no. i actually meant disc. however, i'll ask rather than assume that i've been right all along - when you have a situation when they aren't mating, isn't it the disc (alignment) that's blocking things as opposed to the pilot?

 

the pilot is more problematic with alignment than the disc is, which is also why so many people tend to crunch the pilot bearings during installs.

 

I've been having nightmares about this exact thing since I installed my trans last year.
What are the symptoms of a missing or crunched pilot?

Kam

 

I did round off the end of the input shaft. Didnt have much more luck getting the thing installed. Last time I did this I used some long bolts and pulled everything together. I started the same process again but quit after reading how I may do some damage. Is the motor and trans really supposed to slide together without any force?

 

in my experience they usually need a little bit of wrestling and then it'll pop in, so it'll not go, not go, and then go.

sometimes you get one that just fights the whole time, and then sometimes you get one that's like a sausage in a hallway, and its together before you can even try to get it to go together.

i always end up climbing in the bay and wrestling it a little

 

The end of the pilot is what I meant. Ten-twenty seconds with a brown Roloc is enough to take the sharp edge off and round the last 1/4" or so down.

It seems like what usually happens is the sharp edge gets caught on the pilot bearing. No sharp edge and smaller OD at the end = smooth sailing.

I have never had an issue with the front cover stripping, nothing bolts to it except the distributor, and that hold-down shouldn't ever see significant torque. And I've seen plenty that had studs and not bolts, from Mazda. So... hmm.

I did encounter one that was stripped. So one of my front covers has a 1/4" thread distributor hold-down instead of 6mm

 

i have put A LOT of engines in Rx-7s over the years and like j9fd3s said, some fight, some don't. in my experience, only one absolutely would not go and if i recall, i ended up taking it back out to realign the clutch because i didn't have an alignment tool and i had used something dumb like a ratchet handle or screwdriver or something.

for me, most have mated just fine - again, like what j9fd3s said - when i stand in the bay and "rock" the engine a few times. BOOM! they're together and i will hand-tighten the upper bolt on the passenger side before going about getting it settle on the mounts.

for the ones that have fought, it didn't take any more than a few turns of the main pulley by hand.

 

double post. sorry.

 

Thanks for the help, motor is in. I realigned it and it slid right in, it was almost too easy. I also changed the angle I was going in at.

 

That's the really, really nice thing about pull style clutches. You get them to the point where it's splined into the clutch but doesn't really want to go in further, then you pull the release arm forward to engage it with the throwout bearing, then you shove it back, and it just sucks the engine up to the trans.

I LOVE doing WRX/STI engines because of this. It feels like I'm cheating somehow.

note: pulling the engine IS the fast way to do a clutch... or a timing belt... or anything at all. "Yargh, need to replace a coil, guess I'll pull the engine out"

 

This is my first expierence with a rotary. I have the motor in and trying to start it, thing is, it's not turning over very fast. Previously it spun much faster but it didnt have any compression. I see why people push start on the first start. I also used rather thick oil. I guess I dont see the motor starting when it's spinning this slowly. The battery is older but I am jumping it. I just dont want to push start it down my driveway only to have to pull it back up.

 

This is crazy. I have no compression. I followed the installation and I know my seals are free but no compeession. I have tried to start but only backfires and occasional puff of smoke coming up the carb. I have spent far too much time on this for it not to start. I have read it is possible to have 4 timing positions but I dont see how that is possible. Is it? I will take off the manifolds tomorrow and look at the flywheel to check my timing.

 

If your distributor is off by one tooth, it can mostly run, but not well. Do you know that it's in correctly?

 

frustrating, i know, but it sounds like you're almost there.

if you took the front main pulley apart, then it can go back on 4 different ways. thus, you can have 3 wrong positions. yes, get TDC from the flywheel and then try it again.

 

The distributor? I have put it in several times, several locations. I marked off every couple degrees on the pulley and have tried several different spots. I will check out the flywheel tonight but i'm thinking it is in the correct spot. I did do a compression test and it wasn't registering at all, so frusterating. I am hoping it's something other me pulling the motor back out and tearing it back apart. I did put new side seals, corners and the apex seals were in specs. I did take the main pulley apart, the only thing is it has the rivit hole i can line up too.

 

oh, you have one of those? it's been ages since i've come across one. well, i guess that settles that possible issue.

- have you tried starting fluid or Seafoam?
- also, maybe the plugs are getting all fouled up from assembly lube

 

I was using starting fluid but sea foam? I may have foiled the plugs but they do look clean. Is they a way I can "un-foul" them? I don't understand how anything could be stuck now, I not only replaced all the seals but I cleaned all the carbon off of the rotor. I know my starter was weak and now wont turn over at all. I have never had a starter completely stop working before, no spin, nothing. I do have another starter I can throw on but today my wife got laid off, I was cheap before but this is going to suck.

 

Clean the plugs with brake cleaner and a toothbrush.

Can you turn the motor over by hand? Put a 19mm socket wrench on the pulley and turn it clockwise. Trans in neutral.