So in the past 3 months I've had TWO #%*(ing 13b's blow in two separate cars...

An '85 GSL-SE with about 100k on it
A REBUILT '87 TurboII with 3mm seals

Both blew sometime between the FIRST GEAR shift at 7000 RPM and 2nd gear. Car was pulling hard and fine in first, then when I shifted into second, it was blown.

Both times the rear rotor too.

Any ideas on what exactly it is? I would have thought the 13bt in the 87 would have blown when under 10 lbs boost, not when the turbo has hardly spooled up in 1st gear at redline.

 

yelling at my friend to let off the gas from the passenger seat...he was in fourth at WOT

 

Driving about 45mph on a level road at a constant speed in spring like weather, in fourth gear. No warning at all. No strange sounds. No bucking, no hesitation, just a apex seal gone bye, bye.

I do remember comparing the old apex seals with the new ones on the rebuild. Lets just say they were smaller by a good bit.

Reason for the failure: an abused engine by the owner over a five year period. Used car. I was the abuser.

 

cruising at 50 in 5th gear, 2k rpm

Engine just popped. Started to sputter and stalled out when I hit the clutch. Face plant dead.

Managed to coax it back to life and drove the remaing 1/4 mile home on it. Front 100-98-99, rear 0-0-0.

 

NOTHING! I came home from work(1/2 hour drive), parked it on the road, went in for a ****, shower, and shave to go see my now wife, 45 minutes later the thing cranked then went clunk.

I wish I had a better story with explosions and noise!

 

crusing down the interstate at about 75-80 mph ...
loud thunk, and then loss of power ..

was able to get it to my off ramp and it died going up ... let the clutch go and it started back .. made it the gas station about a mile from my house, and it stalled .. had just enough force behind me to pull into a parking lot ...
that was over a year ago and the car is still not running

 

I'll post when it happens. Almost 70k down on two high milage engines, neither blew. Knock on wood.

I hope it doesn't blow like my trans did, randomly on the highway fifty miles from home.

 

Racing a Celica. 100mph, full throttle.

I won.

But I blew a coolant seal, because my upper radiator hose burst. All apex seals still intact.

 

I was at a red light...it turned green and I went full throttle for first gear until 5500rpm, then she bogged and stalled. I drove home on half a motor, took it to the shop and had a 70K motor put in that cost me $200. Makes great compression, and is in the car to this day the original let go bc I advanced the timing too much. the current oil control rings aren't perfect but a bottle of motor honey keeps them tight and sealing at each oil change.

 

I was sitting at a red light, and it started kinda dying and I went to go when it turned green and the back rotor blew an apex seal.. I tried to get it home, and had to pull up a big hill and i blew another seal in the same rotor, so now I only drove about a mile to the nearest shop and parked it. Big *** chunks were gone from the seal.. but the motor had like 245,000 miles on it. I didn't get on it at all on the way home or before, it just died at a red light... kinda sucks. cause I wasn't even doing anything.

 

Having fun on some backroads, accelerating hard in second when all of a sudden it just died on me(the car)
Turned out to be a serverely blown inner water seal.
Ive rebuild and ported the motor, gonna put it in during easter

 

Both times on the way to school, and BOTH times at a stop light! Rear Rotor, corner seals.

 

5th cruising, foot wasn't on the even down 1/4 WOT, give *** backfire, gearbox shaked like crazy, losing power quick, engine shaking.

 

I was racing up the hill on the freeway and it went

 

87 TII- making a right hand turn at 15mph in 2nd gear. Engine just died. Managed to get it started again and drive it the remaining 1/4 home. The engine was knocking real loud and the whole car was shaking real bad. Something on the rear rotor went out.

Rotories are so worthless...but when they run

 

this thread scares me :'(

 

My 88 GXL died while upshifting to second while leaving the mall parking lot. Car shook really badly and stalled out. Rear apex seal went and took the other two with it (the compression tester didn't budge when I tried it). I managed to get it home (about 15 miles) on 1 rotor. It should be running again with a S5 TII swap by summer.

 

mine is still good, original engine, 153k miles.....knock on wood.........hope to blow it doing something spectacular, like drifting, or something else similar...

 

First one my 88 GTU with 102k on the clock.

Went on the side of the road. I came back from work a 32 miles drive and got on the off ramp. While the light was red the idle went funky and there was a puddle of coolant under the car. I drove about a mile when the temp guage pegged and I shut it off.

It was all over. It blew a rear coolant seal.


My 88 SE went 2 months later at 155k.
The thing started up one day and puffed some smoke. Drove fine for that day.

By the night it was filling the front rotor up with coolant too quickly. I barely made it home. Next morning it was DOA.

Now I have a nice new rebuilt S4/5 Hybrid TII engine for my GTU. Almost ready to be put in after 6 months of work.

 

try for some flames and explosions while your at it... might as well make it count...

 

Rolling down 66 near Manassas, VA. Just had my N1 duals on and it was nice and cold. New years day of 01.

I was pointing out to my ex girlfriend watch the boost gauge as I floor it in 3rd gear.

Well, I floored it and around 80mph I heard this Pufffff sound and that was it. I did a road side compression test and the front rotor gave up the ghost. Damn shame.

James

 

i was going over a bridge when a non turbo rx7 flew up on my tail he had intake exhaust and i think that was it
i had my 88 still with the stock single turbo motor and intake and exhaust with fuel cut off switch (ran a 13.8)
not sure what he ran but was pretty sure that i would kill him
so as we came down the bridge to the red light i could tell he wanted to run so i brought her up to 3000rpms
and at green punched it
first gear i had him by a car or two
second gear 6000rpms i was 3 ahead so i just let off and let the engine slow me down
at 3000rpms i pushed in the clutch and the idle dropped to 700 then 0
oh my it died so i coasted to the red light and turned the key rur rur rur rur rur
nothing i try it again rur rur rur rur rur BOOM backfire
oh damn something is wrong well call AAA
but at least it got me to buy a much more powerful motor

 

All you have had catastrophic failures with your cars.
Mine was more suttle. One nice sunny morning wile driving throw a neyborhood, lots of white smoke came out of the exhaust and in the engine bay. I stoped the car and parked it. With the engine still running I poped the hood and herd some metalic noises in the engine. I guy from the neiborhood came out to see what was happening, He got out of his house cause he thoght it got to cloudy to fast for a sunny day. Din't know what it was, so after the smoke cleared out I drove it home 15 miles away. Drove it for a month more with speratic puffs of smoke then left it parked in my driveway for 3 years. I had only driven it for 3 months after I had bought it. At least I got a 13BT in it now.

 

88 GXL ~ Started the car after work. Started than died Immediately. Rear Rotor was blown. To say the least, I was late for my appointment. I remembered It like It was yesterday.

 

just coming out of a turn, let the cltuch out in second and pop goes the rear rotor.