hi all,
after stripping my engine and having a look at the rotors i think i should be able to reuse them, the rear rotor was very oily and carbonated, it had a apex seal gooed in. and now i cant get a part of the side seal out, does anyone have any tips on how to remove it?

 

Cut the carbon out with a utility knife and pluck it out, or let that face of the rotor sit in a penetrant and let it dissolve the carbon than pluck it out

 

Spray some lube on it and use an old piece of seal to dislodge the stuck piece.
Or use a Dental tool (pick).

 

i used one of the apex seal springs to get mine out. theyre stronger than the side seals and still fit

 

the pics are gone now but i still have them if you need one for reference

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...rotor-1006709/

 

Thanks for the help guys I had to sacrifice a screwdriver and file it down to make it thin enough to get it out. Side seals kept snapping and springs kept snapping too.

Anyway it's out and clean, question is have I damaged it to much to use now. Pics are below hopefully you guys can tell me if my rotors are okay to re use?

 

yeah.... she's a goner


it's a rather delicate process but once you get the method down you can get stuck seals out easily with an old side seal or short apex seal ground at an angle.

 

This rotor is marked with a s, does this mean I will have to get a matching pair or can I buy just the one? Seems like such a waste

 

there should be a letter A through E on the rotor, you are allowed to have a 2 letter difference but preference is to have the same letter weight rotor.

next is front vs rear. Turbo rotors have a T stamped inside the oil galley right next to the rotor bearing. front rotors have an I stamp, rear rotors have a II stamp.

 

It's going to be hard work finding another then, hmmmm wonder if I can get away with using this one, is there a clearance measure for side seal as it still sits tight in there? And get the face of it flat

 

spec is .026-.078mm, however your groove is obviously v'd now so the seal will be able to collect carbon and won't be able to cool properly.

you also dont really want burrs in that area of the rotor, as the rotors do tend to come very close to the irons at the corners, any protrusions will drag on the irons and may damage them.

the burrs can be removed but those seal channels can't readily be repaired without more effort than worth.

 

Repeat

 

Thanks for your advice. I wet sanded the burrs off and placed a old seal back in to see what you think. They are weighted c and I have found a good condition d weighted rotor.

 

i personally can't give advice on whether or not you should roll with it. i have never tried using a rotor with a side seal slot in that kind of shape.

all i really can say is that it really doesn't look like its in the spec i noted above.

 

Thats a very nice paperweight you have there.

 

Why would you try to reuse that thing? Lol
Its like a 3rd world engine rebuild. Use good **** for crying out loud.

 

Yeah I decided to not use it. On the hunt for another right now.
Thanks for all the advice guys

 

Believe it or not, someone in this forum will still use them and complain later how the engine blew up lol,

For future reference: I try to pull the springs from both ends with vise grips if that fails, I use a hobby blade with holder and hammer the bottom of the side seal gently, it might come out in one piece or break into pieces, I don't suggest the filed down screwdriver technic or you will end up like the op.