AZ85RX7

First off, I would like to know if this is a job I should really be doing. I have no experience in motor rebuilding what so ever. BUT, in my disassembly, I'm taking things really slowly and marking everything with ducktape and identification. If I had to put the motor back together from where I'm at now, I could do it with no problem. So, questions:

Hot start assist? Last year my car was having a hard time starting in the summer when it was hot. It was making a really weird sound by the firewall on the drivers side, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Decided to mess around and unhook the hot start assist and.......presto! Sound gone, and engine starts quicker and easier. So, do I need to really have this part, can it go?

Sub zero fluid. Sub Zero? What's that? I live in Phoenix Arizona for crying out loud. Do I need this?

I did some major searching on the net, and came across Revolution Rotary.com. They sell basic rebuild kits for $638.17. Is that a good price? Does anyone here know where I can get one just as good or better for cheaper? Any help would GREATLY be appreciated.

Thanks!

faye x7

I live in IL, where temps reach below freezing all the time. My car started up with no problem without it. (Hell, even with it in...the thing didn't work. Motor was all rusted and the tank was cracked)

So take off that sub zero POS. heh

82transam

iTrader: (18)

This winter the temps were 10*F in the morning and my car had no troubles starting with the subzero tank gone, i took the hot start bullshit out too, its useless.

futant

you need neither of those assist things they are useless
also make sure everything is in that kit, also turning the housings is quite expensive.

futant

there are tricks to assembling the rotary engine, like you need to find a friend when putting the engin together due to the intermediate housing pos
also use lots of hylomar and to tell you the truth - just a tid bit of super glue to hold certain things just right. like the ****** corner of the apex seals that always come off. keeping the water seals in place are a bitch also, but I didn't use glue on them since they are seals

AZ85RX7

Bump* Anyone else? PLEASE?

moremazda

iTrader: (4)

What problems did you have with the motor that lead to the decision of rebuilding it???

Ryan

Rx7carl

Yes why are you rebuilding? Normally you can just get a gasket kit (all the soft seals), new apex seals and new, springs for the apexs, corner (get the 3rd gen ones, they are the best), and side seals. Just the springs, not the seals, itll save you alot of $$$$. Also a good maunal is necessary to do this. Take your time, borrow the measuring tools youll need (see the manual). But you wont know for sure whats still good till you have it apart.

Subzero and hot start assist? **** CAN THEM!!!!!!!!

AZ85RX7

Rx7carl: do you know where I can get those parts, and about how much is it going to run me? I made the decision to rebuild on a few things. First, the rear rotor's spark plugs were covered in oil, and I know they shouldn't be. This led me to believe an oil seal went bad, but I could be wrong. Second, it was smoking like a mother f***er, and running awful. It has 120,000mi. on it, so I thought this would be the best thing to do, and get it running like new.

Pele

iTrader: (28)

Yeah, that sounds like a blown oil control ring...

I've never rebuilt a rotary, but I have seen them torn down for demos before. I'd assume it's amazingly easy.

Parts can be obtained from a myriad of sources. Check out www.mazdatrix.com as well as the vendors thread at the top of the section.

Like other's have said, take your time. Best reference is the shop manual which costs about $80 In addition to that, there is a video produced by Atkins Rotary for about $30 that goes over the process of rebuilding an engine. They demonstrate on a 2nd gen N/A 13b, but it's similar enough. Before you get too deep, I reccomend at least checking out the Haynes manual, available from most auto parts stores for about $10-$20.

The cold start assist, I agree with everyone else, Ditch it... On our cars, it rarely works. On the 2nd gens, there was a TSB that said disable or remove it. It was never installed on the 3rd gens.

Hot start assist, however, I dunno about. Perhaps it needs adjustment... It's not meant for Hot as in summer hot... It's meant for I just got off the highway, went to get a burger and I'm going to get back on the road kinda hot.

AZ85RX7

I do own the Haynes manual, and that's what I have been going off of so far. I was just on the mazdatrix.com web site not two minutes ago. Their gasket price is right on with another source I was going to get it at, but their seals price is about $100 more than what I was looking at. Revolutionrotary.com I think is the site I was going to.

nization

I've already got a torn down, street ported, 13b turbo motor from a second gen, just waiting on fundage to rebuild this one and drop it in my '84 FB. I too, have never rebuilt an engine, but I am getting all the manuals to read over and over a time or two before I get started . Good luck, man, we should look into comparing notes, once I get this one off the ground this summer! (hopefully)

moremazda

iTrader: (4)

az, if the side plate do not rust after the engine is disassembled, and there is no flaking on the rotor housings, all you should need is that rebuild kit That rebuild kit is a very good deal. In addition to the kit you will need some Hylomar gasket sealer, and some emery paper to clean and roughen up the side plates )for good sealing).

Good luck
Ryan

Rx7carl

I get my stuff from Mazdacomp, but you have to be a registered racer to buy from them so I cant quote you a price on what itll cost you, but if you dont need hard seals (corner, apex, side) then you can get off cheap. Ususally the side seals and corner seals are reuseable, thats why I suggested you just get new springs for them (they are dirt cheap). The Haynes has enough info to rebuild an engine, but the shop manual is better. heres the online one.

http://www.wankel.net/~krwright/files/1985_RX-7_FSM/


Like I said, get a soft seal kit (youll need that no matter what), and maybe new oil control orings (you prolly wont need the $$$ metal part of the seal). Like moremazda said, check the condition of your rotor housings .

http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/rotorhsg.htm

calvin

I just finished my first rotary rebuild (a 12A for my daughters 85 GSL). As a point of reference I have rebuilt many boingers over the years. The rotary was fairly easy, but there were some tricks to doing it right.

I bought the Atkins Rotary rebuild tape. They do a 2nd gen 13B, but basically all of the important techniques are the same. There are some little tricks and small things that are not mentioned in any manual that make the tape very important in my opinion. Things like seeing the center housing being put on over the eccentric shaft just can't be described well in a manual, and seeing it done it is like "Oh that's what they mean". I'd get the tape and at least a Haynes manual.

As far as parts.. if your engine has not lost an apex seal then the parts you basically need are the gaskets (I got the set from Atkins off of their ebay ad for $89.95), the apex seals. Beyond that the tape and manual tell you how yo check what else you need, and what you should probably replace. I also replaced the front and rear main seals, and the corner seal plugs and corner seal springs. That is probably what you will need. I like Atkins for a parts source, so at least compare them. Good people in my opinion.

calvin

Oh.. and if you are going in there I would probably replace the oil control o-rings also. They are about $40 from Atkins. The tape tells you how to check the metal parts of the seals.

Rx7carl

Oh and get 3rd gen corner seal springs. They are much improved over the hair spring design. It's what Mazda reccomends.

AZ85RX7

Sorry for not posting an update, I've been really busy. I was searching through my Victoria British catalog the other night and noticed that they sell an engine gasket and seal set for $120. Does anyone else have this catalog to see what I am talking about? They also sell the front and rear oil seals for $3 and $10 respectively. The set does not include anything that deals with the rotors themselves. Is this a good deal? Should I get it?

Rx7carl

Sounds about right to me. SO hows it going?