Any thoughts if letting a rebuilt engine sit for a year could possibly harm anything internally? What is the best way to inspect the engine to ensure it is in good shape? The engine is out of the car. Thanks!

 

thats how i bought mine. it was never used and sat in this kids garage for a year. i figure they sit around mazda till people buy them so what does it matter where they sit, at mazda or someones garage.

 

"Rebuilt" engines sit around at Mazda?

 

cold compression test is better than nothing. engines sit around all the time. find out how it was preserved and let me know if u dont want it =]

 

Hah! I *NEED* an engine. My car's been without one for 3 months now. It's driving me insane, just having this huge paperweight sitting there. But no matter, the car will sit for another year. I am leavinggg on a jet plane - will be back in a year.

 

Let me give you a little something to chew on ...

My newly rebuilt, ported, 3mm seals blah blah blah motor sat around in my car at my parents' house while I was waiting on a transmission. The environment there is pretty rainy and after the 6 months or so that it took for me to get the tranny and the opportunity to make the trip and do the work, the motor just wouldn't start anymore. I couldn't find the cause.

Years and years later I moved and shipped the car with me to Southern California. I don't have the workspace for it here, so I sent it to a shop. The cause? The apex seals and side seals had rusted into place. The apex seals were freed through the exhaust ports (attempts through the spark plug holes were unsuccessful), but ultimately I needed a rebuild once they found that the side seals were also so stuck and rusted into place that they couldn't be freed or even removed ... and I had to replace my rotors.

 

Wow. That's a pretty crazy story. How can I test against that?

Let's see, if I hand crank the E shaft and I hear pretty decent whooshes, I can assume the seals aren't stuck like yours were? By the way, the tranny is still bolted onto this engine.

I guess I could also finger the rotors (hehehe, finger, hehehe) through the exhaust ports to feel that the seals aren't rusted in place and still have good oiling and assembly lube on them. I could also push down on the seals to make sure the springs aren't dead/rusted either.

 

I'm not sure exactly how you could test for it without doing an actual compression test. Originally my motor was wooshing well enough because the apex seals still had a good seal (thanks to the lube ... hehe) but I suspect the side seals had already gotten stuck because the motor wouldn't even stumble. Eventually the apex seals also gave in to the moist conditions and lack of exercise.

Compression testers aren't expensive ... $30-40. I don't know how good of a reading you'll get by hand cranking it. Does it still have the starter? Or can you take your own? If so, connect it to a battery/charger/your car and make it turn the motor over. If not, use a power or pneumatic tool ... a corded drill, or even go buy an electric impact gun and return it when you're done.

Good luck.

 

I don't think it has the starter attached, and mine's up at my mechanic's shop somewhere. My motor's pulled and I've no clue where all my stuff is. He's gone for the week too.

How can I use a power tool to turn the motor over? I don't think I can just bolt it onto the Eshaft can I. How would it fit the "drill bit!" Also, with the clutch, flywheel and entire transmission still there, how would I turn the Eshaft anyway?

Starter motor has a starter solenoid too. I think the starter idea is not going to fly.

 

Starter solenoid is connected to the starter, silly. They're very straightforward to jump. Starters are tested by jumping them with a power source all of the time.

With a drill you'd need an attachment to hold a 1/2" drive socket. There's a bolt in the end of the e-shaft (I forget what size ... maybe 22mm? don't quote that ... it's been a while) and you just need to turn it by that ... clockwise, of course. Put the tranny in neutral.

 

And... the starter is just conveniently hanging from the long block. I guess I could try borrowing a starter from another friend's garage tomorrow. Will a starter from some other car work?

Wait! It's 19mm. Mazdatrix says so. Right, clockwise. But clockwise changes depending on which direction you face the motor. So, I'm assuming it's clockwise from behind the E shaft. Neutral. This is gonna be fun. Mechanical-idiot attempts to test engine. ^_^

 

I think it's clockwise from the front of the engine. Think about the location of the intake and exhaust ports, and then think about how the rotor travels in relation to them. If you crank on it clockwise from behind the motor (which is what it sounds like you're planning to do) you're forcing air through the intake ports and sucking air through the exhaust manifold.

 

Clockwise if you're facing the windshield. That's the way the motor turns. Gah, I had typed 19mm before changing it to 22.

dredg is awesome.

 

Lol true. I should remember intake then exhaust. Smart!