I believe I removed all of them. Just downloaded the manual. I think I am stuck on page 1:7.

I believe I might not have the thrust plate off, but it seems extremely hard to remove. I am honestly confused because I thought it was part of a stationary gear.

If you could guide me to what bolts may be missing or what my next step is, that would be great. I removed the bottom bolts.

Are you talking about the massive array of bolts on the rear of the motor? I cracked them loose but did not remove them yet. If those are what you are talking about and why its not coming apart I am a fool for missing that.

 

these bolts? I'm going off the 2nd to last photo.
Thrust plate is bolted to the front gear, it's off according to the first photo.

 

Thank you so much for pointing that out. Can't believe it was that obvious lol. As soon as I took out all of the bolts that actually go through the center of the motor the plate came right off. Finally I can fully take it apart and clean everything.

 

OK - some reading is in order. First thing is to download the 1985 Factory Service Manual. There is an engine section on how to disassemble the engine. I also suggest downloading all the sections and save to your computer. Reference the engine section step-by-step. if you get stuck, as us first.

https://www.foxed.ca/index.php?page=rx7manual#firstgen


https://www.foxed.ca/rx7manual/manua...7(1)engine.pdf

Here is a link to a flywheel stop. https://mazdatrix.com/product/tool-f...l-n-t-compact/

You will also want that 54mm (2 1/8) 1/2" socket and impact.
https://mazdatrix.com/product/tool-f...impact-socket/

At this point that is all the special tools you will need. Harbor Freight will have the rest.

 

KansasCityREPU - Thank you for the links. I am going to take these next few days to read the manuals in depth.

I have ordered those tools for the next 12a that I plan to pull from my car next week.

I will clean the rotors and housings thoroughly, and post pictures here for documentation. From what I can see it looks like the housings may be no good.

My main overarching question of the rebuild remains, what exact new parts besides the rotor seals should I plan to buy? I hope to find every mandatory/reccomended replacement part in the manuals. Please let me know if I should look at a certain section of the forums here as well. I am a little overwhelmed with information as a novice.

Thanks for your help

 

The rebuild manual outlines tolerances for seals that can be reused if they meet the criteria, including step wear of the plates and chrome flaking tolerances of the housings.

For seals, you can go as budget or baller as you feel comfortable, as long as the seals check in spec they can be reused to save some money. What isn't reuseable are all the soft seals like orings, and coolant seals. At minimum you'll need the "soft seal rebuild kit" like what atkins offers (you don't have to purchase from them). I strongly recommend going OEM parts instead of anything aftermarket. You can source these directly through mazda, mazdatrix or atkins. (be aware, atkins will be a little sneaky with their "like oem" replacement parts so just read carefully what's being offered).

Take time to carefully inspect all your parts and make a decision from there. For a basic 12a rebuild you don't need any fancy apex seals, OEM will work just fine.

Report back what you find, and if you need some guidance, we're here.

 

I think it you are trying to stay low Budget with as much stock parts as possible, your best bet is going streetport especially if you already have a carb that’s more tailored to it. Just enjoy your street/ mild port and you can squeeze 150 out of it easily. Good intake, pump and catless with maybe some better ignition should do the trick. Keep it up dude! Awesome work

 

Gotcha, sounds good. I will make sure to get those exact checks done once I open the other engine. Here is a photo of both housings together and one rotor semi cleaned. When I saw the flaking I immediately assumed that they need to be scrapped, but I guess I will check the clearance of the flaking like you were saying.

 

That top housing is smoked. Hopefully you get a good set out of the two engines you have.

 

I have been researching rebuild kits for my 12a. I have not pulled or opened my second engine yet, but I feel like it might not be a bad idea to buy the rebuild kit I will need now.

I'm considering the Atkins ARE23:
https://www.atkinsrotary.com/Rotary-...t-C-ARE23.html

I figure getting new rotor and main bearings is worth it so that's why im leaning towards this.

I would love any advice on whether this is a recommended buy, or if there are different options I should consider. I am a college kid so am not looking to get the most expensive kit(hence the Atkins choice)

 

I think there was some good advice earlier in the thread to wait to open both engines, assess whether you have good enough housings, irons, rotors. Then order the kit.

 

Gotcha, okay yeah that is probably best. Thanks for the tip

 

I'd like to address the rust that I have easy access to before pulling the engine for peace of mind. I have attached images of what I have found. So far it is the trunk area and battery tray.

My plan is to sand with my DA from 80-300ish, spray some self etching Rust-Oleum primer, and then finish with some paint. The car is sitting in 35-45 degree Fahrenheit temps outside right now, under a car cover. Is this reasonable to do on a sunny/dry day?

I also attached one photo of the 12a in the car that I plan to pull and disassemble very soon.

 

Luckily all those really rusty bits are panels that can be removed. You may have to hunt for snap-in retainers for the inspection covers and screws on the storage bin panels since they'll probably break when removing them.

The usual trouble spots are the wheel wells behind the storage bins.

 

You can use brush on paint and wait longer for it to cure. You might have trouble with spraying paint when it's that cold out.

 

The bin cover and battery tray can be removed. Sand down or blast and use POR15 brush on paint. At those temps if you can at least remove and paint in a garage it will work better. If you use POR15, wear gloves and do NOT let the brush flick it on stuff. POR15 on your skin will only wear off.

 

Hey everyone,
Although I disassembled one 12A so far, this is my first time removing one from a car, as well as my first time removing any engine from a car.

I am outside and am trying to be methodical/following the FSM as best as possible.

The attached photos cover what I did/found today:
1) Removed Battery
2) Disconnected hightension cords at ignition coils
3) Disconnected the pick-up coil wiring and condenser lead
4) Disconnected rad sensor, and reservoir overflow hose
5) 5 connectors bunched up, not plugged into anything(This is where I should have done step 6 of removal in FSM but could not find the connections for 6-9. is this EGR stuff that was already removed?)
6) Airbox removed, top of carb visible
7) Throttle cable removed from carb







I have not drained oil or coolant, and the car is not on jackstands yet. I’ve been focusing on top-side disassembly first.

Where I’m getting stuck is:

• Carb removal and Harness disconnection. I can't seem to find a real clear, step by step video/guide of prepping the motor for removal.
  
• The FSM diagrams aren’t super clear for a first-timer, especially with emissions/vacuum routing
  
  
  
  Main questions:
  
• At this stage, is it better to finish carb/harness removal before touching anything else, or should I drain oil and coolant now, and go from there?
  
• Trying to learn this the right way. Any guidance is appreciated.
  
• Any recommended visual guides or threads specifically for FB 12A top-end and carb removal that might help me right now?
  

 

Drain oil and coolant - some will remain in the engine/radiator anyway, but it will reduce the spill.
When you remove the intake manifold, if you didn't drain coolant, it will half drain the motor through a location that is not convenient.

What I would do:
- remove carb and all things attached (fuel hose and return, electric stuff, vacuum, etc...)
- remove intake and exhaust manifold
- remove fan shroud (eventually the fan as well to avoid damaging it later on)
- remove radiator (I find the extra space useful to move the motor with my small mobile crane)
- eventually, remove alternator, air pump and other accessories connected by belt.
- remove engine!

 

There is also a drain plug on the center iron lower left hand side. This allows the "block" to be drained. Especially helpful is an engine is pulled a sits for a while.

 

Today I drained the oil and coolant from the car. I also removed the radiator and its fan from the pulley.

I'm tossing some photos in for the timeline of the car, but am also including some LCA/Underside photos. I see a bit of rust and am wondering if anyone has an opinion/advice for what you see. This is my first time working with a rusty car. Should I try to reuse some or most of these parts with a clean up or just go ahead and replace them? I believe my frame is pretty rust free and looks good so that is a relief.

 

The metals are thick, you should be fine. If the rust look bothers you, brush them with a wire brush and spray paint.

 

That's pretty typical rust for those components. You can go down a deep rabbit hole restoring parts that most will never see. There's no need to worry about them being less structural, but it's more of a cosmetic thing if you want to strip them down and coat them to prevent further corrosion.

 

I have always left the carb and intake on the engine when I remove a 12A. So if I were pulling the engine thats what I would do and strip the engine when its on a stand.

 

I saw the advice regarding removing the motor with the carb still attached and appreciate it, but I just decided to do it this way to open my view of the motor a bit better.

Today I removed the carb, and disconnected the bulk of the wiring harness from the motor.

On the drivers side of the block, I ran into one connection where disconnecting it was not exactly adding up lol(left a caption on that pic). I'm sure with a bit of time under the car, I will be able to remove the rest of the harness connections and get started on unbolting the motor from the trans and exhaust etc.

Once again I am uploading every single disconnection I made for chronological sake later.

















This is the connection I am confused on how to disconnect.

 

Quick update. Yesterday I pulled the A/C condenser, and distributor to clear the area for pulling.

Today I pulled the starter, disconnected exhaust from the manifold, and removed all bell housing bolts.

I got an engine hoist and load leveler, and have it set up, currently halfway attached.

Pictured, you can see my OEM rear hoisting hook is gone from my 12a.

I have 2 solid mounting spots for my chains on the front but...

**********************
After seeking advice on reddit, I am deciding to move my front mounting hook to the directly adjacent threads where the bell housing attaches to the motor. I don't have a short bolt so I plan to reuse a shorter trans bolt and drill out the hook slightly so the bolt fits through.

Main question: If I have the trans bolt threaded in a good amount into the iron (but obviously not going too far ant into the trans), will it be able to safely support the hook for hoisting the rear? I'm pretty sure I will be okay but want to check here.

Also - I'm pretty confused on how the chains work with the load leveler. Am I supposed to have either side of the chain connected to something on the motor? That was my first impulse after watching a video, but am not sure how I will rig the other chain to only grab the hook in the back of the motor.

Thanks for any help and sorry for the babbling







I plan to have the bolt come into this mounting point, and attach the hook here. Advice per a redditor. I already have the hook in my room and just need to drill it out a bit to fit this exact application.