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how hard is it to rebuild a rotary yourself?

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Old 11-14-01, 10:29 AM
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how hard is it to rebuild a rotary yourself?

i am thinking of buying a second generation Turbo RX-7.

When the day comes that the engine will need a rebuild I was wondering if it is some thing the home mechanic can tackle himself.

How many KM's can a Turbo generally have before a rebuild is needed?

Thanks for helping!
Old 11-14-01, 01:09 PM
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one time i finnaly got the motivation to take the motor on my parts car apart so I could see all the parts in there and cosider how I would go about a rebuild. I was wrenching the first bolt and I knocked the radiator hose off and it shot atifreeze all over me, so I gave up and it's too cold now to sit out side and try again.
Old 11-14-01, 02:02 PM
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I looked into it before I swapped mine out. If the housings are worn out, you'll pay more for parts than you would for a shortblock from mazda. Short block = 2250 CDN + 1000 core charge.
Old 11-14-01, 02:08 PM
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I just litterally tore the engine out of my parts bitch which is an 87N/A GXL. Its been sitting around for a year and a half and i finally got around to pulling out the come-along and pushing the car under a tree so i could wench the engine out. once i got it out i set it on a skateboard and rolled it into the garage then started pulling it apart. I now have the block sitting in the garage and i really want to attempt to make this engine run again. I know this is probably impossible considering the last time i saw this engine run, it was overheated and blown up. We opened the hood and there was oil all over the engine, so the rotors are probably warped. But to me it seems like it wouldnt be to hard to replace the seals and put the engine back. I'm gonna take a damned good look over the internal engine parts and look to see if theres any serious damage and if there isnt i will put new seals in it and see if i can get the car to run again. Then i will probably gut the body out and use it as a race car. To answer your question, i dont think it would be too hard, its just a pain in the *** and its time consuming so be ready to give up a lot of time toward this project and make sure you have another car to drive. Also, seals are not cheap but you can probably by rebuilt seals for a lot less. Good luck when you do it and get a Haynes manual.
Old 11-14-01, 02:13 PM
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I am currently working on my 4th motor I built. I wouldn't really say it too hard to do as long as you have all the tools to do the job. Its fun when you learn how to do, at least I think so. I'd say go for it and just make sure you take your time with it.
Old 11-14-01, 02:28 PM
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I dont know, I tore down my 12A with the intention of rebuilding it; but I never got around to it. I did a "test assembly of the front rotor and housings and it didn't go very well. Its actually a pretty big job; not to mention needing new seals, gaskets, and lathed housings. I think it could be done though, by a fairly experienced mechanic. I'd never expect it to run very long though, if I did it myself personally.
Old 11-14-01, 03:37 PM
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if you have real good mechanical knowledge and real good knowledge of cars in general then it should be possible for a home mechanic to tacke. i rebuilt mine in my garage using just basic hand tools and pulled/reinstalled the motor at school in shop class. i took 3 years of automechanics in high school. if you do it take your time and label everything/clean everything real well and you should be alright.
Old 11-14-01, 03:58 PM
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Get this video.
http://www.atkinsrotary.com/enginevideo.htm
Like Bruce says in the video. "If you have ever rebuilt a V8, you are more than qualified to rebuild a 13b"
I'm planning a rebuilding one and also doing the port job myself.
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