barnett87rx7

iTrader: (1)

can I use two gsl se housings on my s4 TII? I know the housings have grooves but has anyone done this?

K-Tune

iTrader: (26)

You answered your own question. No you cannot because of the coolant seal grooves.

D Walker

iTrader: (1)

Ahhh actually not true.
To use the GSLSE housings on later 13B's you need to fill the o-ring grooves on the irons with Devcon or similar. The RIGHT way to do it is to fill it with Devcon, have lapped, then use. However I know people who have just Devconned it up and assembled it after a little DA work.
FWIW there are people (like me) who have otherwise useable irons with cracked o-ring grooves that are always on the lookout for GSL-SE housings.

K-Tune

iTrader: (26)

I wouldn't rig a motor with devcon that I wanted to last. Gsl-se housings have inferior chrome anyway.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

irons can be repaired, just that most machine shops won't touch cast iron because it needs to be treated with respect and proper precautions taken after repairing them with steel fillers that will expand and contract at slightly different rates than the cast iron. also still in testing phases of a product that will allow broken irons to be used in raw condition(even though i won't do that, it will aid in seal failure in cases where irons fail after assembly or if someone has no alternative to using a broken iron ie.. at the track, salvaging pinned or bridged irons, etc).

D Walker

iTrader: (1)

I honestly have never seen an iron actually repaired around the o-ring groove or the face, the areas are just really very thin. I have spoken to people who have tried b=various methods and they all re-crack when the iron is surfaced and lapped. I think a sprayed plasma method would work, but it would be fairly expensive.

EDIT- I am aware of a SS "insert" sort of gadget that allows the O-ring to seat and seal, but again I think this is a racetrack only sort of repair.

D Walker

iTrader: (1)

Well, I would not consider this "rigging" something any more than Devcon-ing PP housings up. Some parts are getting harder and harder to find, and saving a set of irons or housings is often worth it, especially if there is some portwork or other custom work involved.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

hmm, i thought i was the first in that direction as i have yet to see anything else along those lines.

as far as repairing the irons the surface has to be pre-heated, cleaned and prepped well prior to welding, then reinforced with epoxy and double safety add one short apex seal spring across the length of the broken bridge. granted this isn't an ethical repair for most builders, but it does work in my own engines. FC iron breaks aren't uncommon and replacements are quite steep in price(new of course, because used parts are getting scarce already as people keep blowing motors and scrapping 7's), so alternatives will have to be found which is why i am developing the sleeve, so even if you do break an iron the seal will not fail. also along those lines the OEM coolant seals are too thin and made of original tested materials which is why i use the much thicker seal surface seals i researched and implemented. (don't ask me why aftermarket companies still are intent on using o-rings versus square cut seals..)

there are much better rubber materials out there these days than the 40 year old materials that mazda still uses(which works fine for stock applications and gets the cars out of warranty period but the melting point is antiquated). my aim is to build a rotary engine that can on occasion see 300*F and still manage to have full cooling system integrity afterwards. regardless that rebuilt motors can take more abuse, sometimes they can't and it's not worth risking at the cost of a rebuilt motor, all for peace of mind in moving the reliability of these motors forward.

this all brought on because i finally had an iron fail shortly after rebuilding, i ate the labor to pull the engine out and rebuild it and it's not something i want to repeat nor does any customer.

bumpstart

viton is 400 F and it has another flouro carbon cousin ( cant remember trade name ) that is 450 F
and they both will take some period beyond the working temp number at reduced longevity

i have been doing viton for a while and have seen nothing at all bad about it,,

and yes includes some overheats that i know for sure will have taken the OEM seal

failed plates i throw away but will devcon / belzona earlier housings with corrosion issue at the tract
( fill the entire section of jacket formed up to an old water seal and drill the water passage though the devcon / belzona metal putty )
this way with any differential shrinkage the entire repair block has nowhere to move and coolant flow through the engine is still established