engine play
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From: my pants
engine play
I am planning to by an fd this, long time rotary fan. The question I have is, I know that pulling the engine is unavoidable. O-rings will fail and apex seals will go. I have 2 questions:
1)is there any way to make the seal issue more reliable. Maybe better aftermarket seals or some technique of aplication or some sealant to be applied to the seal?
2)How much does it cost to have your engine pulled? I know it will happen alot. Unlike piston engine, on a rotary you cant work while its in the car. So say I need to replace an o-ring or an apex seal, how much would that cost?
1)is there any way to make the seal issue more reliable. Maybe better aftermarket seals or some technique of aplication or some sealant to be applied to the seal?
2)How much does it cost to have your engine pulled? I know it will happen alot. Unlike piston engine, on a rotary you cant work while its in the car. So say I need to replace an o-ring or an apex seal, how much would that cost?
don't race, don't need to
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,292
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From: Tri-Cities, WA
Some engine rebuilders have been experimenting with alternate seal materials with some seeming success. I'm pretty sure these are silicone available from McMaster, but I may just be speaking out my ***..
These engines appear to last more than 100K miles IF they aren't subjected to large heat loads. Towards that end, having reliable temperature monitoring and some way to make sure the fans come on earlier than mother Mazda had in mind can go a long way towards mitigating the O-ring mess.
Apex seals don't just "go" in and of themselves. Typically, it is either a failure of an old component in the stock engine (clogged injectors, old fuel filter, too much carbon from not often enough oil changes, over boost from improperly moving wastegate actuators) the other cause is improper re-tuning of the electronically controlled engine components when modifying for power increases leading to detonation. Apex seals can get worn down to the point that compression is very poor, and they can get "locked" into their grooves through carbon buildup.
Buying these cars comes with the caveat that in nearly EVERY case, at least one previous owner did not properly maintain the car to the needs the CAR has, not necessarily what Mazda said it needs. Bearing thus, you can expect that if you buy a car that has been just driven and not really looked after, you will eventually have problems. Reliability mods can help, but ultimately you gotta realize this car is FUN to drive the **** out of, and so many will have done so before you, which can lead to the abuses and neglect that end up costing YOU the money. How many cars come with a full service history and documantation and the ability to go speak with the mechanic for $15,000 or less?
You can do much worse that peruse this forum to find the common failures of this car (radiator, AST, pre-cat, 70 or so rubber vacuum hoses, 14 coolant hoses, it never ends). If it does go, think about how you want the car to perform after the rebuild and this will allow you to get it done right the first time.
Then it won't cost so much
These engines appear to last more than 100K miles IF they aren't subjected to large heat loads. Towards that end, having reliable temperature monitoring and some way to make sure the fans come on earlier than mother Mazda had in mind can go a long way towards mitigating the O-ring mess.
Apex seals don't just "go" in and of themselves. Typically, it is either a failure of an old component in the stock engine (clogged injectors, old fuel filter, too much carbon from not often enough oil changes, over boost from improperly moving wastegate actuators) the other cause is improper re-tuning of the electronically controlled engine components when modifying for power increases leading to detonation. Apex seals can get worn down to the point that compression is very poor, and they can get "locked" into their grooves through carbon buildup.
Buying these cars comes with the caveat that in nearly EVERY case, at least one previous owner did not properly maintain the car to the needs the CAR has, not necessarily what Mazda said it needs. Bearing thus, you can expect that if you buy a car that has been just driven and not really looked after, you will eventually have problems. Reliability mods can help, but ultimately you gotta realize this car is FUN to drive the **** out of, and so many will have done so before you, which can lead to the abuses and neglect that end up costing YOU the money. How many cars come with a full service history and documantation and the ability to go speak with the mechanic for $15,000 or less?
You can do much worse that peruse this forum to find the common failures of this car (radiator, AST, pre-cat, 70 or so rubber vacuum hoses, 14 coolant hoses, it never ends). If it does go, think about how you want the car to perform after the rebuild and this will allow you to get it done right the first time.
Then it won't cost so much
Yes it is for sale.
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: The Houston Club's Resident Lush.
The best way to prevent o-ring failure is to upgrade and bullet proof your entire coolant system.
A stock reman with instalation should run you between $4200 and $5200.
A stock reman with instalation should run you between $4200 and $5200.
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 117
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From: my pants
how much more reliable will the fd become if you do the following:
-new aluminum radiator
-nice ic
-monster dual oil coolers
-new radiator hoses
-new silicone vacuem hoses
-new fuel lines
-new aluminum radiator
-nice ic
-monster dual oil coolers
-new radiator hoses
-new silicone vacuem hoses
-new fuel lines
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