Rxxx-7_GSL-SE

i was looking on ebay for some rotors, since that im am going to assume that my rear rotor, and housing is toast from one of the apex seals blowing up.

i came a across some SE rotors, and i thought it would be a good investment, that would make it last longer.

i was thinking of rebuilding it with a Rotary Aviation basic rebuild kit with 3mm seals.

1.)is there a downside to 3mm rotors?

2.)is it possible that the housings will be fine even after seal blew up?

3.) is R.A. good? This claim really sold me on it:

"These seals offer 700% more bending strength and are 85% harder than the current after market competitors (Atkins and Hurley). "

any chance that their claim is even remotely stronger than atkins or hurley?

my main priority is making my engine last another 200,000KM (i know it sounds obsurde) or will just 2mm rotors and seals be fine for lasting that long. I think i am heavily bias towards spending $150 or so for 3mm rotors, cuz my SE has 222,000KM and still going on strong, yet my FC died at 186,000KM. So i need a second opinion.

thanks

88turbotime

3mm seals are stronger but dont seal as well since they dont flex as much. Most pople only use 3mm seals for high HP applications.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

1. a little heavier, more likely to chatter at higher than stock RPM

2. possible? yes. likely? no. you're probably going to have to replace it.

3. those are the only other seals i've used besides MAZDA. i can't speak on Atkins or Hurley.


also, check for counterweight compatibilities ...

arghx

iTrader: (3)

harder seals = more wear on housings. If you want longevity, you better get new rotor housings. You can get really hard 2mm seals as well.

3mm seals are pointless for an n/a. there's a reason Mazda switched away from them.

I'm not sure about this, but I was also under the impression that GSL-SE rotors were physically heavier than 2nd gen rotors as well.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

No. They are heavy *** rotors, a full 1lb heavier than the (already heavy) s4 rotors. Most people these days want to build with the light 89+ rotors. Anytime you change rotor weight, you must also change front counterweight and flywheel (or rear counterweight for automatics) to match. The GSLSE rotors require thicker side seals and springs, meaning that if you were intending to reuse your originals it'll cost you more to buy the replacements.

There would also be an immeasureable increase in friction from the thicker side and apex seals.



Some people bitch about the slightly added friction of 3mm seals, and the slightly lower compression they generate, but neither makes any real world difference. The 3mm seal setups are measureably stronger, as evidenced by the many 1st gen engines still running around to this day with 200-300k miles and no rebuild...not as many FC 2mm engines pull that off.


Possible, yes, likely, no. http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...nt_damage.html

HUrleys are highly regarded by all north american engine builders to be junk. Stay away from them.

Atkins are great all around seals for just about any purpose. They are not quite as strong as oem's (in my opinion) but they seal well to used housings (and better to new ones) and hold up for a long time under most conditions.

Oem's are great for just about anything, street or race, new or used housings.

The RAs I haven't used enough of to make a decision, but the few sets I did use I was not impressed with. They seemed to make lower compression both initially and after breakin than other seals with equivalent housings. There are also lots of reports in the rotary performance section of this forum of them wearing into rotorhousings quite badly, because they are actually TOO hard. Remember that mazda found a happy balance by designing the apex seal AND the rotor housing to wear at the same time...having one that doesnt wear at all while the other wears out very fast isn't very helpful at all, because it still means that the engine has to come apart soon.

Now wait..you have a 1gen SE or an FC you are talking about building here? IF you already have an SE, then I'd say stick with the existing rotor setup because replacing one rotor will not cost much at all. OF course converting to the newer, lighter FC rotating assembly is not very expensive either, and will yeild a measureable performance gain. When the 1gen SE guys come to me wanting a rebuild I basically build an FC NA block with an SE front cover and oilpan, and FC intake manifold/throttlebody setup and call it a day, this setup works well together and doesnt cost much more to rebuild than the worn out, heavy, small port SE stuff.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

that really is the way to go, the -se motor is good, but heavy rotors, small ports, etc, its down on power.

also if you want it to run for 200,000km's buy new rotor housings and use the mazda seals....

Rxxx-7_GSL-SE

its for a 88 FC

a SE front counter weight wont be expensive or hard to change right?

Why do you have to change the flywheel?

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

on manual transmission cars, the stock flywheel is also the rear counterweight - balanced to those rotors and front counter.

Rxxx-7_GSL-SE

i think i better not go through with this:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...t=classic+seal

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

I built a turbo motor with SE rotors once. IT ran fine up to 9 grand until I broke the s4 rear iron at the dowelpin on a cold day with about 275rwhp.

Those are heavy rotors, though, and the only reason I went with them is because I was running a heavy vert and the low end feel of the heavy rotors was nice.

IMO the s4 rotors are the best balance of driveability and top end. s3's give you better driveability, s5s give you better top end with a weaker low end.

nick812

Very good input.

rotarydude

iTrader: (2)

I concur with the idea of using an FC type rebuild in your SE, my experience and don't go by my number of posts go by the number of cars i have and how many rebuilt engines i have used.

DO NOT USE RA APEX SEALS you will will be very disappointed They are way too hard and cause too much wear on the Rotor housings as such they will not seat right. If you are going with used Rotor housings then use the Atkins seals they willl seal better and faster. If using new housings it does not matter between these(atkins) and stock (Mazda).

Yes i have built them and still can, no I do not do it now, I don't have the necessary cores nor the time and there are very good builders out there with reasonable prices decades more experience and warranties on their work.

If this is your first rebuild remember to take your time and everything is in the details, Otherwise listen to the advice that has been given by the engine builders here. It is very sound and they have done hundreds of engines. They have made most of the mistakes so we don't have to and they are willing to share that knowledge for FREE. So please pay that back to them by supporting them.