CaymanRotary

I mean, based on what you’ve tried and the results you’ve gotten, I can say with a fair degree of certainty you are probably going to need a new engine or a rebuild. Well, at least you got good components for the new engine if that ends up being the case.

lundy80

any body got any leads on a good affordable place to pick up an engine i found one online engine and trans for around 1600.00. 46,000 miles on it with a guarantee.
now the real question is do i go turbo or stay n/a.

CaymanRotary

If getting second hand there is a risk it may not be great. After installation, be sure to have it compression tested. Even with a guarantee, it's a risk. Will either be a good buy or a total nightmare. If it turns out to be all good, then we can talk options for boosting. Cross that bridge when you get there. Adding boost does not require removing the engine. My opinion is to enjoy the car as it is. It costs so much money to gain so little power on this platform. Stay stock N/A.

10KRPM

What is the guarantee? I can't imagine anyone giving much of a promise on a rotary with 46,000 miles.

potatochobit

a turbo kit costs 6500$, bro
you can wait on that, get the car running first
alot of salvage shops will guarantee an engine and if its bad they will just send you another one
but I think you have to pay shipping so its not like its worth your time to keep getting bad engines
anyway, before you buy anything make sure you have the time and man power to take the engine out yourself if that is what you are planning
and make sure you buy some kind of alldata on how to do it
I personally recommend you have the engine rebuilt by a reputable builder but it will cost closer to 4000$ but as a project car you can buy a used engine is fine as long as you understand the amount of labor it will take to install it - and reinstall it, if it goes bad.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

If you are planning on keeping the car, I would suggest putting the money into a reman engine or rebuild your current engine. There are many reputable builders out there that offer a warranty on their engines. I know Kevin Landers usually sells his reman engines for between $2600-$2900 and offers a warranty. You could pay a little more and get a Mazda reman engine. Those are supposed to be really good these days.

lundy80

yay

CaymanRotary

Just list it as a shell on the internet for $1500. Someone will buy it locally I'm sure.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

I sent you a pm.

lundy80

Well i decided to keep the car sorry for the for sale post. Over the weekend it was raining here so i got bored and pulled codes. funny thing is i kept getting the misfire code so i decided to go and ahead and install the ls3 coil upgrade i had bought. and as i was removing the old coils i noticed that rotor 2 L coil had a large white spot on the bottom. Low and behold the coil was bad and the upgrade fix it. running smooth and idling great drove it around my block for about 30 mins and was running good shut it off and it fired right back up. felling better about the investment now and my hope was restored to continue with the project.

lundy80

Now i have to figure out why the passenger side window power controls are not working and the radio is coming on but no sound! Other than than it is fixing a few small cosmetic issues and customizing it.
thank you all for your input and ideas. i will continue this thread and keep updating it with new things.

lundy80

So now i am 900.00 in and it is running great!

10KRPM

Give it a few weeks .... you'll have it for sale for $1,500 once you learn a few more things about it.

J/K, glad to hear you got that sorted out so easily.

CaymanRotary

Do a compression test!!!!!!!

RX-8 40th Anniversary

I agree greatly

@lundy80 Knowing the health of the engine will significantly help you on your journey, not to mention you might be throwing money at a bad engine. You can buy one from https://www.rotarycompressiontester.com/
or you can look at ebay and find one to rent, I saw one the other day strange enough, or if there's a nearby dealership you could go to them as well.
... But you seriously should do a compression test..

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Glad to hear you got it running! My offer still stands to come down and buy the car should you decide you wish to sell it.

lundy80

Going to clean up the the intake in the morning and test the vacuum on the valve i have to pick up a new vacuum tester in the morning. pulling the upper plenum and replacing the vacuum solenoids also in the morning. while i have it open i am thinking about do the added grounding and reconfigure the coil plugs and ground while i have the intake apart.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Nice work cleaning the SSV! Good idea on replacing all of the solenoids while you have the upper intake off. Much easier to do while the intake is on the bench for sure!