Hilux With A 13b Turbo Engine - any advice??  

Kai

Check compression before buying. Also check for oil and water leaks. Preferably pressure test the coolant system.

R-X-7

Any motor can FAIL..

Ive had a series 5 rx7 for 15 years and never spent a cent on it besides oil and filters and plugs..

Then again i never push it ,

A well looked after stock rotary can do over 200 thousand k

St162x

Personal research into rotarys would have helped before asking here but ill give it a shot.

would it be somthing id always have to pour money into Yes

general matinence how many kms before rebuilds need to be done?? Just down the road usually

Usually if "big money" has been spent either they have spent it on the parts and fitted themself in which case you have expencive parts and probably poor build quality.
OR theyve spent a little bit on cheap parts and spent all the big money on getting someone to do it.


Either way rotorys break thats what they do especially when flogged which you WILL do. There are some people who can drive rx-7s around all day with no problems at all and i believe them but an engine transplant 13b with "big money" screams walk away.

Thats my 2 dollars worth.

turbowrx

i have done a fairbit of researching
yeah the obvious stuff like oil plugs filters etc,
doesnt have any leaks the engine is tidy as looks as if its only just been rebuilt,
KAI says to have the coolant pressure checked
a mate also said if there is exhaust fumes or something in the coolant engine seals are going?? anyone know about that?

Kai

If there is alot of white smoke coming out the exhaust the oil seals in the rotor could be worn. Or another cause of white smoke is too much premix. Which is from mixing oil in the fuel when people remove the factory oil metering pump. Or even turbo seal. Its hard too diagnose.

Best way is too check compression on each rotor face. But you will need a rotary comp tester too do it properly.

turbowrx

sounds sweet
cheers KAI thats wht ill do then

W1NT3R

Watch for scored pistons also, these are common in rotaries...

THUNDER 20b

OK I like pistons and rotors and have both. Had many rotors and many v8s.
(still own a rotor and a few piston cars inc V8 right now so I aint biased and I will give you the accurate info - even the bad stuff lol)

Ill go fairly indepth if you are serious.

Definately what Kai said.

Preferably with a compression tester designed for rotary engines! Post up the compression here.

Another good sign of good compression but obviously not as accurate is how fast it starts. It should turn over and start ok. If it takes a long time turning over and over and over before it fires, then its often a sign of compression problems or other. Could also be fouled up spark plugs tho

Take it for a long test drive and dont be scared to rev it out to what it is designed to. (not over rev) - If the seller is hesistent to let you rev the thing while driving - be very suspicious!

While on the long drive - preferably in daytime when its warm, keep checking the temperature of it. Once you have stopped, make sure no leaks of oil or water are under it.

Also check where it is normally garaged and look for oil leaks on the ground or stains. Ask about them.

The hardest thing about buying a rotor and why people get caught out with them when they buy is often someone will sell the car once they are bored with it and it needs a rebuild etc or its on its way out. Because it is more of a specialised engine, the average owner cant go down to the local mechanic and ask whats wrong with it like you can a piston engine as they have no idea so they just decide sell it to a sucker.

If you want to be basic about it, the rotary engine really only has 3 main moving internal parts!! An eccentric shaft and two rotors.... compared to how many in a piston motor?

Funnily enough a total rebuild for a rotary engine is far less then a piston total build like a V8. Far less. Which is great!

But one problem is if "certain" things do wrong in a piston engine, you can easily fix without a full rebuild but in a rotary if "certain" things go wrong, an entire rebuild is needed. Doesnt happen often but it can occaisionally be something simple that fails in a rotor and then requires a full rebuild..... (but it is rare and cheap to rebuild anyway if the rest of the motor is good)

And only difference between rotors and pistons maintenance wise if you want to be careful about it is more frequent oil changes and topping oil up if you use the standard Oil Metering Pump. Personally I prefer premix to be safe and there are arguements for and against premix.

Also, Only listen to someone who has a rotor personally or had one and knows about them and how they work. Otherwise you are just listening to crap mostly.
And even then it is hard to know what to listen to as most people (even previous owners) dont know crap about rotors and think they rev to 10,000rpm stock lol..... Most people have not got a clue on rotors and thats often why they blow up, normally drivers fault or some external force such as fuel, not the engine. .

People still go on about seals etc..... That WAS a huge problem with rotaries... HUGE problem.... in 1969!!! (all engines inc piston engines had huge problems when they were released)

You can still have seal problems these days if you run big boost or have a crap tune (or even a decently high boost and a bad batch of fuel) too but in a properly tuned / not over the top boost, seals are fine.

If its making big power and highly strung and pushed to its limits, it will be just as reliable/unreliable as a piston engine pushed to its limits.

I cant stress enough that ANY engine pushed to its limits will be unreliable. NOTHING pushed to its limits lasts forever and simple things like bad batches of fuel can blow piston engines and rotary engines alike.

So if its big HP, Id be asking for a receipt to show when it was last built and what parts were used.

Id also be asking what exact oil he uses for both engine sump and premix, then posting it up on here.

Thats all I can think of for now but I am tired

rotababy

main things id be checking are compression.. does it blow smoke?(most rotaries blow a small puff of smokey stuff on initial start up..usually its just condensation thats built up in the housings especially after a cold night..) if it has been looked after and/or recently rebuilt.. you might be in luck.. dont drive it until the temp comes up near operating level... dont rev it or boost it until its at operating temp..check the oil meter pump is working how it should and injecting the right amount(i piss mine off and go 100:1 premix tho) .. as long as everything is ok inside it.. and you take care of it..checking oil and water every time you go to drive it... you will be surprised how long it lasts i reckon. good luck with it mate...

THUNDER 20b

I agree with checking water and oil everytime you drive it,...........but I have always done that on any high hp engine. I even do it frequently on my stock piston engines.....

I see no difference between a rotor and a piston engine. If she dont have oil or water she will blow so check it....

Oh and depending on the amount and type of premix they use, that will depend on how much smoke comes out the exhaust. Just because it smokes doesnt always mean its rooted, it can actually "sometimes" be good - as in someone is using more premix then is needed at the expense of spark plugs.

I run more premix then most due to the type of seals I have and mine smokes a little more then most.

One thing I forgot to mention is make sure it doesnt blow a HEAP of smoke at start up as it may indicate turbo problems too.

What brand radiator and cooler?

What diff and gearbox etc?

Not knocking it but as you say lots of $ spent on it but it looks like a stock old radiator? (some of them are good tho)

Oh and what temp does it get up to when driving normal and also reevving it?

turbowrx

thanks thunder20b


i can say its givien me an excellent guide
sounds to me like the engine is in pretty good condition after reding you post
it didnt seem to blow any smoke at all on start up or whilst running didnt seem to be over heating either
but did take a couple of seconds to kick over after i get the compression test ill be sure to post it up on here see what you guys think

it also does have the standard Oil Metering Pump which the bloke says he thinks is the best way to do it he hasnt had trouble with it "so he says" but will find out

and yes im pretty sure its still standard radiator aswell
PWR intercooler and oil cooler
and it has an rx7 gearbox with short shifter kit

thanks again ill get back to you's tomorro

THUNDER 20b

Let us know how you go