16 Year Old Rebuild?
 

Hey everybody.. Im 16 and im buying my first rx7 because i fell in love with rotary engines. Its an 86 NA and I think it might need a rebuild and i wanted to do it myself but im not sure if its a good idea.. after all ive never touched a rotary and barely touch regular engines. Does it seem like a good idea or should i walk away before i kill the car?

if you do be prepared to spend some cash. shit is xpensive! also if you do rebuild it get the Atkins rebuild video, it is very helpful and informative.- $30 from dan atkins, he's got your rebuild kit too.

Yup, and watch the video three or four times before putting even one wrench to that engine. These engines are not difficult to rebuild at all, and as long as you take your time you can do it.

But where people run into trouble is when they let cash flow problems decide whether a part is good or bad. Better to be without a running car for an additional 2 months while you scrape together the cash via a job at Burger King than to re-use questionable components. As a sign in a shop I visited said, "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price."

So if you have access to a garage and can either buy or rent the necessary tools I say go for it. Not only will you know exactly what you have under the hood but you will have learned a new skill--- one that looks very good on a resume. :cool:

hey i think you should IM on the aol aim, felixwankel88, hes on this board too, just search his name... hes only 15

you could do it in your driveway with a basic set of handtools, pull it under a tree and yank the enigine out via a comealong and some rope! :rlaugh:

I'm rebuilding my engine for the first time right now, and that's how I got my engine out. Except we used chains instead of rope.

Hey, im in the same situation (16, want an 87 Gen II no turbo RX-7). What parts usually have to get replaced (other than all the seals). There are seal kits on the internet at 100-200, and rebuilds aroung 1,000. Whats all the parts in those and what do we really need to replace. Is it only 1,000 or am i looking at more parts if i have to rebuild it?

If this engine threw an apex seal it's certain that you will have to replace at least one rotor housing and one rotor. The seal will have damaged both beyond repair on the way out the exhaust port.

Even if this engine is running fine with all apex seals still intact there will be items other than seals that need to be replaced as a matter of course. Thrust bearings, spacers, the oil pump drive chain and gaskets for example. If the rotor housings are scored and/ or flaking they'll need to be replaced, and if the intermediate and end plates are worn beyond limits they too become boat anchors. If they are worn within limits you can re-surface them and re-nitride them to restore surface hardness.

The biggest factor regarding whether you should or shouldn't do this (besides your financial situation) is how strong your resolve is when you stumble onto a bad part and then agonize over whether you should re-use it or not. If you're in any doubt but are still considering cutting corners it's time to pick up a used and running engine from elsewhere and swap it in instead. You'll still have a so-so engine, but you'll have a car to drive in the meantime and you'll save about 2K--- money that can go a long way toward rebuilding your present engine properly as time and money permits.

Again, as I mentioned earlier, the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price. Keep repeating this over and over again until it becomes your own personal philosophy. Do not even attempt to rebuild this engine until you've watched Bruce Turrentine's rebuild video at least three times without nodding off.