Seamoan

and why does everyone keep bringing them up when i tell them about my car? they ask how are the apex seals or they laugh at my apex seals and just walk away. they hold the rotor in place?

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Apex seals are the seals at the tips of the rotors, roughly equivalent to the compression ring on a piston. Back in the day, the major reliability problems with the rotary stemmed from poor apex seal design. They were too soft, too hard, and the proper material had not yet been discovered. Consequently, they would fail which would result in a lack of compression. These days we don't have apex seal issues. Rotary engines generally blow from overboosting, inadequate fuel supply or because they are simply worn out.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

the internet is ur friend. ask it anything and u'll get links to the answer.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine2.htm

fc_newb

thanks for helping me out to! i also didnt know what apex seals where.

Seamoan

good link

edit : i jus read it, great link! this url should be stickied somewhere haha

w.sen

iTrader: (8)

I don't mean to be rude but if u own a rotary engine how could you not know what an apex seal is??

Seamoan

im not even going to answer that

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Quick, without Googling, tell me how many teeth there are on the stationary gears.

See my point?

Everyone has to start somewhere.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

damn! i've been in rotaries since mid 80s and even i don't know the answer to that.

longpath

I agree up through the end of the JDM FD; but Mazda went with a computer controlled MOP starting in 2003. The changes in the engine (in case anyone is thinking of an engine swap) caused Mazda to also move the oil injection ports outward to better lubricate the corner seals (at the outboard edges of the apex seals). Unfortunate, this caused the center of the apex seals to be inadequately lubricated. Additionally, the North American 2004 and 2005 engines had the computer controlled oil injection dialed back so badly that it is typical for these engines to suffer low compression by 50K miles. Oil injection levels were increased for 2006 and a reflash of the computer was made available to correct the values in the North American 2004 and 2005 engines; but not before the damage was done in those engines. The 2009+ engines have dual computer controlled MOPs and three oil injection points per rotor; but require a swap of the PCM along with the engine.