I am thinking of buying a "83" 12a 37k miles eng.for $500.This engine is for a vw trike.I want between 90 to 130hp.Trike will probrobley be rode only 10k miles atmost a year.The unavailability of parts (rotor housings)has me wondering whether i should go with a 13b.I want a clean simple looking carbuerated,distrbutor powered eng.Can I do a leakdown test on rotary eng.What kind of numbers should i see.Is this the right eng. for me? THANK YOU for any help!!

 

A 12A with 30K on it will last forever, there is no reason to worry about replacement rotor housings. A compression test is more useful then a leakdown test. The rotary uses gas pressure to keep the seals tight against their grooves so static leakdown may end up reading kind of high compared to piston engines.

 

I was thinking of getting a spare set of rotor housings while still available.Is this not a good idea?What would be a fair price?