Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

Here is what happened

Sunday Night i was driving through GMR and having fun with my FC. I was racing against a 86 and was going through a turn on second gear. I believe my revolution were around 5-6.5k i don't really remember. But all of a sudden my i feel the rear tires stiffen up and my car turns off and the idiot cluster goes off. I quickly turn on my car and it sounds horrible like if it is gargling something. I the guy in back of me said nothing was coming out of my exhaust and by that i mean no white smoke. At first i thought my injectors were strained so i got to the bottom and i let the car cool down for a good 30 minutes. Once i started the car on it felt a bit better but still sounded horrible so i drove through route 39 trying to get to the gas station on Azusa Ave. While i was going down the road the check engine light went off through some turns but when i was on a straight path it would go away. I noticed that the gas was going down quicker than usual but the oil pressure wasn't going up and temperature was perfect. When i got to the gas station i checked the oil and it was okay. I didn't smell anything burning or nothing like that. I got on the freeway i was able to get up to 60-mph on the freeway but the car was struggling to accelerate. Once i got home i parked my car in the driveway and put it on neutral and the car was idling weird and it turned off, turned it on again on neutral but kept the clutch in but i didnt die. This morning i noticed it was leaking something under the clutch fan.

Here is the video
any help i would greatly appreciate this is my DD and my project car so i need it back as soon as possible.

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RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

It sounds like it's running on 1 rotor. A compression test should be the first thing you do. If that's ok, check for spark and fuel.

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

is there a special tool for rotary engines to check the compression?

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

A regular piston-engine compression tester works fine.

"compression test" search: https://www.rx7club.com/search.php?searchid=6958179

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

There is, but you can get by without it. Is it leaking from the pulley that the fan is bolted to? (Like behind it?) or from the pulley below it? If you get on AIM i'll try to give you a hand.

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

it is leaking from under the fan
i got an aim
xxxFC3Sxxx

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

For those interested parties, that's typically the weep hole on the waterpump, usually implying time to replace.

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

That sounds like just the water pump leaking. When the seal fails, they leak out of the weep hole at the bottom. But that's not going to kill your idle or power, so make that a second priority.

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

so i have to check
compression
front seal
and water pump?

rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

A fast easy way to know if you have compression in both rotors without taking the plugs out and getting a tester is to Unplug the Injector fuse so the car wont start. Turn the car over with the starter If the starter keeps an even speed Its a good bet your compression is good enough for the engine to work. If it speeds up and slows down then its a giveaway

st1llet0

iTrader: (2)

I know it's prolly irrelevant, but just out of curiosity, what code were you throwing?

Rx7TyreBurna

iTrader: (1)

I am confused by the fact that your rear tires stiffened?

Not trying to bash you or anything, trying to understand the problem. What exactly do you mean the stiffened? Like, they felt like rocks, get out and kick them and they are tougher then normal? Or, the rear of the car seemed to have the brakes on?

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

it felt like the rear tires locked up

Rx7TyreBurna

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm, could one of the apex seal got caught, then broke free?

I would highly suggest doing a compression test. If it is idling rough, and the back tires had locked up for a second.... i would guess that something in the drivetrain or something made the engine get stuck for a second. Which, could be an apex seal.

Hope not.... but something to consider.

Comp test for sure.

cmanns

I'm guessing a apex seal poped out which caused his driveline to lock up for a second

g14novak

iTrader: (1)

This is definately what it sounds like happened. I got the exact same feeling with my old motor. Rear tires locked for not even a second then my car sounded like a lawn mower and had no power afterward.

Gas mileage gets worse, car could barely accelerate to 60, sounds like a lawn mower. Definitely sounds like a tossed seal.

Heres what I want you to do. Pull out the spark plugs, unhook the wires so you dont start a fire, and crank the car. You should be able to count 6 consistent chugs without a skip. Assuming one of the seals is gone, you should hear "chug-chug-chug-...-chug-chug" repeating. If your car is making correct compression, you wont hear a gap in the chugging at all. If you can get this on video and post for us, we can probably confirm if you tossed a seal or not.

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

i took off the lower spark plugs
took off the EGI fuse
and unconnected the crank plug
started the car and i heard 3 consistent chug for each rotor
then i did it again and had my pops put his hand there and he said
the pressure from the front rotor was stronger than the rear

g14novak

iTrader: (1)

When you were cranking it with the plugs out on the rear, it didn't sound like this did it?

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solareon

iTrader: (1)

it sounds exactly like one rotor. get a real deal compression tester (a piston one works fine) then tell us what it says.

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

Did you get a video of that? Sometimes they have a slight difference but if it's large that's probably a bad sign.

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

Definitely get a tester and find out what the exact compression numbers are. The rear rotor is almost always the one to blow, and it sounds like your quick and dirty test points that direction too.

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

okay i tested it
the front rotor went up to 120psi
and the rear rotor didnt go up it stayed at 0psi
so when i did another test without the compression tool i put my hand to feel the air front was strong rear was light air
so i am most likely going to have to rebuild correct?

g14novak

iTrader: (1)

Yup. Definitely time for a rebuild. Or T2 swap.

Gabriel82

iTrader: (8)

okay well where could i get a good rebuild kit?
i am planning on doing it by myself

g14novak

iTrader: (1)

If you feel confident doing it yourself, you can get the kits from Atkins Rotary. I would recommend getting it sent out to get rebuilt if its your first time rebuilding one.

In my opinion, if you want to learn how to build rotaries, you should buy a 12a from a junkyard and practice rebuilding that. Parts for them are a LOT cheaper than 13b.

But again, if you feel confident on doing the rebuild yourself, go ahead and hit up http://atkinsrotary.com/ . Your going to need to tear your motor apart first to see what you need to order. New apex seals, side seals, springs, and coolant seals are usually recommended for each rebuild. The oil rings need to be checked to see if their within FSM specs(if your car was eating a abnormal amount of oil and smoking a little, this is usually the issue).

You should surf around this forum and see what people have ordered for their rebuilds. Some parts off other 13b motors are stronger and will last longer than others and some people usually will change to those parts. Example: corner seals from a 3rd gen.

Best of luck to you on your rebuild!