First time pulling my engine
 

So I recently obtained a 1987 Turbo II. The owner claimed that the car has the current mods:
-bigger turbo (unknown size/model)
-bigger injectors (unknown CC)
-Clearly has a bigger radiator
-Has an intake setup
-Full turboback exhaust
-Engine is ported, but I don't know what kind of port it has

The car was running fine for daily driving, just cruising around town. It is still on the stock ECU on a fresh rebuild with receipts to show, so i had plans to change that ASAP and get a tune, but just my luck, I was on the way to Santa Barbara and the motor blew probably 20 miles from my destination, but the car was still running, and I didn't realize it was blown until I got off the freeway.

Now this weekend I will be pulling the motor and either:
A) read over my haynes manual and think about rebuilding it myself
or
B) Just take it to somebody with the knowledge to rebuild it.

Any suggestions? on a scale from 1-10, how hard is it to rebuild and should this be something that I should tackle for my first time?

Thanks in advance,

-Kurt

Well, have you ever rebuilt an engine before? If so, a rotary isn't much different, but you need to be meticulous as hell when putting it together. If you don't have any special tools for the rebuild, or don't have access to them, having someone else rebuild it would probably almost cost the same

If it was a fresh rebuild and it blew that quickly, it would make me wonder what other shortcuts were taken on it. The one lesson about a Rotary Engine I've found to be true no matter what is that they REALLY hate it when shortcuts are taken. Poorly executed modifications yield poor results.

Can you get a picture of your engine? Considering the previous owner's claims and how quickly the engine blew, I think it would be prudent to take a look at everything that has been done to advise you better.

The Haynes manual isn't exactly known for accuracy in certain areas, so I would recommend downloading the Factory Service Manual found in the Second Generation FAQ.

As far as rebuilding the engine is concerned, it's not necessarily difficult but there are some stupid/annoying parts like clearance the side seals. Aaron Cake, our wise supermod, has made videos that spell out the whole procedure.

Disassembly:

Reassembly:

Hey guys thanks for the responses, I've done a lot of work on motors before, but never a full rebuild by myself. I would more than likely have some helping hands, and I'm a very meticulous person. I have tons of tools at my disposal, but what tools would be the special tools that we are talking about? I want to be able to tackle this job so that I can fix the car in the future, since it will more than likely break being a track car. Also, MazdaTrix quoted me a minimum of $4100 for the rebuild, and that's a lot of money in labor. I've found housings in good condition for very low prices, as well as rotors in very good condition. The rebuild kit from Racing Beat uses all OEM parts and is $1600, so that's where I was going to start, and then buy other stuff as I find out what else needs to be replaced. I will try to grab a picture of the engine today, since I'm going to be working on clearing out all the pieces attached to the motor in order to pull it. I'm away that an unmodified engine stand will not hold the rotary engine.

Also, pertaining to the quote about the previous owner cutting corners, I feel like this could be very much possible.

I'd start off comparing prices first.
This is a Vendor listed on site here:http://www.rotaryaviation.com/

I've looked into some different websites as far as rebuild kits go.. The rebuild it has right now used Atkins seals and parts, and if I do the next rebuild, then after doing some research on this site then a large majority of people prefer OEM parts over the competitor.. I don't know how validated this info is? There's tons of threads on it, and all of them lead me to believe that I should just do a full rebuild with OEM parts.

You really should take the engine apart THAN decide what rebuild kit to get. You mah want to geg different parts from different vendors depending on how the engine is modded