If I had all the tools, service manual, motor lift, and a rebuild kit... do you think it would be possible for a novice to rebuild his own motor? Keep in mind..I've never opened a rotary before, but I do have basic skills and knowledge. Reasons I want to do it myself is: 1. Save money 2. Learn more about my car. 3. Have satisfaction of knowing what I did to my own car. Thank you.

 

If you feel confident enough, I would say go for it!

 

every person has had "their first one" I say if you feel you can do it... then I say go for it! Good luck, I hope it all works out for you. You might want to post your experiences in a thread since I'm curious what is involved in doing a rebuild.

 

There's the biggest reason to do it yourself. You never really know what's in a rebuild.

That video would also be a big help/confidence builder.

You might want to tear the engine down first and spec all components before ordering parts. Depending on why you're rebuilding, you could need major stuff like housings/rotors/irons.

You can do it. Go for it. The forum's always here for ya.

 

That's cool guys. I expected to hear a bunch of "No.", "You don't know what you're getting yourself into., "You're gonna @#$%^&* up your FD.", "Have someone knowledgeble do it.", etc...

"Just do it"

 

i say go for it man, its not like you can screw it up any more then it already is so why the hell not!

Now if your engine was running fine, i would say pop it and then do the rebuild yourself but since your engine is already in the crapper, its kinda stupid for you not to do it yourself. worst case senerio is you gotta buy a new engine which you already gotta do anyways haha

 

If you have the time and patience to do it, go for it. It will be a great experience.

 

make sure you get a source of good advice ...
my first rebuild only went 6k miles, but
IT WENT!!

:~) S

 

I did my own porting and rebuild it myself and so far the motor is running perfect and very strong!!! If you know what you are doing and have all the right tools then go for it. My motor was perfect before i ripped it apart to port it and at the same time i've got new housing and seals.

steve

 

I've just gone through the same process. Most likely, you will be better off buying a Mazda reman than rebuilding it yourself. I blew 3 apex seals in my engine a few weeks ago (91K miles on original engine). I thought I might try and rebuild it myself, so I pulled it out and ordered the Bruce Turrentine video (it's an awesome video, by the way). When I tore down the engine, I found I needed two new rotor housings, and one new rotor, at the very least. I never bothered measuring anything, because the housings and rotor alone would cost around $1500. So I ordered a reman from Malloy Mazda for $1950. He guarantees new rotor housings; in addition, you get a new waterpump, thermostat, and flywheel, a 12K/12 month warranty, and he'll sell you the install gasket kit for $100. It's a really good deal!

I'm glad I tore down the engine, b/c I've never seen the insides of a rotary. But most likely you won't save any money by rebuilding it yourself.

 

yea man id do it. i had one chance to take mine apart and i wouldnt trade it for nething, even tho in the end i got a reman engine newayz lol, but the point is its an eperiance when u open up the first rotor housing

 

Alright, thanks for your opinions. I'll try and rebuild my motor one day only when it blows, so I'm not messing anything up more than it is.

 

What about rebuilding it when it's still in running shape ? This way you can avoid the apex seals scratching the housings when they go boom, or not ?
I have about 85k miles on my engine and it still runing well, but am afraid it's gonna go puuuf soon, so if I rebuild it before it actually goes, wouldn't that save me some $$ ?
Or should I just wait till this one goes and then order new engine and not trouble myself with rebuilding it myself ?

Thanks !

 

Its true that I could save money rebuilding before it blows, but theres a GOOD chance I will mess it up trying to put it together. I've never ever done this before, so I'm thinking of buying an old 13B from my friends broken FC just to mess around with.

 

I remember the first automobile engine I ever rebuilt, a Buick V6 for my jeep in 1970. I had succesfully rebuilt dozens of motorcycle engines - V twins, 2 strokes,
inline 4's, so why not? It was actually easier. It went together perfectly, and started right up. It also seized 20 minutes later.
The oil pump that I had primed and bolted on the day before lost it's prime. I had a dry engine. (and with no oil pressure gauge I no had way of knowing, since the STP I assembled it with did a fine job of lubricating for the first 19 minutes)

I think getting a 13B to play with first is a great idea, but if it's blown I would not pay for than a $100 for it, since once you take it apart the core is pretty much worthless.

I would encourage anyone to try to do a rebuild by yourself.....IF you have rebuilt boingers before AND you are skilled at measuring clearances.

There are lots of clearances to do, very expensive special tools that make the job easier, blah, blah. blah, Cleaning everything spotlessly is VERY important, and this takes a lot of labor. There is a lot more to rebuilding than just slapping it all together. Setting the end play is probably the most critical element and if you have never done it before can be a bitch to get it "just right".

If you buy a reman you are saving yourself time, and lots of money and grief. The new parts included (and already installed) in a reman are worth every nickle.
Compared to buying new parts individually (and many of them are currently on long back order) it is a screaming deal.

But hey, go for it! There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction in doing it yourself. (just don't expect your first one to last very long)

 

Steve, if you have time. help me work on my car.

 

Is there a rotary shop near you? If so, go hang out at it. I have never been to a shop that specializes in rotaries that would not let you watch them work. Hands on is best.