1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

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Old 11-06-02, 04:22 PM
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Help!!!!!!!!

OHHH GOD.........k last night i was sitting around, minding my own business....driving my car really fast like usual, enjoying my rotartary engine and all the good it does.

THEN BAM!!!!!!

my car just turns off,.....it doesnt turn back on....i just put oil in it the other week, i check the oil....and there's no oil.......i put more oil in praying nothings wrong....the car turns on.......but im burning a **** load of oil.....its like a smoke bomb coming out of my exhaust.....i think to my self....oh **** i just blew my head gasket....i was talking to my friend and he was saying rx7's dont have head gasket but they have an apex seal........i just wanna clearify.........then another one of my friends said it would be cheaper to get a 13b......
im so ******* lost.......any one wanna tell me whats up...
god i hope i dont need a new engine *bah*
Old 11-06-02, 04:38 PM
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Do you have any oil pressure reading on your gauge? And where did the oil go???? leak? burnt?

Sorry to say this but it sounds like you roached it. If so, just get a junkyard 12A and swap it out. 13B will cost mucho $$$ more.
Old 11-06-02, 04:48 PM
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it was leaking
Old 11-06-02, 04:52 PM
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LOL head gasket, have you ever looked under the hood? it has 6 apex seals, if it is your car you should get a haynes manual to familiarize yourself with it. 13b would definatly be more $$. what year is your car and how many miles are on the engine?
Old 11-06-02, 05:02 PM
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Welcome xX__ziggy__Xx,

We are all glad that you joined our loving community. A few things to do while you are here is to check out the "stickies" in each section, the archives, and don’t be afraid to use the search option for some answers.
If you have a question about rotary engines or RX-7's, you've come to the right place. When asking a question, be sure you are asking it in the appropriate forum. (ex. Not everything goes into the Lounge)

I've been a member for a while and have learned that this site is flowing with information, great people, and the owners are always striving to make this a better place for the users. The admins and moderators do not tolerate flaming other people or their property. If you are attempting to undermine the tranquility of the forum, I’m sure appropriate action will be taken.
On a personal note and fair warning: Ignore the people who have a pinecone shoved up their asses. (Basically, don't take everything on here personally.)

Enjoy your stay.

-Error402
Greetings v0.4
Old 11-06-02, 05:06 PM
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[qoute]it was leaking
[/qoute]

and you didnt think that was a clue? lol did you keep putting more in or jsut let it go? and as everyone else has said a 13b would, yes, cost alot more $$$. i say hit the junkyard and pick up an old 12a!

~dave
Old 11-06-02, 05:10 PM
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whats with error402?
Old 11-06-02, 05:16 PM
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Now that I got that out of the way.

The bad news:
1. Sounds like your engine popped an apex seal. So find out....you can get a compression tester from a local auto parts store $10-20. Just get a generic on with a release valve. Take a spark plug out and screw in the compression tester in it's spot. Have a buddy crank the engine over while you hold the release valve. Do this with each rotor housing. (2 spark plugs per housing do the lower plugs). This way you can see if you get any compression. Each rotor
has 3 apex seals. So you should get three readings that are about the same. If not you have a busted seal. (Which would require either a new engine or a rebuild.)

2. NEVER EVER FORGET ABOUT THE OIL LEVEL IN A ROTARY ENGINE.
I'm not going to give you a hard time about this seeing how you have already learned your lesson the hard way. (Rotary engines internals are lubricated by the oil that (includes the apex seals). Since the extreme temps the rotary produces the oil helps parts from becoming brittle.

3. 13b's cost more. If you have 12a engine already in there find another. This way you won't have to mess with fabricating anything. Just do a direct swap.

4. Rotary engine have no head gaskets. Just apex seals and side seals. The nice thing about rotary engines are the simplicity of them. Generally speaking it only has 3 moving parts. Two rotors and the eccentric shaft.

The good news:
1. You might get to learn more about the car and engine if you do it yourself.

Last edited by error402; 11-06-02 at 05:23 PM.
Old 11-06-02, 05:19 PM
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Originally posted by drivefast_flylow
whats with error402?
I dunno....is there something wrong with me?

-Error402
Old 11-06-02, 06:19 PM
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hey thanx for your help

i didnt forget about lubercation.....i saw it was leaking after i put the 2nd quart in........and pushed it into a parking lot........bah


but yea thanx for all ya help =)
Old 11-06-02, 06:23 PM
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Originally posted by error402


I dunno....is there something wrong with me?

-Error402
no you just sounded really angry and uptight...but you helped with my thread so i guess youre cool. lol i just thought you were kinda harsh but its all good my bad

~dave
Old 11-06-02, 06:36 PM
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hey, don't be dissin' on my homey drivefast! anyway, yeh, you killed it. looks like time to call pineapple racing and order a streetport motor, lol. always a good excuse. go to www.howstuffworks.com and search rotary engine. learn everything you can. 2 things you never do. never run out of oil and never overheat. also you never want a rapid change in temps. the motor is a sandwich of metals that all expand at a different rate due to heat. now that if billigerently told you everything plus some after error, i'll wander elsewhere.
Old 11-06-02, 06:49 PM
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Pay no mind to the people who get a chuckle at your expense on here. Error was just tryin to clue you in on how things go on around here. Thank you error for taking the time to do that. Yes howstuffworks has an excellent explantion on how the rotary works.
Old 11-06-02, 07:31 PM
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http://www.rotaryengineillustrated.com/index.html
check that out too.
Old 11-07-02, 03:39 AM
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ya i thought i had a pretty good idea on how our engines worked then went to howstuffworks and it made my brain hurt......... so now any time someone asks me how it works i ask for a pen and a pice of paper and write down the link.... and say look it up bitch i aint go the time

plus it helped that i didnt have much knowledge on piston engines when i strated learning about the mighty rotary ...wasnt clouded by the dark side
Old 11-07-02, 04:01 AM
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My money is on a side seal or an oil seal...I didnt know that breaking an apex seal would cause the engine to smoke a lot...I thought that would just make it loose compression and run funny...

~T.J.
Old 11-07-02, 06:31 AM
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Good call almost TJ. Oil seal yes. Side seal wouldnt cause smoking any more than an apex would. Coulda warped a side housing too.
Old 11-07-02, 07:16 AM
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Yeah...Good point...A blown side seal you would loose compression and it wouldnt want to run just as bad...Hmmm...

~T.J.
Old 11-07-02, 09:32 AM
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Originally posted by drivefast_flylow


no you just sounded really angry and uptight...but you helped with my thread so i guess youre cool. lol i just thought you were kinda harsh but its all good my bad

~dave
Well damn, that's the first time I've gotten that one. LOL

Nope, I wasn't uptight or upset at all. Trust me, you'll know when I am pist. I guess I should lighten up the welcome message to new members. I try to update it as much as I can to be informative as possible.

The comments about the oil seals being bad I thought was a given, seeing how xX__ziggy__Xx mentioned it burns oil faster then it would take a hooker to replace a condom. Having the apex seal bust would cause the loud bang. This is why I recommend getting a compression tester to find out what the compression is like.

Here is a little right up..

2 = normal compression
1 = low compression
0 = no compression

When testing your compression you should get three readings (one for each rotar facing).

Normal engine: 2-2-2

busted side seal: 0-0-0 (may vary)
1 busted apex seal: 0-0-2
2 busted apex seals: 0-0-0
3 busted apex seals: 0-0-0

Seals that are sealing properly.
worn side seal: 1-1-1 (my vary)
1 worn seal: 1-1-2
2 worn seals: 1-1-1
3 worn seals: 1-1-1


-Error402
Old 11-07-02, 07:53 PM
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first of all, if you think rotary engines have head gaskets...LOL........then.. i dont know what... but anyways, a blown apex seal would smoke just as much as a side seal. rebuilding the motor would be an option, which would be... i dunno... 2 grand maybe?? unless you need new rotor housings.. thats what costs more.

--eric
Old 11-07-02, 07:55 PM
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those compression readings arents right are they?? i thought a brand new engine should get compression around 8, not 2...... am i wrong?
Old 11-07-02, 08:05 PM
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Originally posted by specRX7_22
those compression readings arents right are they?? i thought a brand new engine should get compression around 8, not 2...... am i wrong?
Did you read the little legend I made?

2 = normal compression
1 = low compression
0 = no compression

...it just like me saying...

C = normal compression
B = low compression
A = no compression

Silly people.

-Error402




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