cryptowave

I understand there isn't a huge demand for them, so production is limited, but why the hell would a rebuild kit (springs and seals) cost $400+?

I bet these cost all of $25 to produce too.

Maybe someone knows something I do not about these kits, seems just like the market has set a price and that's what everyone follows.

Dan H

I don't think its too bad for a rotary rebuild (provided that the rotor housings are ok.) Regular piston engines seem to consist of more parts for the rebuild process though.

Have no idea why they cost what they do. Maybe it has to be produced to exact tolerances as even a millimeter off can cause unwanted effects. Not to mention the special materials needed to produce the seals.

rotary>piston

a full rebuild kit cost's more like $1000. $400 is pretty cheap if you ask me. There are a lot of little pieces that are obsolete, so it makes perfect sense that they are expensive.

dr0x

Not to mention the precision of the parts needed. You think thats easy to make? Sure, 25$ in materials. What about someones time?

Node

iTrader: (1)

I thought they were around $800 or so?
But anyways, aren't apex seals like around $30 each? So for two rotors alone is near $200. Then lots of little **** adds up fast, no one makes precision parts cheap.
Although if you have a hookup, you can get them for a little cheaper, but I don't know how much cheaper.

cryptowave

Machines are making these things, I can't see how someone is making seals and rings by hand.

I'd love to get figures of how many kits (worldwide) are sold yearly.

The only other thing I can think of is that maybe some of the parts are under a Mazda patent.

88IntegraLS

Mazda manufactures their rotary engines (and parts I would guess) under license from NSU. A quick read-up on the history of the rotary engine will tell the story behind this. Perhaps rebuild kits need to be sold under the same license?

Stock Mazda apex seals are flame hardeded or something, and only in the contact surface. I don't know if the Atkins seals are spot hardened like that. Rumor has it that Atkins seals seat in used housings quicker than the Mazda ones, leading me to believe that they are not hardened. I think they are cast iron of a special alloy. There is a lot of metallurgy involved in finding the right metal to mate with the nitrided housing liner.

So yeah, it is pretty involved, beyond just machining tolerances, and there is not much market for rotary rebuild kits vs. honda rebuild kits. Look at the prices of used fc's . . . it is as if no one wants to rebuild rx-7s these days compared to more fashionable cars.

spunks

I think rebuild kits for rotaries are quite cheap compared to rebuilding pistoned cars because to properly rebuild a pistoned car involves a lot more than a rotary.Like pistons,rings,bearings,lifters and cam resurfacing,crank resufacing,bore and honing the block and resufacing the head,and not to mention gaskets.

Liquid Anarchy

iTrader: (2)

Piston engine rebuilf kits are still cheaper than rotarys. It's not a matter of materials, it's a matter of supply/demand.

88IntegraLS

lol @ "TRUE DUALS SUCK!"

spunks

Liquid don't forget the other services required to properly rebuild a piston engine.Those services aren't exactly cheap.With rotaries there isn't much to machine.Provided you have good housings and rotors rebuilding them is relatively cheap.If you do it yourself!

RETed

Cause Mazda is basically the only place to get the parts?


-Ted

1987RX7guy

iTrader: (3)

WTF!!!!!!!


No they don't.