Setting up a '94 RX-7

[Superflyz]

Any suggestions on what should i do first to a '94 stock RX-7? I just bought it, and i'm kinda new to drifting, and bought this car just for it.

[jaydm180sx]

Learn how to drive the car before you try to drift the car.

[nasty nate 7]

what mr. tsuchiya(drift king) said about drifting of course, "you have to start off with the suspension (coilovers, sway bars, bushings is optional and strut bars), change the brake pads and brake fluid. thats about it for the basics.... and if your lucky enough to be able to spend some more, upgrading the cpu, exhaust system, seats, steering wheel and shift knob maybe a good idea also. later you might wanna change lsds in the future. anyway what i want you to understand is.... you dont need loads of money to be able to enjoy the sport of drifting" (MY *Censored**Censored**Censored* ITS NOT LOADS OF MONEY)

[Superflyz]

haha, i've had this car for about 4 months now, and it's my daily driver. It's practically brand new with only 50,000 miles from it's original owner, so i assume I can't do too much damage.




Just wondering, is all.

[nasty nate 7]

oh yea, and good choice on your car there buddy, WE HAVE ANOTHER ROTARY BROTHER~! i drive a s5 t2 aka fc3s myself good luck on the car man

[LexmarkX73]

i would pdate the cooling system and replace gaskets, then possibly a better exhaust manifold. it may seem like a lot but rotary engines love blowing up, and this is a lot cheaper compared to 4+ new engines.

[spiritofFC3s]

rotary engines do not "love to blow up". people misunderstand them completely. like ive said before the rotary engine just needs to be taken care of better than conventional engines because it is sensitive to overheating. i've been working with rotary engines for a while and my mechanic has been working with them for over twenty years. what you need to do is sit down with your rx7 and have a talk. listen to what it tells you. have it disspell any rumors about it.

no but seriously if you just stay on top of things you won't have any major problems. its not like you can take care of it and just have it blow up for no reason.

[spiritofFC3s]

oh yea, where are you located superflyz?

[LexmarkX73]

Originally posted by spiritofFC3s
rotary engines do not "love to blow up". people misunderstand them completely. like ive said before the rotary engine just needs to be taken care of better than conventional engines because it is sensitive to overheating. i've been working with rotary engines for a while and my mechanic has been working with them for over twenty years. what you need to do is sit down with your rx7 and have a talk. listen to what it tells you. have it disspell any rumors about it.

no but seriously if you just stay on top of things you won't have any major problems. its not like you can take care of it and just have it blow up for no reason.

its people who dont know that rotary engines need to be babied that blow em' up

[PhoPower]

Make sure to take care of it. As much time it drives it needs to rest. Upgrade the cooling system, if its a twin turbo i suggest getting a bigger intercooler and replace and worn out parts. Then start from there.

[Ghost of Duluth]

Heh, well, they are VERY susceptable to failure. Only because they are too delicate. Used to be all you had to do was keep oil in em and coolant and you could run the dogpoo out of em. Now with the third gens, it is ALOT more involved than that. There is no leeway with a Rotary.

If yours is stock then forget about ANY other mods than cooling ones for the time being. A nice fat radiator is the FIRST thing you want to do. I put a Fluidyne in mine and it is greato. I would also check the recall for the air seperator tank, hoses, vacuum lines (but with 50k on it you may not need that, then again, it is stock and the temps will harden hoses within 35k miles) look at your harness, get someone to check boost pattern, put a vented hood on it (because less hot air is good under that hood) and then, only after all that, can you start to do anything else. A single turbo kit would be a wonderful addition to power AND to cooling. The twins were that absolute worst idea that Mazda ever came up with for that car. Just no room to get rid of the heat. Third gens are the worst vehicles when it comes to dispersing heat. Funny thing is, they are the most affected by heat, so its a crappy trade off. They also require the most tuning of any car I have ever seen. There is no margin for error, one wrong adjustment and "poof" they are up in smoke. Come to my house and look at my R1, prime example. 2 engines in a year, 4 in it's lifetime and it was tuned at Pettit so I know it was right. Things get old, hoses split and whammo, you either have a fire or blown engine. Then again, I lay down round 342 at the wheels on good days.

Oh and since your car only has 50k miles on it, I would watch it every step of the way. Rotaries dislike sitting for long periods of time. Dries out all sorts of little seals and Rotary tomfoolery in that engine. Seeing as that's a 94 model, that's around 5k miles a year average, waaaay too low for a Rotary. Now if he started the car every other week or so, let it reach operating temp and then maybe tooled around the neighborhood for a bit, then it would be ok. See what most people did, since 99% of the population has no idea about Rotaries, is they bought the cars, parked them in their garages, let em sit there then got into them, started em up and roared off down the road like the Road Warrior thinking they were like piston engines and could take that. That is why 99.9% of all third gens have new motors in them. They never let em reach operating temp before stunt driving maneuvers were executed therefore popping the engines. So keep an eye on that because low miles don't always mean good miles with a Rotary.

You will need to upgrade the suspension, though the factory is good enough for government work on beginning Drifting. My R1 suspension is so hard it's scary. The 94's suspension was looser, the R2 was a shade of it's former self compared to the R1 due to customer complaints and general whining about the stiffness. I added some Tein springs and mine is more than enough. Be extra careful of wheel hop too. FD's do NOT like that one bit and you will be really upset if you bust a rear end.

I would have not suggested an FD for a beginning Drifter. I wouldn't suggest an FD for anyone under the age of 25 and with a phatty job to support that car. They are highly expensive to buy, maintain and to upgrade. Everything is way too high. That's why mine sits right now, tired of funneling money into it. They are also not the easiest cars to learn how to slide. The "sweet spot" is so small compared to a 240, Corolla or even an FC. They come around on you suprisingly fast, hard to hold a good slide unless you get it perfect and once they get wide, they are hard to bring back in. Add that to the extremely high cost should you wreck it, hit a curb or another car in mid slide and you have a potential wallet Vampire on your hands. For the price of the FD you could have built a superbly competent 240, with SR conversion, that would have been a much better can to learn with. If you are not a learner then the FD is a great car to further you ability with, just as good as an SR built 240 with suspension. They are about the same.

But, on the other hand, there is nothing like an FD. The feeling of just plain out menace and the stares of the people when you uncork that car with 3 inch exhaust, launch a fireball from said exhaust and blast down the road. There ain't nothing like it in the world. Not to mention the "What is it" questions and the thumbs up you get wherever you go. No other car feels that way or gives you the feeling of invincibility like an FD. You feel like Batman on a speed binge through Gotham. So love them or hate em, they are something to behold.

[Cade]

Originally posted by Ghost of Duluth
Heh, well, they are VERY susceptable to failure. Only because they are too delicate. Used to be all you had to do was keep oil in em and coolant and you could run the dogpoo out of em. Now with the third gens, it is ALOT more involved than that. There is no leeway with a Rotary.

If yours is stock then forget about ANY other mods than cooling ones for the time being. A nice fat radiator is the FIRST thing you want to do. I put a Fluidyne in mine and it is greato. I would also check the recall for the air seperator tank, hoses, vacuum lines (but with 50k on it you may not need that, then again, it is stock and the temps will harden hoses within 35k miles) look at your harness, get someone to check boost pattern, put a vented hood on it (because less hot air is good under that hood) and then, only after all that, can you start to do anything else. A single turbo kit would be a wonderful addition to power AND to cooling. The twins were that absolute worst idea that Mazda ever came up with for that car. Just no room to get rid of the heat. Third gens are the worst vehicles when it comes to dispersing heat. Funny thing is, they are the most affected by heat, so its a crappy trade off. They also require the most tuning of any car I have ever seen. There is no margin for error, one wrong adjustment and "poof" they are up in smoke. Come to my house and look at my R1, prime example. 2 engines in a year, 4 in it's lifetime and it was tuned at Pettit so I know it was right. Things get old, hoses split and whammo, you either have a fire or blown engine. Then again, I lay down round 342 at the wheels on good days.

Oh and since your car only has 50k miles on it, I would watch it every step of the way. Rotaries dislike sitting for long periods of time. Dries out all sorts of little seals and Rotary tomfoolery in that engine. Seeing as that's a 94 model, that's around 5k miles a year average, waaaay too low for a Rotary. Now if he started the car every other week or so, let it reach operating temp and then maybe tooled around the neighborhood for a bit, then it would be ok. See what most people did, since 99% of the population has no idea about Rotaries, is they bought the cars, parked them in their garages, let em sit there then got into them, started em up and roared off down the road like the Road Warrior thinking they were like piston engines and could take that. That is why 99.9% of all third gens have new motors in them. They never let em reach operating temp before stunt driving maneuvers were executed therefore popping the engines. So keep an eye on that because low miles don't always mean good miles with a Rotary.

You will need to upgrade the suspension, though the factory is good enough for government work on beginning Drifting. My R1 suspension is so hard it's scary. The 94's suspension was looser, the R2 was a shade of it's former self compared to the R1 due to customer complaints and general whining about the stiffness. I added some Tein springs and mine is more than enough. Be extra careful of wheel hop too. FD's do NOT like that one bit and you will be really upset if you bust a rear end.

I would have not suggested an FD for a beginning Drifter. I wouldn't suggest an FD for anyone under the age of 25 and with a phatty job to support that car. They are highly expensive to buy, maintain and to upgrade. Everything is way too high. That's why mine sits right now, tired of funneling money into it. They are also not the easiest cars to learn how to slide. The "sweet spot" is so small compared to a 240, Corolla or even an FC. They come around on you suprisingly fast, hard to hold a good slide unless you get it perfect and once they get wide, they are hard to bring back in. Add that to the extremely high cost should you wreck it, hit a curb or another car in mid slide and you have a potential wallet Vampire on your hands. For the price of the FD you could have built a superbly competent 240, with SR conversion, that would have been a much better can to learn with. If you are not a learner then the FD is a great car to further you ability with, just as good as an SR built 240 with suspension. They are about the same.

But, on the other hand, there is nothing like an FD. The feeling of just plain out menace and the stares of the people when you uncork that car with 3 inch exhaust, launch a fireball from said exhaust and blast down the road. There ain't nothing like it in the world. Not to mention the "What is it" questions and the thumbs up you get wherever you go. No other car feels that way or gives you the feeling of invincibility like an FD. You feel like Batman on a speed binge through Gotham. So love them or hate em, they are something to behold.

::wipes away tear:: Very nicely said my friend...

[LucidStrife]

I have seen the problems the rotary motors have when they have been sitting a while. A buddy of mine bought a FB from a ex-neighbor of ours, he said my buddy could have it if he could getting it running and drive it off his property. The ex-neighbor said that it had been sitting for almost two years. We did a quick tune up not really knowing what to expect, and after a little bit we got it running but it was belting out smoke like nothing I had ever seen before. My ex-neighbor told us he didnt know too much about the motors, but he said that the seals need to re-lube themselves and hopefully they will seal up again. At the time we were young and this was my buddies first car, he didnt even know how to drive stick so he asked me to drive it home, and he followed in my Camaro. This thing almost killed me at a light, because it was a Summer night in Phoenix AZ it was after dark, but still hot so I left the windows open. Big mistake This thing didnt wanna idle so I was heel and toeing it to keep it running (standard practice for me the car I learned how to drive manuel on didnt idle either, so its second nature.) and the smoke got so bad I couldnt see out the front window. I could barely see the Red glow of the street light and the red glow of the SUV in front on me, meanwhile I am suffacating in my friends car, while he is sitting 5 car lengths back in my ride trying to stay out of the exhaust. When the light changed green I excaped the cloud of smoke and hauled butt down the road. I went back to my ex-neighbors house, because I didnt feel like getting pulled over in a car with expired tags. My buddy told me that the smoke was so bad that I was a mile down the road before he could see well enough to make a left out of the intersection. Oddly enough we went out there the next day and started the car up after checking all the fluids and it smoked for about 2 minutes then cleared up, and hasnt had that problem ever since. Although it went through about 3 quarts of oil for every gas pump visit even though it was my buddys daily driver. The clutch went out on it and that was the last straw for my friend to park it. The moral of this long story is dont park your rotory for a long time nor buy one that has been sitting unless you are prepared for the trouble it will bring you.

Lucidstrife

[JunpoweR]

Originally posted by Superflyz
Any suggestions on what should i do first to a '94 stock RX-7? I just bought it, and i'm kinda new to drifting, and bought this car just for it.

Radiator Upgrade

Oil Cooler Upgrade

better oil in engine\transmission\diffrential like Red Line and cooling agents such as evans for Water Cooling

Steel braided Brake lines and upgraded Brake pads

Suspention Adjustable Shocks and Springs(high Rate for drift cars)

Lightening or removing weight Striping Interior and Useless pieces To lighten curb weight

Camber adjusters and Shim your rods for higher steering angle.

Cat back with piggyback Fuel and boost computer or Full exhaust with Stand alone ECU

Air filter and hard pipe kit

ShortShifter and Sports Clutch and Flywheel

Aftermarket LimitedSlipDiffrential cusco\kazz


Ok well the list goes on and on but these are just some of my ideas.

[Ghost of Duluth]

The good thing about the FD's is that you can retain alot of the interior and suedo-comfort that they have since they are already so light. I would suggest not taking the interior out of it. Seeing as they retain their resale value so well, it would be a shame to gut the thing and then lose money on an already expensive car. The good thing about them is that mods that you do will reflect in the resale price alot better than other cars. Also, with them, the factory stuff brakewise, suspension wise and some others is already good enough to use without having to upgrade. That way you can spend money elsewhere such as the "anti explosion" parts. FD's are wonderful cars and I really suggest that you explore the Grip aspect of it. I have used mine for that and it is a monster. Matter of fact, the guy that holds the record for the Dragon on motorcycle AND car uses a 93 FD with 350hp. Runs that road, which is 318 curves in 11 miles (and I don't mean small sweepers, I mean 180degree hairpins througout 50% of the road and crazy transitional mid turn switches) in 10 mins 18 secs. 9 mins 48 secs on a bike. So you can see the potential.

[GoukiS14]

Originally posted by Superflyz
Any suggestions on what should i do first to a '94 stock RX-7? I just bought it, and i'm kinda new to drifting, and bought this car just for it.

buy my suspension lol
j/k learn how to drive the car and learn how to maintain it.

[Superflyz]

Oh and since your car only has 50k miles on it, I would watch it every step of the way. Rotaries dislike sitting for long periods of time.

Yea, my friend i bought it from only used it a few times a year. He didn't even know why he bought it.

I would have not suggested an FD for a beginning Drifter. I wouldn't suggest an FD for anyone under the age of 25 and with a phatty job to support that car......The "sweet spot" is so small compared to a 240, Corolla or even an FC.

Damn, and I was going to buy my other friend's 10th anniversary edition RX-7 for $7,000... but my friend who sold me the '94 practically gave it away at $5,200...I thought I got the better deal. But practice makes perfect right?

oh yea, where are you located superflyz?

Laguna Beach, California. Why?






Thanks for the tips guys. Really helpful, since nobody in my area knows about rotaries.

[Feint]

Originally posted by Superflyz
Yea, my friend i bought it from only used it a few times a year. He didn't even know why he bought it.








Damn, and I was going to buy my other friend's 10th anniversary edition RX-7 for $7,000... but my friend who sold me the '94 practically gave it away at $5,200...I thought I got the better deal. But practice makes perfect right?

$5,200 for an FD ....A 94 in the condition you've described could easily go for $15-17K....You saved over 10K.Your damn right you got the better deal.Even without an engine that car would sell for more than what you payed.

I always recommend this site.It has a nice section of how-to's and the reliability mods.Very good site for any 3rd gen owner.

I also recommend ripping out the A/C,as it blocks airflow to the radiator,it just gets in the way.Also,if you intend on keeping the sequential turbos,get the silicon hoses.Here's a diagram for you.Just be extremely patient and be prepared to go through solenoid hell.You'll need to take out a whole day for this,so that way you don't run the risk of rushing/messing up.This is system is far from simple,most people switch to a single turbo setup to rid themselves of the headches and complexities that come with it.

[Ghost of Duluth]

Sorry Feint but I have to disagree with you on that one. Do not rip the AC out of that car. I did and I am regretting it. As little as he paid for the car, it would be a really dumb idea to go tearing it up. Besides, when you stick the bigger radiator in it, it won't matter much anyway. My advice to you is to turn that thing arond and sell the crap out of it. Hate to do that to your friend but dump it. Yea it's a killer car and they are something cool but mark my words, the first time you blow it up you will wish you sold it as soon as you got it. Couple that with the prison rape scene thats going to go down at the insurance office and you are better off just selling that bad boy, buying an FC and pocketing the rest if you want a Rotary that bad. If not then get yourelf a clean 240, do the mods to it and roll out that way.

If not then you will join the elite club of gluttons for punishment and headaches that will bring you to your knees that is known as FD ownership. Just remember this, any fool can quit smoking, it takes a real man to face down cancer. FD's are cancer, are you man enough. I will be a quitter if someone drops the right money on me. Believe that.

So back to the question at hand, if your friend didn't know why he bought it then you had really go over it. If he didn't drive it at all then double check EVERYTHING. Better yet, take it to a specialist that knows what the deal is. When the engines used to be dried out you could revitalize them with Transmission fluid. Don't know if I would do that with a third gen though. But since yours is a daily driver, you are probably ok. I would however get some of that Tech R or whatever it's called. I got some of it from Pettit. It's an engine lubricant for the Rotaries. Fat lot of good it did on mine, but, mine were coolant related. I know it does work. My first third gen had 142k on the factory engine, turbos and wiring harness. It had it in there. It didnt run all that well but it would still womp Mustangs in it's lowly state. But that's an enigma amongst the flock.

Oh and the vacuum hoses are a PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they aren't bad, DON'T do em. If you do, be prepared to A; spend money. If you break a Solenoid, they are 75 bucks a pop, B: be prepared to have your car offof the road for at least a week. May not take you that long but then again it may and C: tear your hair out. I speak from experiance on that one. That diagram will leave you a little confused as to some of the hoses because the words cover up some key crossings of the hoses. So be careful. I just did mine and let me tell you, it was not fun. I would rather try and pass a kidney stone the size of a grapefruit while being beaten with a team full of brats with wiffle ball bats than try that again. If you don't work on cars regularly and are not confident in doing anything over your own oil change, don't even think about it. You have to take the entire upper intake off. There are 4 hoses attached to the front of that intake and then 3 attached to the rear. You will need about 30 feet of 6mm hose and about 15 feet of 5mm hose to do the job if memory serves me correct. It is highly time consuming and just plain out nerve wracking. You can take the entire nest of snakes off and do it in your living room but it's hard to get off. Better off leaving that one alone.

[Feint]

That is true.That twin turbo system is enough to make any sane person want to commit suicide.The problem with the stock hoses is that they like to crack.The car doesn't have a lot of miles,so it shouldn't be an issue yet.But those hoses have been known to slip and crack,which like most malfunctions on that car,result in a rebuild of the engine at the end of the day.Of course,a single turbo system would eliminate all of this,and gain you some more reliability imo.

And you are right about keeping A/C if you want to sell the car.That would drop the resale value to the average Joe.

Completely up to you whether you want to keep it or not.As long as your willing to pay the price to play,and have the patience and willingness to learn and stick by the side of the beast,then the rewards will pay off.Your in an interesting situation.You have a car that could easily go for 15-18K,with the mileage,it could sell near 18K,maybe even more.Now here's the chance to eitheir sell it and make 13K extra than what you paid into it.Or consider yoursellf lucky,as you paid a very low entrance fee to the FD club.Ultimately up to you.Just make sure that whatever you do,make sure it's final.

The FD is a true sportscar,one of the big 4 cars in Japan.And just like any sportscars,there comes the headaches.You'd swear the car was a Mercedes the way it could break down,fortunately,the whole car doesn't fall apart in one night like a Mercedes.And of course,there's the more reliable 240.Though the 240 will never be able to deliver the pure driving experince of the FD.It was engineerd the way the FD was,with it's aerodynamic form,low stance,and 50/50 weight distribution (even with engine swaps this car still seems to keep a near perfect weight distribution,that's some good engineering)....On the track the FD could be a beast,but of course it comes with it's quirks.

No matter what your decision is,I wish you the best of luck eitheir way,because really,you've got such a sweet deal you can't really go wrong eitheir way.

[GoukiS14]

Originally posted by Feint




The FD is a true sportscar,one of the big 4 cars in Japan.And just like any sportscars,there comes the headaches.You'd swear the car was a Mercedes the way it could break down,fortunately,the whole car doesn't fall apart in one night like a Mercedes.And of course,there's the more reliable 240.Though the 240 will never be able to deliver the pure driving experince of the FD.It was engineerd the way the FD was,with it's aerodynamic form,low stance,and 50/50 weight distribution (even with engine swaps this car still seems to keep a near perfect weight distribution,that's some good engineering)....On the track the FD could be a beast,but of course it comes with it's quirks.

No matter what your decision is,I wish you the best of luck eitheir way,because really,you've got such a sweet deal you can't really go wrong eitheir way.

spoken like a true sports car fan lol

[scirocco]

ya rotaries are pretty good but when they fluck up, the FlUCK UP BAD

[nasty nate 7]

dont you just hate it when stupid ppl complain about sports cars and their fuel economy. HELLO~! THIS IS A SPORTS (PERFORMANCE) CAR. what do you expect, this isnt a honda civic here~! and for reliability purposes, sports cars have the worst reliability anyways.... the supra, rx7, 3000gt, skylines. those are TRUE SPORTS CARS. you just have to appreciate the performance of the machine despite the problems that await us. ask any enthusiast, i guarantee you that they have come across a major problem with their car or 2

[Superflyz]

Originally posted by Ghost of Duluth
My advice to you is to turn that thing arond and sell the crap out of it. Hate to do that to your friend but dump it. Yea it's a killer car and they are something cool but mark my words, the first time you blow it up you will wish you sold it as soon as you got it. Couple that with the prison rape scene thats going to go down at the insurance office and you are better off just selling that bad boy, buying an FC and pocketing the rest if you want a Rotary that bad.

Man, hearing all this, I might just as well sell it and get my other friend's Anniversary RX-7...

[Ghost of Duluth]

Now there's a snappy idea. Get that, but don't tell him how much you sold the car for. Just tell him it started to act up and you need to ditch it.