The FD3S rolled into REVS Rotary Performance as a clean Japanese import. 2002 model, original motor, 260,000 kilometres on the clock. No major failures yet, just the usual rotary clock ticking louder with every kilometre. Pre-emptive rebuild was the plan. Get ahead of the inevitable before a roadside grenade forced the issue.
Jas had the car on the shop floor when the cooling system decided to empty itself. Full dump. Coolant everywhere. Water seal failure was the immediate call, and the teardown confirmed it.
Motor out, stripped to the housings. Multiple water seal failure points showed themselves straight away. Bearings and housings worn in the classic pattern of a high-kilometre 13B that has done its time. Nothing dramatic, nothing unexpected. Just the honest wear of age and distance.
That is the state of play. The rebuild starts here.
Stand by for the updates. Mini doco series coming on the full strip, the upgrades, the work at REVS, and the road back for this FD3S.
Photo's kindly supplied by Jas, REVS Rotary.
