CatfisheZ

so if I buy a 3Genrx-7 with good compression and later down the line it needs a rebuild..
1. I'd imagine a kit is available with the necessary seals and strips?
2. what should I expect to pay for a quality kit?
3. what's the average down time for such a rebuild?
4. is the primary problem of the 1b3, the apex strips?
5. if I catch the bad strips right away will a basic rebuild kit bring the reliability back to norm or will it always be questionable?
6. I see that many ppl opt for a brand new motor... does this reflect on other issues such as bearing, shaft fatigue, or these dowel pins(?)?

I'm not planning to build a screamer and would be more interested in reliability over WHP until I'm out of school. could someone hold my hand and walk me through this?
thanks in advance.
SteveZ

David Hu$tlerhoff

"Yeah i got a VW... It pushes 15psi and runs the 1/4 in 14. but it's still a VW" heyhey

when i remember right http://www.rotorsportsracing.com/ sells rebuild kits. okay i'm sure other shops sell them as well, but this is the only URL i got right now.
the kit costs around 900 $ there, plus the two main bearings (or rotor bearings, or both?? i'm not sure) so you should be around 1000 $ for the kit.

hope i could help a bit, I'm not a guru but i try my best

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

what new motor means is that the engine is new to the car not made of new parts.

mike

Wargasm

Mazdatrix www.mazdatrix.com also sells rebuild kits... To start off with, I'd consider getting:

rotor kit (all the seals for the rotors)
gasket set (tons of gaskets for just about everything)
rotor bearings **
stationary gear bearings **
new clutch (since you're in there anyhow)
pilot bearing and seal

** don't just get these unless you have some way to replace them. You need a press to get them out... I use a 12 ton press and it seems pretty hard even with that... so don't think you're going to whack them out with a hammer If it turns out you DO need to replace them (which I think is a good idea anyhow), you can find someone with a press.



To answer some of your other questions:

1. I'd imagine a kit is available with the necessary seals and strips?
See above

2. what should I expect to pay for a quality kit?
Check Mazdatrix's site... I'd imagine that for all that stuff that I listed, you're looking at probably 1800 bucks.

3. what's the average down time for such a rebuild?
Depends... I did one in 4 days once, and my last job on my 1993 took about 4 MONTHS... If you put in a LOT of hours and kick some ***, you can do it very fast. It will NEVER go as fast as you think, so arrange to have another car for a while.

Things that slow you down are 1) Things breaking when you try to take them apart 2) Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning of the old parts 3) Waiting on parts to arrive that you didn't think you need but it turned out that you did.

4. is the primary problem of the 13B, the apex strips?
Yes, the apex seals are the most common cause of a rebuild.

5. if I catch the bad strips right away will a basic rebuild kit bring the reliability back to norm or will it always be questionable?
If you detect that an apex seal has broken, getting it taken care of relatively quickly is good to TRY to avoid more damage being done to other very expensive parts. On my 1993, I broke an apex seal and then drove it probably not even another 10 miles... but by then it was too late... the rotor housings had to go. At 450+ dollars a pop, that quickly tacks almost another 1000 dollars to your 'basic' rebuild.
If you replace all the seals in a "rotor kit" like the one that Mazdatrix sells and you also do the 0-rings (included with the gasket kit)... there is no reason to question the reliability of the engine. Obviously you need to inspect the other parts and replace as needed.

6. I see that many ppl opt for a brand new motor... does this reflect on other issues such as bearing, shaft fatigue, or these dowel pins(?)?
Getting a whole new motor is a choice that some people make because they want to save time (because now you just swap the engine out, no need to disassemble, clean, and reassemble) or they feel that they want "the best". I would not replace a part unless it was bad... so I just rebuild them. If I were trying for a 500 RWHP monster... I might... but.. who knows? I'm cheap.
Bearings, the eccentric shaft, and the dowel pins will not be a problem on your engine since you are not shooting for big horsepower numbers. Just replace the bearings if they're worn (I always replace them), and don't over rev the engine and you'll be OK.

Brian

Gearhead

iTrader: (1)

One thing to note is that Mazda doesn't sell rebuild kits. All of the shops selling rebuild kits are ordering numerous part #'s to come up with a "kit" that consists of what each one of them thinks should be replaced. This varys shop to shop. I would recommend that you just learn the inner workings of the engine and order your own parts from a supplier or from www.mazdaformance.com or somewhere according to what you need. You'll always need the rubber kit. You'll probably also need the apex seal kit. Some shops will sell you the side seals and corner seals with the kit. Some other shops sell oil control rings in the kit. I would recommend new rotor housings.... so if I were selling you a kit....
These are just some things to keep in mind. Good luck, have fun, and welcome to the family.
Don.