so im new to rotorary engines and was looking up things about low compression because of my starting problems. i found a bunch of things about putting alittle ATF into the engine with no gas going to it and letting it sit for 24 hours. they all said it helps release and clean up stuck apex seals because thats alot of problems people have when it comes to the engine or something. is this worth trying or anyone know any other ways to try besides buying new ones?

 

You may also want to look into a product called "Marvel's Mystery Oil". It's in a red plastic canister with a black label.

Image from Amazon.com


It's a bit thinner, so it can flow better into the apex seal grooves.

It was also designed to be a supercharger lubricant, so it's designed to burn a bit cleaner... ATF is not designed to burn.


But yes, the basic procedure is to remove the Lower (Leading) spark plugs. Top (Trailing) ones have a restrictor in them that will make it hard to put fluid into the engine that way. You use a small hose and drop in a couple ounces of fluid front and rear rotor... Turn the engine one complete turn on the main pulley. Put in a couple more ounces. Turn the engine one more full turn. Add a couple more ounces. Then turn it one last time.

Adding the fluid three times allows it to hit all three rotor faces (sides of the triangle rotor inside the engine) and get to all the seals.

Let it sit for at least 24 hours, but go and turn the engine to stir it up a couple times while it's sitting...



The idea is that the detergents in the fluid will break up carbon deposits... But the main idea is to get lubrication to the rotor seals and remove any foreign debris like loose carbon and rust from an engine that has been sitting for a long time...

You can use this procedure to store an engine for a while too... If you've gotta park the car for a year or so... Or just picked up an engine that's been sitting on the shelf for a while this is a good thing to practice.

 

Stay away from ATF. Just dump a can of Seafoam into the gas tank and you'll get the same benefits with none of the hazards.

Also, check your timing. This is often a cause of hard starts.


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cool. thanks. and its not so much as a hard start as it wont start at all lol. we can almost get it to when we mess with the throttle and the air intake as a person keeps tryin to start it. it will rev to about 1500 rpms and then shut off. was told it could be a compression issue but i dunno. i just bought it and im totally new to rotorarys.