I'm toying with the idea of getting an FD with a blown motor for my next project. I'm finishing my FD project with no interior and loads of body and electrical work and it was fun but I didn't get to work on anything really interesting. Has anyone here done there own 13b rebuild? Opening up my motor wouldn't cost a dime but how much does a set of seals run, etc?

 

http://www.rotaryaviation.com/overhaul_kits.htm

Of course that doesn't count anything that isn't within spec and you have to replace.

 

hmmm, interesting, thats a decent amount for a bunch of O-rings but they are very specialized. I'm guessing that taking it to a rotary specialist will run about twice as much (2k)?

 

Around there. Depends on the shop and what you have done. For a standard rebuild (assuming you don't have anything out of spec) will run around $2000.

Rotary Resurrection does a standard rebuild for about $1500:

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/

When get get into porting and such, the prices go up. There is a little more to it than just taking it apart, putting new seals in, then slapping it back together. Everything needs to be cleaned, inspected and measured. I'm in the process of rebuilding mine and I can tell you that these shops earn every bit of the money they charge for rebuilds.

 

Get Bruce Turrentine's rebuild video - just do a Google for "bruce turrentine video". It's EXCELLENT, walks you though rebuilding an engine, you can totally see all the steps involved.

That said, it really isn't that hard to build a motor. The big part of a motor is how good the parts that go into it are - rotors, housings, seals, etc. Building the motor isn't hard, but all the zillions of parts that bolt onto the motor are typically where people have problems.

BTW, you can also get a Mazda remanufactured engine for $2000-2200. Has a warranty and everything, and it's just the short block. But, you miss the fun of digging through the motor .

Dale

 

i was thinkin it cost more . guess I'm gonna buy a burnt out engine and do all kindsa fun to it

 

It could end up costing a lot more depending on what you need to replace when rebuilding the engine.

Rotors and Rotor Housings are around $600 a piece new from Mazda. If you have to replace a rotor (and most likely if the rotor is damaged, so is the housing), you can be looking at $1200 right there before you even spend the $1000 or so for the Master rebuild kit (if you cannot source good used parts).

The side housings are around the same as well (about $600 or so a piece if they cannot be lapped to be reused). Then there is paying to have them lapped (around $60 or so for each as well has paying for the shipping cost if you don't have a shop local).

Even then, that doesn't mean you'll assemble it correctly the first time. A friend of mine did his engine over the summer. Some how, during the assembly of the engine, a coolant seal was pinched and grabbed by one of the engine studs. While fixing the problem was only the cost of new coolant seals (about $75), the problem wasn't identified until the motor had been installed, then removed and disassembled (again).

While building a rotary engine "isn't hard", it's not for everyone.

 

Yeah, well I'd probably just spend money on a working engine already that someone is parting out around here then rebuild from that...

 

Even a working engine can have wear on it that makes parts out of spec. Doesn't mean the parts can't be reused, but you might not have a quality engine.

Purchase the Rebuild video from Rotary Aviation. It will give you an insight as to exactly what needs to be done and what you may need to replace.

 

I'm thinking maybe go with a mazda reman to ensure that I have a running car then spend some time tinkering with the blown one. The reman will cut down on the time the car is down too. That way I can take my time and really learn from it and maybe even get some custom work done. I have access to a good shop with a CNC mill and lathe so I could do my own porting and 3mm seals.

 

Keep in mind, with a reman there is a $1000 core charge. So, if you plan on keeping your blown engine, you'll have to pay the extra $1000 over the $2000-2200 of the reman costs.

 

hmm, well now that is different, now I'm not sure

 

Yep, basically, with a reman you pay $2000-2200 (whatever the going price is) in addition to sending in your blown core (so they can rebuild it and resell it).

 

But, you could also find someone willing to sell you a junker motor for a few hundred to use as the reman. We've done that one before.

Dale

 

OK, this is a little off topic but I currently have a 93 FD in great shape but it has 130K on it. As far as I can tell, it could go for a while. Although there is nothing wrong with it, I was thinking about having it rebuilt too as the milage seems to kill the resale value. Any thoughts?

 

Bad idea. Why spend the money to rebuild an engine that is running properly. With 130k on the car, it is most likely that you already have a rebuilt engine.