I am looking into replacing my 13b this summer, and was wondering how hard it is to rebuild a rotary, having never done it before. I've seen probadly 10 or 15 different web sites that offer "rebuilt" engines but some seem like fly by night at best, any decent sites to buy rebuild kits or engines that are reliable?

 

the question is.........can you even use your engine for a rebuild, housings are what matter, those rebuilt engines you are seeing are after a core, which would be after they recieve a good motor w/ good housings

 

Well, its difficult to gauge difficulty without knowing how much mechanical experience you already have. Personally, I helped a bud rebuild his S4 NA 13b last summer, and aside from keeping track of all the bolts, it didn't seem too difficult. In comparison to rebuilding a V-8, I'd say its easier, because there's like a tenth of the parts. The only issue is that the rotary engine is almost like a watch, with all these tiny seals that are spring-loaded.

Oh, and I second the comment regarding the condition your housings and such are in. If the one of the seals broke before tearing the engine apart, its more than likely that it scratched the hell out of the housings. Depending on the extent of the damage and how much money you have, you may need to get new housings, which usually entails a new block .

Back to the rebuild I helped my friend with, his corner seal came loose and scratched up the edges of the housing, but being the broke-*** he is, we re-used the housings. I think he's got 2,000 miles on the rebuild now, and the compressions roughly 100psi for the front and i think 90psi for the rear, in comparison to 120psi I think for stock? And he does say he feels a performance hit...

It's pretty much a story of how much you want to spend, as for a good rebuild company, look around the forums. Everyone has their own opinions, personally my friend went with the Rotary Aviation rebuild kit, which cost about 500 bucks I think with apex seals?

Good huntin'