Oil leak on housing
#1
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Oil leak on housing
I am sorry I don't know the names of the rotary parts, has been a while since my last 7. On my 1983 RX7 12 a, there is an oil leak on the driver's side front of the motor. At the junction between the rotor housing and the "front plate" that covers the front of the motor. Another way to describe the location of the leak is to say that it is at the gasket right where the top of the motor says Mazda 12A, just forward af the "M" in Mazda. Are there any temporary fixes to stop or slow the leak, or is a re-build in order? I dont have the funds for a major repair, unless Ebay determines the PO is liable for "undisclosed engine damage over $1000" Dave
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That's what I suspected. Is there a temporary fix, such as a bolt to tighten or an additive to the oil? Thank you. Dave
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I won't try ANYTHING until I get input. Thanks. Dave
#6
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The downside to the rotary's elegant simplicity of design is that there's virtually no access to any engine internals without completely disassembling the engine. I remember changing out a damaged piston (sheared an exhaust valve) on my old '73 Satellite while the engine was still in the car. Can't do that on a Wankel... but then, a Wankel's not going to shear a valve in the first place, not having any.
Complex designs multiply options. Simple designs limit options.
#7
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I would stay away from ATF in the engine. It not only causes seals to swell, but softens them in order to do so, which can lead to further failures.
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#9
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Sometimes they work on piston engines. Could be fatal on a rotary.
Rotaries have points where oil is injected into the housings. If you "seal" those passages, then you're screwed. Clean it up, slap a little JB Weld on there, and forget about it for a few months...
Rotaries have points where oil is injected into the housings. If you "seal" those passages, then you're screwed. Clean it up, slap a little JB Weld on there, and forget about it for a few months...
#14
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Lucas gets my full blessing, although I've never tried using it for a dowel pin leak. The oil control rings on my last motor were so bad that the motor was pretty much shot. Couldn't drive it without blinding everybody behind me with the smoke screen (no exageration there either). I started running one quart of Lucas in place of 1 quart of oil, and eliminated 95% of the symptoms. Got another 20K miles out of that motor before an apex seal finally went at 213,000 miles.
If you want more info, just run a search on it. Plenty of info out there on it.
If this were my car, I would JB Weld the exterior where it is leaking and use the Lucas too. Good luck....
If you want more info, just run a search on it. Plenty of info out there on it.
If this were my car, I would JB Weld the exterior where it is leaking and use the Lucas too. Good luck....
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It's just a joke movie reference - - Windex can cure everything!
The comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding presented Windex as a placebo or folk remedy for external use against most non-disabling ailments. (This parallels an actual folk belief in similar use of the WD-40 brand of penetrating oil.) This may be based in Windex's remarkable capacity for removing tight rings off fingers where more traditional remedies such as butter or soap are less effective.
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But seriously folks.....
So can it be deduced where this leak is from, just given my description? In my pic, is it a small O ring at "A" that looks like it goes around a rod or bolt? Or is it a huge O ring at "X" or "Y", that appears to encircle the combustion chamber?
EDIT: I need to figure out image posting first, sorry.
So can it be deduced where this leak is from, just given my description? In my pic, is it a small O ring at "A" that looks like it goes around a rod or bolt? Or is it a huge O ring at "X" or "Y", that appears to encircle the combustion chamber?
EDIT: I need to figure out image posting first, sorry.
Last edited by Dave Meyers; 08-08-08 at 02:23 PM. Reason: add pic
#21
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The small o-ring that surrounds the dowel pin in the area you described in your initial post is a fairly notorious oil-leak source. The dowel pins serve to align the plates and housings, but are also hollow and are used to carry oil under pressure.
The big o-rings that go all the way around the rotor chambers (inner and outer seals) seal the water jacket.
The big o-rings that go all the way around the rotor chambers (inner and outer seals) seal the water jacket.
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The small o-ring that surrounds the dowel pin in the area you described in your initial post is a fairly notorious oil-leak source. The dowel pins serve to align the plates and housings, but are also hollow and are used to carry oil under pressure.
The big o-rings that go all the way around the rotor chambers (inner and outer seals) seal the water jacket.
The big o-rings that go all the way around the rotor chambers (inner and outer seals) seal the water jacket.