12a: Thermal Reactor gasket soaked in Oil
 

84 GSL FB stock

First time rebuilding a rotary.
Reason: suddenly it started billowing white smoke and running very rough.
Compression 89-90 all faces.

Pulled the engine Friday and now taking off external components.
Noticed the thermal reactor had a white crust which did not seem right.
The gasket is soaked with oil.

I'm still going to disassemble the engine to see if the metal is still good.

Does anyone have an idea as to why oil on the gasket?

I know the top dowel pins are leaking oil (puddles on the 12a), and the oil pan leaked to the point that the rubber exhaust hanger smoked then melted.

Images: Reactor, outside of gasket, inside of gasket, better view of exhaust ports.

Also, the Haynes book says I should have two small pipes in the thermal reactor. I have none. Should I be concerned?

Any advise would be most welcomed.

That's not a thermal reactor. That is an exhaust manifold. And the white stuff is burned off oil. The oil is from the o-rings inside the oil seals. Some of the oil visible on the outside of the engine could be from the OMP leaking as well.

You more than likely have had oil blow by. Worn seals will cause the oil to just get ejected straight into the exhaust and turn into ash. I bet the rotor facings are crusty.

Yep. For future reference, Tim, a thermal reactor is larger, rounder, and has an air inlet pipe sticking out of the front.

This is starting to make more sense.

I've been following the 1979-85 Haynes book to remove the engine. Only in the back in the updated info is the exhaust manifold correctly identified and matches mine in configuration.

I've removed the OMP with little effort. The gasket was oiled. The spring was gunked. I had earlier thought the OMP was leaking and cleaned the immediate area on the oil pump cover (engine installed) and rechecked again after a driving. I did not notice any significant difference. In the one image the front of the OMP is oiled as is the front, and to some extent, the back of the engine frame. If leaking, is it a more of a gasket, or the OMP itself, or not possible to tell until running again?

Its been a learning journey and I'm close to seeing the inside. But I'm need the right wrenches & socket to remove the oil line first.

Thanks for the help.

I assume you have a beehive oil cooler right?

The oil line for a beehive is easy. Get a 21mm and a 23mm set of wrenches. Use the 21 to hold the fitting in the front cover to prevent it from turning while you use the 23mm to loosen the nut.

There are only a few other fasteners to getting a beehive off. There are two 10mm nuts under the oil pedestal and one 12mm bolt on top of the rear iron (aka the side plate). Remove these three fasteners and the beehive will come off easily with a little wiggle.

The steel hardline will not tolerate any bending! If you don't plan on reusing the beehive, you can sell it in good condition.

Jeff,
I would have answered sooner but was at work without my username and password.
Of course I had a 22 and 24mm, stopped on the way home and got the 21 and 23. Rather like removing plumbing.

Oil filter pedestal is off. Oil pan is next.
Anxious to see what's inside.

Do you have an offset O2 sensor wrench? They work great for the rear beehive bolt and the bolt on the rear iron.

Oil cooler is off.
Oil pan is off but after cleaning off the goo I found bare metal, paint and rust (new thread).

Now need two bolts of the right length & thread. O'Rielly Auto Parts will rent to me, no charge, a puller that is long enough to get the flywheel off.

You don't need a puller. You can get the big nut off with an air wrench, and take a maul or sledge hammer and hit the flywheel (NOT where the clutch sits) and it will pop off. There's a video somewhere - I think on Mazdatrix website that shows it. It's worked perfectly for me 4 times.

I have the Mazadtrix and Atkins videos (prefer the Mazadtrix one).
I took the engine on the stand (tied down in the van) to our local mechanic. He had the big nut off in about a second.

After banging on the flywheel I got nowhere. The Haynes book shows a simple puller, less violent method. I've broken a few things along the way and some of the sensor wires are holding on by a thread. If its still jammed on, then a bigger hammer will be the solution.

Once I get the rear iron off, then I should have a better idea if the engine is toasted or will live again.

I borrowed a pulley puller, but the spindle was too large so I made one.
That plus some continued pounding finally popped off the flywheel.

Unfortunately I think I found the cause of the massive oil leak on the exhaust side.
Please see "I think my 12a is dead."

Remove that flywheel stop and puller and put the nut on a few threads. Tilt the engine 90 degrees. Take a 3 pound sledge or hammer and tap the outer edge of the flywheel moving around it in a circle. Done hit the geared edge and clutch surface. It takes some good taps - don't baby it but don't over do it.

You know it's funny. I've never used those two threaded holes in the stock flywheels. I always use the BFH method. It works every time.
https://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...rNWHxSsZFZfkpw