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3 piece apex seal question

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Old 09-15-13, 02:09 PM
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Question 3 piece apex seal question

hello everybody i'm kinda new to the rotory world i have a question about my apex seals.

when i rebuilt my engine i super glued all tree peices of my apex seals together before i installed them. I later read you only glue the top piece to the corner piece. i also forgot to glue them longer so the glue would break when i torqed them.
Is this going to pose any problems? should i tear the engine back down or should i be fine?

sorry if this is a stupid question. I would just rather be safe then sorry
Old 09-15-13, 06:16 PM
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welcome to the board.

as long as none of the seals got pinched during assembly, everything should be fine. if i were to tell you to pull the engine back apart, it would NOT be because you didn't glue them correctly, it would be to get rid of the 3-piece seals.

seriously, if it turns freely and you are getting six separate pulses when you turn it, then it should be okay. also, even if there is some remnant of the glue, then by the time gasoline hits it, all will be good.
Old 09-15-13, 07:15 PM
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Were the seals new? I didn't think you could still buy 3 pc seals.
Old 09-16-13, 01:26 AM
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Awesome thanks for the info diabolical1 ... i know i should have got new two piece seals but i just couldn't afford it right now.
I know it could lead to paying more money down the road but i just needed to get it going as soon as possible as im trying to get it back to washington from california.
It was smoking too bad to drive it in the condition it was in (bad oil control o-rings)... the engine is a stock n/a and the car is an automatic so i dont plan on high horsepower with this engine.

My buddy has a turbo II he's parting out after an accident so I'm gonna try to get the engine and trans and everything needed to swap it over to my 91 vert.

Sgtblue...no they are not new but they have minimal wear and are still within factory specs, so i decided to use them because of a tight budget im on right now... i just wanted to save the car because it was on its way to the wreckers( It couldn't pass smog and the previous owner couldn't afford to pay to have it fixed)
Old 09-16-13, 03:11 AM
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diabolical1.... is that 3 pulsations from each rotor per one rotation of the e-shaft?

I'm only getting a couple strong ones per rotor out of the exhaust per rotation of the e-shaft.....
Could it be that the glue only popped on a couple apex seals or that im just not turning it fast enough due to using a ratchet and having to pause between ratchet strokes?

It's making a lot of suction and air popping/compression noises. but I can only feel a couple strong pulses out of the exhaust.....
Old 09-16-13, 08:14 AM
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yes. 3 per rotor.

as for strength of the pops out the exhaust, i'll put it this way, unevenness at this point may or may not mean anything. i would wait until you fire it and heat cycle it a few times. if you're still worried about it then, then do a compression test.
Old 09-16-13, 10:16 AM
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ok sound good thanks for your help...I'm just a little nervous because this is the first rotary I've rebuilt ive done a lot of piston engines but these are a whole nother beast

Last edited by misterstyx69; 09-16-13 at 10:32 AM.
Old 09-16-13, 12:05 PM
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just toss it in and see what it does, it's a budget build so what are your losses? a few hundred bucks for the experience.

for the future though i never recommend reusing the 3 piece seals, no matter how low mileage they are.
Old 09-16-13, 06:06 PM
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RotaryEvolution- thanks for the advice I'll remember that. If all else fails it was a learning experience and will know what not to do next time and your right my losses are very little because I got the car for free, so im only into it the price of the rebuild kit and the title transfer...a quick question..i torqed the engine tension bolts down on Friday would it be to late to take it back apart without buying new coolant and compression seals? or are they done after they've been torqed?
Old 09-16-13, 07:39 PM
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you should be able to reuse them if you didn't use silicone as an aid, otherwise they may break during disassembly.
Old 09-16-13, 07:43 PM
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i didnt use any aid besides vasiline to hold them...you guys have been really helpful thank you
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