Fuzzydicerule

Hi guys, im new here, My name is Sam, and i actually drive a 1992 Mustang GT

However, my friend and i are getting an 82 RX7 for a very good price, however, the only catch is its got a blown seal somewhere in the engine.

The car belongs to my friend right now, and he was trying to go all fast and the furious and drift the thing, and blew the seal, he thinks its an apex seal, but hes not sure, he says it starts, but runs like crap and makes no power, so its obviously something affecting compression/combustion.

When we get the car, we will disassemble the engine to try and find the problem. The catch for me is i know nearly nothing about these engines, other than the fact that they have two large peices of metal that go in circles, so i was wondering if i could get any tips on what it COULD be, as well as anything i should look out for during disassembly/assembly

Thanks guys

Fatman513

Your Rotary education begins here:

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/1st-gen-rx-7-faq-page-237777/

Fuzzydicerule

haha, thanks, i always forget to read those first

swbtm

iTrader: (2)

After you are done with the FAQ check this link out. It has some good detailed videos on some pretty important and intricate portions of a build, good luck!

http://www.rebuildingrotaryengines.com/

Kentetsu

check the ignition system before assuming you have a motor issue...

Fuzzydicerule

will do, thats what he said was, either he blew a seal, or the ignition is bad


thanks for the link swbtm

Fuzzydicerule

update, we talked to the guy today, he says one of the ignition modules or whatever is gone, and he thinks one of the rotors/seals/something in the engine is going out

thanks for the advice guys

Kentetsu

Post your information in the 1st gen technical section and we'll help you troubleshoot your issues there. Good luck!

swbtm

iTrader: (2)

no problem, hoping that it's only an ignition issue for your sake! But hey tearing these motors down is half the fun of owning them

edit... actually maybe more of 80-20 driving/ tearing down... haha

Fuzzydicerule

thanks guys, ill post whats up when i hear it run (okay limp) which should be in an hour or two, then a little after that ill post, but yeah, im hoping we dont have to tear it down, but the kid says he thinks if its not a seal, one is going to go out soon anyway, but w/e

Fuzzydicerule

just a quick update

we got the car, and the leading ignition is gone, so, were hoping thats most of the problem

swbtm

iTrader: (2)

A car running only on the trailing will sound really pathetic... once you get the leading fixed you should have a huge change in the way it runs.... probably already mentioned... but if you can get a compression test done that would help greatly if the leading doesn't fix it

Fuzzydicerule

we bought a plain jane accel coil today and hooked it up (my friend whos house its at, i was busy with the chevelle) he says it starts and runs now, but it sounds like the timing is off. Im going over there tomorrow to tinker around with it, and see if i can get the timing better and see if it fixed it.

were going to do the makeshift seal test also, as in, take out a spark plug and listen to the air escaping to hear if all the seals are good (my friend, who we bought the car from told us about this, id also like to get an opinion on whether or not this is a good idea) apperently if theyre all good, you hear three strong blasts of air, if an apex is out, you hear one strong and 2 weak, and if a side is out, you hear 2 strong and 1 weak.

like i asked, is this a good idea, or a good idea to screw it up?



also also, i found this article on an MSD conversion, is this good/worth it?
http://www.mazspeed.com/msd.htm

Fuzzydicerule

Sorry for the double post, but i need to clear something up

how exactly does one go about timing a rotary? which spark plug wire does it go on, im assuming the leading, but on which rotor, front or back? also, what is the ideal degree to set the timing at idle?

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Welcome to the Club.

Best thing you can do is download a copy of your specific year FSM via the link in my signature.

All of these questions are basic ones that have been asked a million times over. :-)

All of the procedures and specs are located in the FSM.
As far as the compression test goes here is the link in the Archives-

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/engine-compression-test-using-piston-engine-tester-597883/

Some other valuable reading material that will assist you while you are here are the following-

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/rules-1st-gen-section-89820/

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/how-use-forum-tutorial-series-720499/

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=237777

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/

Happy reading! :-)

Fuzzydicerule

hey, thanks for the links

thinking about it, yeah, im sure they have been asked a billion and a half time, same stuff on mustangforums, i just no nothing about this stuff, and also i seem to have a severe allergy to the search function >_<

Fuzzydicerule

Again, sorry for the double post/post whoring, i just cant view the links in your sig until i have 10 posts (this is the 10th)

Fuzzydicerule

Note, this is a question, not a tutorial. I figured that A, id get my question answered, and B future searchers would find it easily via the Search function, as i could not find it (i may just be search functionally challenged, but IDK, i seacrched for half an hour, and couldnt find anything) How does one go about timing a 12A rotary? the only hint i can get is a red mark on one of the belts, but i dont know. Im used to piston engines with degreed harmonic balancers, so i feel like a (insert witty comment about me knowing nothing about rotaries here)

Also, i spent today tinkering with the coils and such. My question, where does the negative cable from the leading coil go? i couldnt find out, and i think the wire is shot? i thought it was a ground, but grounding it did nothing. Thats why the leading coil was fubar, and theres no spark with that connector attached, but if i attach the connector that goes to the negative on the trailing coil, it works fine, and apperently the 2 cant be spliced between the coils, because that kills the connection and whatnot. However, i twisted it around the old peice of the wire, and then the engine started, and it seemed to be running near perfect, and seemed like it needed to be timed. thats when we killed it to hook up the timing light, couldnt figure out where the timing light was, and then the engine got flooded. The battery is dead now, but im gonna head over there tomorrow to try to start it again

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Sam,

You have enough posts to view the link in my signature and the FSM is where you will find the answer to the timing issue and the Coil wire issue..

The FSM has the wiring diagrams that will tell you exactly what you need to know.

Fuzzydicerule

Okay, will do, sorry about that , i glanced over that link and printed out the wiring diagram. Thanks for being tolerant with my noobishness, i havent joined a new forum, nor have i had to relearn things like this in a while.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Thats ok just give me that big block Chevelle and I'll call us even,lol.

Fuzzydicerule

haha, no, unless you want to finish welding on the quarter panel, and then do all the body work and paint for me =P

Kentetsu

I'll give you a nudge in the right direction (btw, glad to hear my earlier advice paid off).

Sounds like your leading ignitor is blown. This is basically an ignition control module. There are two of them mounted on the outside of the distributor. The one toward the radiator is the leading. Hit a junkyard and grab a handful of them.

To time the car, use the front rotor. There are supposed to be marks on the main pulley that will line up with a peg on the front of the motor. But sometimes they get worn off, or the pulley gets put on in the wrong position, so keep that in mind. There will be two marks on the pulley, one for leading and one for trailing.

Hit the main tuneup items too. Cap and rotor, plugs (NGK), fluid change, check the plug wires and replace if needed. These motors are very reliable, but the ignition systems are a bit sensitive and need to be cared for properly. Good luck.

Fuzzydicerule

Is the ignitor where the negative on the coil goes? because thats the one thats bad, not the positive, but ill try it anyway

thanks for the info on timing, i found that in the FSM link, but you made it alot clearer than it did, i found the pointer... all i have to do is get it running again

also, in the tuneup items, the points on the cap look good, and i have a new rotor to put in, but i cant for the life of me figure out how to take the old one off, hell, i even took the dizzy out to try and get it off, nothing (yes i stabbed it right, after that was when it ran nearly perfect) and i think the plug wires and plugs are new.

thanks for the info guys, hopefully i can get it running enough to drive it and hopefully its not a blown seal



wait, before i forget the mazspeed MSD install
http://www.mazspeed.com/msd.htm

why do i need 3 coils for that? is it from a second gen, or is there a reason?

Kentetsu

The rotor should just pull straight off.

Before you drop the bucks on an MSD system, you might want to research the 2nd gen coilpack options.