FC3S/Rotary engines?

[dustydrifter4]

Can I get a picture or diagram of how a rotary engine works?!?! Are they reliable? I hear that they are really unreliable and they break down a lot. I don't imagine that many people are skilled with working with them because they are so different, so maintenance and parts must be pricey. Is the American FC3S style RX7 a good car? Is it a better drifter than a 240sx? How is it's handling?

I don't have a clue about these things, so if someone could e-mail me some info at dustydrifter4@yahoo.com, that would be good.

Thanks...a lot.

[turbo23]

OK, settle down... there alot many experienced people who know the rotary all over the world. If you want to know how they work go here http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm that will show and tell u how. Rotarys can be very relaiable, you just have to have proper tuning and be sure to mod correctly.

[turbo23]

As for drifting, a FC is a great drift car, but a 240 is better for learning purposes. A FC requires you to really push yourself. It loves to grip and the steering angle isnt as good as a 240. They are one hell of a fun car though I wish ihad 4 arms cause id give it 4 thumbs up

[Thai Juku]

Hahaha...American FC3S...I prefer LHD FC...Anyway, to answer your questions, a 240sx is a drift happy car. It's very forgiving when drifted, great beginner car. Although, the handling isn't so great when stock, you need to get a new suspension, LSD or some other things to get it handling... An FC on the other hand is little harder to drift...And a little less forgiving, it likes to grip a lot, but needs less mods when it comes to handling. Since it is a sports car...And I think you answered your own questions about the rotary engine...It all depends how well the engine has been maintained. I'm assuming that you're looking into buying one of these...Well if you are, I recommend the 240sx. And forgiving me for asking, but is English your 2nd language?

[spiritofFC3s]

owning an fc takes a lot more dedication, i think, than most other cars. if you take care of any car it will turn out to be very reliable obviously, but the rotary engine i think requires a little more attention than piston engines. the rotary engine comes down to three basic parts. piston engines run on 100+ plus parts. The thing is that rotary engines aren't very forgiving, at all. You neglect it once and that may be all that it takes for you to need a new engine or a rebuild. anyway my two cents

[nissanguy_24]

this months super street has a very good rotary car primer in it that i think you should pick up.

[BridgePorted]

yea we just tore apart a 6 port motor ( n/a 13b) that had 390k on it and the only think wrong with the motor is a blown oil seal. what most people dont know is that most rotary engines can be built for around $500 and is very easy. like someone above said only three moving parts but a ton of seals and the only hard part is keeping up with all of them. for power its all in the porting and once you learn how to port you can set your powerband and have the sound you want (i love the brap brap brap sound of my bridge port ) if you guys have any rotary questions let me know i will be glad to help

David

[theflatlander]

Bridgeported- are you running a turbo bridge ifso, that thing must move.

[BridgePorted]

not at the moment just spent my money for a haltech and fi parts on a 86 se so its still just carbed i do have two turbonetics t66s laying around that i was thinking about putting on but i think i will sell one to a friend doing a vert tII conversion and the other to my cousin for his gsx so i can put some money in the se and hopefully learn to drift

[defiantfc3s]

The breaking down of a rotary engine depends on the condition that your rotary is in. For instince, if you own an 88 FC and it starts to breakdown its problably your fuel pump since they tend to wear out. Another common problem is keeping the exhaust system and catalytic converter from stopping up. If you tune the 13b rotary right it can be one of the most reliable cars on the road (or track). Also, if you are looking in to these, they are the best for drifting because they come stock with stiff suspension and an LSD. Don't go with the 240SX because it comes with the KA24DET and it is one of the weakest engines and you don't waste money on an SR20 swap (which will be necessary). Also for more reliability and better drifting you will want to go with the N/A 13B, since the compression is higher in the housing is greater than the TurboII you won't have to boost the car. But if you are looking for speed (over 300hp) definitly go with the Turbo 13b. One last thing don't boost an N/A 13b motor because the stock compression and boost will cause your rotor housing to explode.

[PRC]

KA24DET weak?

funny, I built one for a customer and it has been over 2 years and no probs. Put downs around 350whp in street tune.
Maybe theres more gravity where you live.

[BridgePorted]

i know aroncake on rx7club boosted his n/a and a few did supercharge them. i seriously doubt it will explode a rotor housing especially if its tuned not to say it cant see it happening. everything else about the 7 i agree with

[GRiDRaceTech]

defiant- KA24DET? No car EVER came with a KA24DET from the factory.

The KA24E/DE are not weak engines, and you're ignorant for thinking that. Do some research for God's sake, and don't just listen to the haters on this forum and others.

dusty- I have heard that the 240 is a better drifter, but a FC might be more interesting and promote quicker skill progression. Sure the inline-four in the 240 is more conventional, but rotaries aren't really that hard to work on once you learn about them.

[dustydrifter4]

I never thought that i would get 12 replies to my question. It sounds as though it just depends on me. I know the KA is strong, I have a KA24E and a KA24DE. I f anyone wants a 24E email me at dustydrifter4@yahoo.com. How hard would learning to drift an FC be and how much do they cost? Is there a better option? How about the Toyota Soaror/Lexus SC300/400?
Again, thank you for your assistance.

[PRC]

In reality both cars will provide a good solid foundation to learn racing skills. The major difference is the fact that the RX7 is a rotary engine, and that depending on the situation can be either good or bad.
If you are willing to learn about the rotary, go with the rex. If youd rather have a less complicated engine, go with the nissan.

whatever you do, understand first that no kind of car will replace good race skills. so practice, practice, practice, even if its on a pinto.

[defiantSER]

from what i have read, many of u feel that the ka24de is not a weak motor. from what i have heard from many people owning a 240, they have said that the ka24de is very weak, and they have swapped in the sr20det motor, and say its one of the best!!, i am not to sure about a ka24deT because i have never met anyone who has turboed one of them.

[defiantfc3s]

PRC- Yeah, the KA24 can be fast but if you look at any 240 in a magazine or in a real drift competion, they will have the SR20 swap simply because the SR20 has easily twice the power as the weak *Censored**Censored**Censored* KA24.

BridgePorted- The compreesion in the N/A 13B is way greater than the turbo 13B so why turbo it when it already has more compression than the turbo engine? Sure it'll help but why not just start out with a Turbo II if your friends want to turbo an N/A engine? Maybe if you swaped a 3mm rotor and housing you could turbo it, but turboing a stock Turbo 13B is just easier than turboing an N/A engine and tuning it so it can take the compression. Yes, it is possible to turbo an N/A 13B if it is tuned right, but turboing a stock N/A without it being tuned, will most likely fail. So just keep the N/A's stock and the Turbo II's turboed (until they tuned enough to take the compression). And thanks for agreeing with the rest of the stuff.

GRiDRaceTech- The only car that came with the KA24's are all of the 240SX's. The cars that didn't come with the KA24s are the later models of the 180SX which came with the SR20. ANY 240SX with the SR20 drop will tear anyone up with a KA24 240SX.

dustydrifter4- FC's are very cheap, anywhere from $500 to $5000, it just depends on what model and how good of condition it is. My FC is a N/A with a bad paint job and a perfect interior, the guy I got it from was selling it for $1400 in the newspaper, and when I got there it wouldn't start so i talked him into selling it for $650. So far its had about 2 problems since I've had it. If you want a TurboII in perfect condition its going to be around $5000. Which I don't recommend, look for a low mileage N/A or Turbo (because they are both good for drifting, turbo if you want more power down the road) with a good enigine. DON'T worry about paint jobs and interiors, woory about the condition of the engine (because we all know looks don't matter). Also, if you have good tires, drifting will be easier than driving. Almost any form of drifting is easy in an FC except power drifting because they don't have enough power stock to send the car sideways.My overall suggstion is to go with an FC3S RX7.

[PRC]

defiantfc3s- Id have to disagree with you.
Most drift 240s have the SRto emulate the silvia, not because its better. Both engines are good.
Now, if you are a ricer and gotta have the latest JDM fashion the SR20 is for you. But, if you are an 240sx owner that is within a limited budget (most are) preppeing and turboing the KA will provide better/cheaper results.

[theflatlander]

Originally posted by defiantfc3s
One last thing don't boost an N/A 13b motor because the stock compression and boost will cause your rotor housing to explode.

who told you that? I'm in the process of turbo'n my n/a 13b and with proper fuel mods you can safely boost 10-14 lbs of boost w/o problems.

[su_maverick]

If you are dealing with FC's or FD's, go to the owners...check out www.rx7club.com , You will find any little bit of info you want there.

[defiantfc3s]

theflatlander: Why would you tune an N/A 13B to take the pressure of turbo when you could just turbo the Turbo II 13B? It's just freakin' stupid. Keep the engine N/A. Its more reliable and you won't have to tune the engine to keep cool. And yes, the rotor housing will wear out if you boost the compression of an N/A engine, because the compression in the N/A engine is much higher than the Turbo II and doesn't need boost, just air and fuel upgrades. That's why you can boost the Turbo II without problems.

[theflatlander]

Originally posted by defiantfc3s
theflatlander: Why would you tune an N/A 13B to take the pressure of turbo when you could just turbo the Turbo II 13B? It's just freakin' stupid. Keep the engine N/A. Its more reliable and you won't have to tune the engine to keep cool. And yes, the rotor housing will wear out if you boost the compression of an N/A engine, because the compression in the N/A engine is much higher than the Turbo II and doesn't need boost, just air and fuel upgrades. That's why you can boost the Turbo II without problems.

"Cause 1: i want more power than a stock port n/a with every bolt-on could ever have.2: It'll cost me less to do than a TII swap 3: I want to be different. Another thing don't treat me like i'm a newbie with rotary, i've delt with them for almost 3 years now and have done my homework. A turbo n/a tuned for 10lbs of boost is just as realiable as a turbo II but faster.

[Silentghost]

The only real bad things i have heard about Rotaries are bad emissions(does any one but hippies and money hungry goverment officials really care?)and somewhat poor reliability of seals. But, in my mind these things really dont matter(well maybe the seals but those could be replaced).

By the way any1 kno of online stores that sell roatary engines?

[DONKEY_WEAR]

damnn well if u guys want a nice motor built for your rx-7 i noe just the place! ROTARY POWER its in gardena, ca the # is 310-516-9959 they build some awesome asss motors trust me i mean tehy do have their own drift car!

[LucidStrife]

Turboing a 13b N/A sounds like a good idea to me aslong as you can get the fuel management system set up and keep from detonating. I imagin if you run a turbo through a motor with compression that high stock you would need some high octane fuel. I would see why everyone would be shying away from it. If you build it right, and you can get the boost out of it that you are saying on the stock compresion then you will have a very powerful motor. I'd like to the see the numbers when you are done.

Lucidstrife