Mazda Rotary 13B Swap in a Boxster

[vipola]

Originally Posted by tahleel

The oil pressure would not work, but who needs oil pressure anyways? :-D

Just to let you know, the oil pressure is something really important with rotary engine, if you don't care about it will probably cost you an engine just like my best buddy. Because a rotary engine got a OMP (Oil metering pump), and if you don't have the right pressure it will all be screwed up

but it's a very nice project!!

[CJ_Boxster]

Also a Rotory will likely raise your center of gavity... and You'll have to change the name of it from Boxster to Rotster

[porsche986spyder]

I'm not sure what kind of engine the 13B is, but the last model of RX-8 that was introduced had major problems with the engines. There was a complete recall for certain year models. I was looking at them before I bought my box and found an article saying that Mazda was going to have to bite the bullet and pay for it. Hope that isn't the same engine as the 13B?

Here is the article printed last Sept. 06
Engines failing vacuum test must be replaced

MONTEREY, Calif. -- After suffering a black eye from disclosing that it won't count RX-8 owners' opinions in its internal customer-satisfaction scores, Mazda says it may have to replace the engines in many of its flagship sports cars.

The voluntary recall of all 2004 and 2005 vehicles, and some 2006s, is expected to be announced this week or next. It involves damage to the catalyst resulting from oil leaks in the RX-8's rotary engine.

Any engine that does not pass a vacuum test must be replaced, said Robert Davis, head of product development and quality at Mazda North American Operations.

Engines prone to failing the test are mostly in hot climates and use synthetic oils.

Mazda also will check each RX-8's battery and starter, which tend to fail in cold climates.

"We're going to give these cars the white-glove treatment," Davis said. "We would rather replace the engine than have the dealer crack them open."

Davis would not disclose the projected failure rate of the engines or the cost to replace them.

Mazda has a remanufacturing center in North Carolina that will rebuild faulty engines and return them to service.

The recall comes after a video Webcast by two dealers who attended the July 11-13 National Dealer Advisory Council meetings in Newport Beach, Calif., was leaked on the Internet.

In the video, dealers said problems with the RX-8 were unfairly lowering Mazda customer-satisfaction scores.

Mazda informed the dealers that RX-8 owners would continue to be surveyed, but that the responses would not factor into dealer
customer-satisfaction scores. See story here

Mazda has issued service bulletins on such trouble spots as squeaky
brakes and engine flooding.

[JAAY]

I got an idea, since cost is an issue. Just buy and FD or and FC and keep the rotory motor in it. NO Fabrication needed.
Just my oppion.

[porsche986spyder]

Originally Posted by JAAY

I got an idea, since cost is an issue. Just buy and FD or and FC and keep the rotory motor in it. NO Fabrication needed.
Just my oppion.

What is a FD & FC????

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-2000-360-Complete-Engine_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33615QQihZ015QQi temZ250129048323QQrdZ1

Nuff said.

[JAAY]

FD - Is the newer body style RX-7 the twin turbo not the new pos
FC - The older body style like the Turbo 2

[tahleel]

Originally Posted by JAAY

I got an idea, since cost is an issue. Just buy and FD or and FC and keep the rotory motor in it. NO Fabrication needed.
Just my oppion.

I've contemplated a FC, but they are just way too outdated. A FD would be a nice option, but they're severely overpriced in my book. Its actually cheaper and easier to find a low mileage Boxster over a high mileage FD. Although the initial cost would be cheaper, maintenance would kill me on the Porsche. :dance: And thats a price that I'll have to pay.

Plus, a Porsche is just drop-dead sexy.

-Tahleel

[John V]

The RX-8 is a fantastic car. I spent the last couple years driving around the country in one for SCCA Solo competition. It never gave us a bit of trouble on the road. The owner had a problem with the coil packs early in the car's life - fixed under warranty. But otherwise, we hammered the ******************** out of that car for two plus years and it never stopped ticking.

Nevermind that it has a stiffer chassis and a far more advanced suspension than the Boxster.

... that said, the rotary, to me, is not a good "fit" for the boxster

Originally Posted by John V

Nevermind that it has a stiffer chassis and a far more advanced suspension than the Boxster.

Ya... Its not hard to have a stiffer chassis when you have a roof

[jordan986]

before I purchased my boxster i also was looking at getting a rx-7, 255hp in such a light car they really move but... they all seem to have cooling issues and the rotary engines as nice as they are drink gas like theres no tommorow. It also seemed when I was looking for one that even low mileage ones had already had rebuilds again as mentioned eariler apex seals crack due to over heating usually (very unreliable vehicles). If you are going to go through with doing this i would recomend you thow in an extra rad and if you are going for the twinturbo cooling will be even more of an issue.

even with all these concerns I would love to see this swap done the rotaries love the revs and sound soo nice (not to say the boxster dosent) but that would deffinatly be one unique porsche

[John V]

Main problem with the 3rd gen (FD3) is that the owners don't take care of the cars properly. They require frequent fuel filter changes and it's a very lengthy procedure to complete - so most skip it and the engines run lean and blow as a result. The cooling systems are also marginal and again, if they're not kept up it's bad news. Rotaries are not tolerant of overheating.

A few simple modifications to the FD platform, plus some common sense with regard to maintenance, yields a very reliable car. But most people just assume they're unreliable and stay away.

Yes, the fuel mileage does suck. No way around that.