aside from that, later models of the RX-7 (the early 90's twin-turbo version) were very lightly constructed, with a lot of thin aluminum parts. They were known for being like a tin can, both in road noise because of lack of insulation and for bending and warping suspension/chassis parts on bumps and rough roads.

 

Haha rotary and reliability rarely go in the same sentence.

They require a lot of up keep, it burns through oil like no other, and you usually need to pop the hood and check up on things every few weeks.

 

i think the question needs to be

"how unreliable is a FD RX-7?"

As mmarshall mentioned, with the smoothness of the engine and its ability to develop large HP numbers with Turbos and whatnot, rotaries are rarely driven "quietly" so the apex seals tend to not hold up well...and that pretty much requires you get a new engine.

A friend of mine has had a FD RX-7 for about 2-3 years now, and is currently in the midst of putting in his second engine (it is also his second RX-7).

 

I have two friends, one who owns a FC (87') and the other a FD (93'). They are constantly wrenching but that's what they enjoy. Plus those are not their daily drivers. I wouldn't recommend you purchasing an FD if it's your daily driver. They are known for needing rebuilds before 100,000 miles.

 

FD + LS1 = win

 

I have a few friends with rx-7's 2 with fc and one with fd. The fd seems to run fine, I don't know what goes on behind the scene but the fc...problems all the time hahaa

 

You should not use RX7 and reliability in the same sentence. Just look up Apex Seals or Rat's Nest as some initial advise....

 

Hmm, this doesn't bode well for a friend of mine who's currently searching for an FC RX-7.

 

from what I know they are definetely not a very reliable motor. The new renesis motors are better, but still torqueless and no *****. Thats why the rx7 had a tubo. I think the new Renesis motors are outputting like total of 1.3 liters and make a monsterous 210-220 hp. My old civic was also 1.3 liter.

 

turbo or NA?

 

Yes, the Mazda dealers had cars on the showroom floor that had to be fixed for minor dents from lookers just closing the door with their hand.

 

You can't really compare a rotary the same as a otto cycle engine.

 

Is that serious?

 

Most FD owners end up with engine overhauls every 60k miles.

Coolant seals and apex seals go bad very frequently in those cars even when properly taken care of.