What Is An Apex Seal??? I thought these were the tips that are inbetween the rotors and the block but now I'm not sure....

 

In a rotary engine, there are a lot of steel seals (or carbon ones if you put those in on the last rebuild).

The apex seals are about 4-5" wide, flat, and are found at each point of the triangular rotor. Apex seals are much like the piston rings in a piston engine, and seal against the housing that the rotor is in, forming a good seal for compression.

Corner seals are round seals that face the inside housings (where the rotor presses up against, much like the cylinder walls on a boinger engine), they're round, and have a slot cut into them for the end of the apex seals at each peak.

The side seals run the whole length of the rotor, on both sides and seals the sides (hence the name) of the rotor off. I'll try to find a good diagram and post it in a bit.

Hope this helps....

Jeff

 

Go to www.rotaryengineillustrated.com

It will satisfy all your anatomical questions!

 

Do yo have a manual? If not, GET ONE !! Ok, well after you have one, look in the engine disassembly/reassembly sections, they show you what and where an apex seal is. But yes the apex seal is on the "tips" of each of the rotors. It is what seals the "tips" of the rotors to the housings (in conjunction with the corner seals. Anyone feel free to correct me if im wrong...

NOUN
Inflected forms: pl. a·pex·es or a·pi·ces (a'pi-sez'', ap'i-)
1. The highest point; the vertex: "the apex of a triangle; the apex of a hill." 2. The point of culmination. See summit. 3. The usually pointed end of an object; the tip: "the apex of a leaf."

Get It?

~T.J.

 

They are the steel seals at the rotor tips ("apex") that seal one combustion face to the next.

Because they get no lubrication from the oil system, and aren't very well supported, they are usually the first seals to go bad. Not always, but usually.

 

Ahh yes I understand. Thanks!

 

Here ya go in case your too lazy to get to the website...

~T.J.

 

Even better picture... just finished it up in PhotoShop... (The white ones that is) hehehehehe...

Jeff

 

Pssshhh, apex seals!!
My mustang doesn't have those and it's fast!!
The way I see it, metal=weight, remove em!!

 

Hmmm glad you posted a pic I always though they were some composite **** not metal. boy was I wrong Hey what's better steel or carbon apex seals?

 

Umm...I think that it depends on what you are doing with the engine. The steel lasts longer because it is more resistant to the wear against the housing, and the carbon ones are softer and dont last as long. The softness is what you would be after if you were going to use them because I think it provides better compression. So, I think that carbon seals are mainly used in race type engines, whereas steel are more for everyday driving type stuff...Just educated guesses though, I may be way off base.

~T.J.

 

The carbon-aluminum seals wear out faster but they're tons lighter... since they are lighter, they do not chatter at high RPM. rev high enough with stock steel seals and you chatter the seals to death.