Questions re seals
02-23-06, 04:45 PM
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Questions re seals
Hi
I have an '83 rx-7 that has seal problems - orignally it was just the intake seals - 1st question - is there a way to recondition the rubber seals - I heard of this being done using something called AT 202?
Some background - I've owned 3 RX-7s over the years so I know a little about rotary engines. I bought the car last spring - test drove it and it ran smooth and had good power - no smoking that I could notice. 4 days later the oil light came on, I checked the oil and it was barely registering on the dipstick. I called a couple of rotary specialty shops in town and got informed about the oil intake seals. So I got by by using 30 wt oil and adding it every few days. Then I had a clogged cat - there is a thread I added to "can't rev past 4500 rpm" - check it out if you want more info. Anyway, the cat was clogging - I was unaware of it at first, I started it one day and got a large ploom of smoke (whitish blue) and since then the car smokes a fair amount esp if I drive it hard and while shifting at higher speeds. I've heard both symptoms can be attributed to worn apex seals. I believe that the back pressure from the clogged cat did a number on the apex seals- one shop told me that clogged cats in their opinion is one of the largest contributers to blown apex seals. I dont know if this is true but in my case it seems likely. I was on the highway when the clogged ocurred - all of a sudden the car wouldnt rev past 4k. I drove it abit b4 I figured out it was the catalytic converter.
I read the article suggested about using things to remove carbon - I also realise I need to adj the fuel mixture. I know the mix is too strong b/c it smells and I get a backfire sometimes right after shutting the engine off. I'm using HYPERSEAL NO SMOKE FIX additive and it helps a bit. 2nd Question - Other then doing things to prevent carbon build up is there anything short of a rebuild I can do to help restore the apex seals? Btw, the car runs and idles smooth and has a fair amount of power. I had a compression check done by HAYES ROTARY before the cat clogged and found the first rotor had 30% less compression than normal but the rear rotor was fine- I'm sure things have changed since then - I notice less overall pwr since the cat problem although it was offset some by now having a 'clear pipe" Some the performance is probably due to the rich fuel mix but overall the car moves when I step on it - I'm just leery of driving it hard b/c thats when it smokes and I'm afraid of doing damage- What I want to know is - should I run it hard a while to clear out carbon or would that just stress the apex seals more? Any help greatly appreciated and Thanks for reading all this!
I have an '83 rx-7 that has seal problems - orignally it was just the intake seals - 1st question - is there a way to recondition the rubber seals - I heard of this being done using something called AT 202?
Some background - I've owned 3 RX-7s over the years so I know a little about rotary engines. I bought the car last spring - test drove it and it ran smooth and had good power - no smoking that I could notice. 4 days later the oil light came on, I checked the oil and it was barely registering on the dipstick. I called a couple of rotary specialty shops in town and got informed about the oil intake seals. So I got by by using 30 wt oil and adding it every few days. Then I had a clogged cat - there is a thread I added to "can't rev past 4500 rpm" - check it out if you want more info. Anyway, the cat was clogging - I was unaware of it at first, I started it one day and got a large ploom of smoke (whitish blue) and since then the car smokes a fair amount esp if I drive it hard and while shifting at higher speeds. I've heard both symptoms can be attributed to worn apex seals. I believe that the back pressure from the clogged cat did a number on the apex seals- one shop told me that clogged cats in their opinion is one of the largest contributers to blown apex seals. I dont know if this is true but in my case it seems likely. I was on the highway when the clogged ocurred - all of a sudden the car wouldnt rev past 4k. I drove it abit b4 I figured out it was the catalytic converter.
I read the article suggested about using things to remove carbon - I also realise I need to adj the fuel mixture. I know the mix is too strong b/c it smells and I get a backfire sometimes right after shutting the engine off. I'm using HYPERSEAL NO SMOKE FIX additive and it helps a bit. 2nd Question - Other then doing things to prevent carbon build up is there anything short of a rebuild I can do to help restore the apex seals? Btw, the car runs and idles smooth and has a fair amount of power. I had a compression check done by HAYES ROTARY before the cat clogged and found the first rotor had 30% less compression than normal but the rear rotor was fine- I'm sure things have changed since then - I notice less overall pwr since the cat problem although it was offset some by now having a 'clear pipe" Some the performance is probably due to the rich fuel mix but overall the car moves when I step on it - I'm just leery of driving it hard b/c thats when it smokes and I'm afraid of doing damage- What I want to know is - should I run it hard a while to clear out carbon or would that just stress the apex seals more? Any help greatly appreciated and Thanks for reading all this!
02-23-06, 05:02 PM
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The loss of oil and smoking can be contributed to very worn oil control seals. I don't see how a clogged cat could damage the apex seals. Your engine is simply old and tired and needs a rebuild.