1986 FC, can you give me some tips

[jordanowski]

Okay I just got this car from a trade for one of my old engines like 4 days ago. It has 103k miles and its a little rusty. I just put a new fuel pump, filter, cleaned the lines and tank then ran a fuel additive, re welded up the aftermarket chop shop exhaust that was on it and changed the air to fuel to make it all run better. :auto:

I have never had a rotary before and if I could get some advice on...
What I should do?
What I shouldn't do?
What I should check?
What I should change?
Tips on what I need to know?
I want to know as much info as I can about these cars so every little tip or trick you know of, please tell me.

I want it to run great and have a little bit of power to it as well so what are some cheap starters to rotary power?

Glad I can be apart of the ROTARYCARCLUB! :party:

[WankelsRevenge]

First off do as much research as you can, then do all the regular tuneup type stuff you can think of. Plugs, wires, oil, tranny oil/fluid. To help with reliability I would ditch the oil meetering pump and convert over to using two-cycle oil in the gas.

When it comes to power you can do some universal type things like a good exhaust, maybe a lightweight flywheel, then decide where you want to go with this project. Honestly for the money you cant go wrong with swapping in a turbo motor. From there the possibilities really do go on forever.

[Tanj!]

YOU DON'T HAVE A NEUTRAL KILL SWITCH!

Best to know that up front and not have any surprises later. :D

Don't overheat the motor and only use a genuine Mazda thermostat. IIRC the 86 temp gauges don't sit in the middle of the stock temp gauge when at operating temperature. They site more at 1/4 of the gauge. But don't take that for gospel as parts may have been swapped.

Typically the cars need plugs and wires. Also check the timing with a timing gun. Since it sounds like you've got a non stock exhaust chances are your auxiliary ports (5th and 6th port) are non functional. You should check to see if they are wired open or not. If not you probably want to do so but will loose some bottom end.

As mentioned above Pre-Mixing (0.5 to 1.0 ounce per gallon of fuel) is a safety precaution that is in your best interest until you have a chance to examine the Oil Metering Pump (OMP). Fair warning though examining the OMP pump and lines often leads to you breaking the lines. Don't worry they become very brittle with age and if they broke when you were examining them they should have been replaced anyways. Once you've confirmed the OMP is working properly or rebuilt it (iirc rebuild kits is less than $20) then you can stop premixing.

As long as you don't disconnect the OMP you should also make sure to check the oil every time you fuel. The OMP uses the oil in your crankcase to lubricate the seals in the combustion chamber. Spirited driving on a tank of gas can easily use upwards to 1 qt of oil. Always carry a bottle of oil with you and top off when you fuel up.

[madrid'sFC3]

Definitely do all of the above! If you do decide to keep the OMP, best to change the oil every 2000 miles. By the time your motor goes thru 1 qt of oil (that's roughly what a healthy motor burns thru) you've hit 2000 miles so instead of adding another qt., its best just to change the filter and oil. Now I use castroll conventional (no synthetic whatsoever!!) 10w40. I haven't had any problems so far. No oil leaks or low oil pressure. But idk if anyone else uses any other grades or brands.

Also stay on top of your coolant. Rotary engines don't like hear and if it over hears then start praying. Lol jk. Rotary engine run hotter than piston engines and so coolant is a big thing to stay on top of.

And just the usual plugs and wires. I change my plugs and wires, along with my fuel filter every 15k miles. Just to be on the safe side. And my transmission fluid I check and if not drain and fill every 6 months or every 30k miles. My car used to be automatic and I didn't check the tranny fluid and the tranny blew so I learned my lesson the hard way. Don't let it go unchecked.

I'm sure you may be a little over whelmed at how tedious and a little annoying it may be to maintain and take care of rotary engines but its just part of owning one. They are great reliable engines with tons and TONS of power potential!! Hope you enjoy it!