FD is the first two letters of the VIN number on the 3rd generation RX-7s it's basically a model designation. FCs are the 2nd gens, etc.

I have currently own a "FD" but I'm actually thinking of buying a SC300... RX-7s are fast when everything is running well, but there's any number of problems that could potentially keep it from running to its full potential.

 

It's the begining of the car code. Kind of like ours starts with JZZ something.

Chris

 

you can get a brand new motor with 0 miles and blow it up very quickly if you're stupid

if you do proper mods with correctly balanced fuel/timing, etc... it will last a long time, 150k miles before needing to work on it (and even then its preventative maintenance, like a timing belt, it just costs more to do)

you can find used motors for $850 for JDM-spec cars with 30k miles on them... it takes about 2 hours to pull and swap out a motor in a 2nd gen... 3rd gens are a little more complicated; but its still pretty simple

the motor with no accessories attached weighs all of 80lbs... my friend picked his up out of a crate, and he's a skinny guy

 

How in the world did this thread get so many posts before I got a look at it ?!?!?!?!?!


The "FD" is the preface to the VIN # as stated above (FC & FB) for older gen's.

The most misinformed old wives tale of a rotary is that they are unreliable. They are not UNRELIABLE!!!!! It's the moron with the wrench in his hand thats unreliable. These engines can take the worst beating in the world; and keep on ticking. 99.99% of the time, Joe Schmoe just cranks up the boost w/ a boost controler, and loves the car. Several weeks later, he's *****in' about a blown water seal. DUHHH!!!! Can you say detonation. The obnoxiously loud aftermarket exhausts seem to cover up the sound of marbles rattling under the car (detonation). But if the person knows what they are doing (and most don't) the engine will last forever. They should have made it a law that in order to buy a FD, you must have proof of prior ownership of an earler RX. Preferably a TII .

My guess on the slow car is that they guy bought the car as a salvaged title, or just really cheap w/ a bolwn engine. Then dropped in a NA motor, or an older TII motor that has seen some years. There are several people in Florida that have done that; me being one of them. Alot of people want the new body style, but can't afford it. So they buy the car with a blown engine, and pay some rotorhead to just "get it running". I picked up a 3rd gen for 3200$ about 4 years ago w/ no engine (literally) at an auction. Took the rotating assembly from a GSL-SE 13B engine and slapped it to a set of TII rotor housings; did a full hard and soft seal replacement - Street ported it - put in a Dellorto 48 side draft carb on it. Sprayed a little happy gas in there for good measure, and ran near stock times. A month later, sold the car for $12,000.

So there is a possibility it could be a custom N/A or just a engine that has been beaten up sooooo bad that its on itys last leg. If it still had its stock engine, there is about a mile of vacume hoses in there, if just one pops off or has a bad seal......grandma slow.

Just remember - Stock is in the high 13's. Something was wrong w/ the car if a low 15's sec car could keep up.

 

damn, how did I miss this post!!

there obviously had to be some sort of problem with the RX-7 in order for the SC to keep up with it. Alot of times a vacuum hose will pop of an RX-7 (unless you tie wrap them) and that will also lead to no power in the RX-7. Many times an apex seal will let go and in turn it will cook the turbo's on the car, therefore the car will be in basically limp home mode and the car can become pray to any other car on the road!!! I know this feeling all to well, it seems like it is the times when your engine finally lets loose and you have no power in the car, everyone wants to race you.

 

They're not unreliable but the engines do have a limited life span... they do NOT last forever. The older FC model engines tend last over 100k miles but the average life of a FD model 13B-REW motor is probably somewhere around 70k-80k miles. Also, detonation will not do anything to your water seals, but instead it will blow an apex seal. You don't have to crank up the boost or even modify your car for the water seal to go bad; it just happens over time because of the heat from the engine. I wouldn't go so far as to say the engines are unreliable but it does take quite a bit of maintenance and sometimes the water seal will go without any prior warning. If the cars were as "reliable" as you guys make them sound, I wouldn't be looking into getting an SC...

 

Detonation puts undue heat and pressure on the apex seals and corner seals, which in turn will chip off the chrome on the inside of the rotor housings. Then the housing will rust/corrode, and expose the o-rings to direct combustion gasses, which blows them out- Mild detonation WILL take out o-rings (overheating does the same thing, cept the housing just swells with no place to go and the chrome chips that way too). Severe detonation will quickly knock down an apex seal, then your whole housing is instantly toast (and possibly your turbo too). Most people don't see the signs of mild detonation, and in time; loose the o-rings (piston equilivant to tossing a head gasket). O-rings will not just fail "over time" as stated above. The owner has to do something wrong to make it fail. And usually its unseen detonation from bad gas or over boosting that causes it. Ask any engine builder, they will agree.

Thats why older blocks w/ o-rings in the side housings didn't have such problems. Newer engines w/ o-rings in the rotor housings fall prey to detonation and heat much easier.
Hell, you can bridge port an old 12A or 13B right to the waterseal itself. (Double hell); you can J-bridge a block right thru the water seal on an older block (though this does shorten the life for obvious reasons). Just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.

Keith

 

FD is an abbreviation of FD3S which is Mazda's chassis designation for the car. Not unlike the JZ3x (I think, Maybe its UZZ3x) designations for the SC.

The first two letters of the VINs of ALL Mazdas (with the exception of the stateside built cars) are JM (Japan, Mazda)

 

I was talking to an RX rookie with a 3rd-gen at Sears Point and he was pulling low 16's. He didn't even want to show me his timeslip at first. He had an SAFC and was talking about mods, and I figured he was another one of the people that mod without really thinking about it.

 

sorry dude, but i know quite a few people who are RX-7 freaks that have over 150k miles on the stock motor... turbo models too

and FD motors are supposed to last just as long... there's nothing on the motor that would limit its lifespan anymore than the FC

 

There are plenty of differences which have been attributed to early engine death in FDs.

1. Cooling system...they just get too damn hot. Mazda's design specs for the FDs were much hotter than the FCs, which, early on, led to cooling system failures, engine fires, and a half-*** re-engineering via recalls.

2. Metering oil pumps are more stingy on the FDs which leads to faster housing/seal wear.

3. The intercooler at low speeds can become an inter-heater because of the way the intake sources its air. This was discovered and corrected in '98.

 

my friend had a mazda with a rotary engine and he got 225,000 miles out of it...that's pretty high, isn't it? the most i've ever heard of by far.

 

BlackRX7TT is correct on the FD prefix and the problem with the 3rd gen RX7's cooling system. I believe the R2 model has dual oil coolers so do later year RX7TTs sold outside of the united states (RS and RZ), which helps the engine a little.

Just sold my 94 black RX7TT and I miss it badly. SC400 is a superb machine, but it can't match the sheer all around performance of that a FD; then again it wasn't designed as a track car.

Love the sound of the 787B

 

I just got my Soarer TT, blasting around town was fun till I came up behind an older RX7 with meaty exhausts, that thing was quick, so quick I had to start a development program on my TT. I heard somewhere they can easily produce 400bhp flywheel with a few mods, that combined with little weight makes it a blistering performer.

 

i just took a look at that whole stolen RX7 bit...absolutely amazing, and unbelievable. i'm totally speechless...you should all check it out, it's great.