After 31 years, tracking it for 24, those people who say rotaries are unreliable have finally been proven right - I have a blown coolant seal and have to pull the engine for the first time. I'm trying to remove the front oil cooler line at the timing cover, and cracked the large fitting in the center of the picture, but I'm finding the smaller nut against the timing cover wants to come along with, and the oil line wants to turn (down) with the fitting as well, which can't be right. Do I need to have a wrench on the smaller, inner nut to separate it from the larger outer one? I tried and found I was putting a lot of force on both wrenches, so I'd like to know if I should just heave-ho, or am I going to break something?

 

I always use the two wrench method. It will take quite a bit of force but usually when the fitting on the line is loosened from the fitting on the front cover, you are able to remove the line with minimal force. I've even had them finger tight after initially breaking the fittings loose. In extreme cases on rusty cars, the fitting in the front cover will come out with the line or the line will just rotate with the fitting and snap in half. Yours looks really nice and should come apart fine once the initial tension is broken.

 

Yes, thanks. Conroy Ganson on the Alberta RX7 & rotaries group on FB got back to me with the same - I applied a little more force than what I had before I became concerned something would break, and it let go with a pop, then I turned it out with my fingers easily. The rear banjo fitting was easier.