How to inspect a junkyard engine?
11-05-04, 08:18 AM
#1
How to inspect a junkyard engine?
Hey guys,
I may be getting a "running" 12A at a junkyard this Saturday for ~$250. They said that the engine "tested good" so basically it ran at one point. I don't know how well it ran, what the compression was or anything like that. All I know is that it "ran" and has about 99K on it. As we all know that doesn't tell me a whole lot. I'm hoping to get the engine as a candidate for a rebuild. It will be going in my restoration project after the rebuild hopefully. I'll probably send it to rotary resurrection. So my question is this. What can I do to inspect this engine and make sure it is good/rebuildable while I am at the junkyard? This place is three hours away so I'm only going to go once and make my decison on the purchase while I"m there. I'm pretty sure it isn't in the car anymore so I'm going to have to stick to visual inspection and cranking by hand. Any basic methods normally used to assess the health of a rotary engine.
I figured I would check the outside of the engine first and look for any obvious damage or mis-treatment. I'm hoping I'll be able to check the apex seals by looking through the exhaust ports as well. Obsviously I don't want a carbon locked engine, so I'll rotate it around and make sure it's not seized. I'm also going to check for broken bolts, fittings, and fasteners on the engine. I have too many of those on my current engine...
Any additional tips you guys can give would be immensely appreciated. Thanks in advance fellas! Hopefully this engine will be in good shape and I can start back in the right direction...
Jamie
I may be getting a "running" 12A at a junkyard this Saturday for ~$250. They said that the engine "tested good" so basically it ran at one point. I don't know how well it ran, what the compression was or anything like that. All I know is that it "ran" and has about 99K on it. As we all know that doesn't tell me a whole lot. I'm hoping to get the engine as a candidate for a rebuild. It will be going in my restoration project after the rebuild hopefully. I'll probably send it to rotary resurrection. So my question is this. What can I do to inspect this engine and make sure it is good/rebuildable while I am at the junkyard? This place is three hours away so I'm only going to go once and make my decison on the purchase while I"m there. I'm pretty sure it isn't in the car anymore so I'm going to have to stick to visual inspection and cranking by hand. Any basic methods normally used to assess the health of a rotary engine.
I figured I would check the outside of the engine first and look for any obvious damage or mis-treatment. I'm hoping I'll be able to check the apex seals by looking through the exhaust ports as well. Obsviously I don't want a carbon locked engine, so I'll rotate it around and make sure it's not seized. I'm also going to check for broken bolts, fittings, and fasteners on the engine. I have too many of those on my current engine...
Any additional tips you guys can give would be immensely appreciated. Thanks in advance fellas! Hopefully this engine will be in good shape and I can start back in the right direction...
Jamie
Last edited by Glazedham42; 11-05-04 at 08:22 AM.
11-05-04, 08:23 AM
#2
Airflow is my life
It should turn freely by hand, also you should hear strong pulses out the exhaust when turning it (if you turn it in the right direction of course). Also when you look in the exh ports, look at all the visible chrome you can on the rotor housings. Bring a strong flashlight. Before you commit to a rebuild, think about compression testing this engine first. It may be strong enough to keep as is. Then you can send your other motor out instead.
11-05-04, 08:27 AM
#3
Originally Posted by Rx7carl
Before you commit to a rebuild, think about compression testing this engine first. It may be strong enough to keep as is. Then you can send your other motor out instead.
How does one do a compression test anyway? I've never done a compression test on any engine, let alone a rotary engine. Is it something I could do while I was at the junkyard?
