collier

Hello, I got my RX-8 back about a year ago to this month, and I have enjoyed EVERY SECOND in this car! It hasn't been very generous on gas at all, and that may be a bit of an understatement... But just the sound of the engine, the way it hugs corners, the smooth drive, just the engineering behind it and history also makes the car proud to own.

That said.. lol

My knowledge of engines is limited, but my interest in them are great. I was wanting to know if buying a broken rotary, or possibly a see through engine model would be a good place to start. I want to learn how to take them apart, how they function, what everything on the engine does so that I may begin to take on projects in the future. I just don't know where to start only being a slight gear head. As far as level of difficulty, I have extensive knowledge in laptop, desktop, server hardware repair and I am a hands on fix-it-yourself kind of person.

So I guess the specific questions I am trying to ask is: Should I buy a broken rotary engine or a working one? Is there any reading material that would be recommended for me to look at? Would it be abetter option to buy a broken older model?

I am very intent on going through with this, and hope to get as much knowledge as I can so that one day I can build my own dream wankel powered monster!

P.S.: My first post, nice to meet you guys and I hope to be posting or visiting here often!

Baldy

Where are you located? I have 1.5 engines taking up space in my shed. (one assembled w/blown rotor, one disassembled with rotor housings missing)

collier

Oh wow, yeah if anyone wants to send me parts, depending on shipping costs that would be a start for me! I live in southern Alabama, along the coast.

Lynn E. Hanover

I started with a free engine off of the core pile that kept rolling into a roadway in the junk yard and blocking it.

It was an old 2 distributor 12A.

Watch this movie and study the two TDCs (minimum chamber volume) and the two BDCs (maximum chamber volume). It is a 4 stroke (Otto cycle) engine just like 4 stroke piston engine.


Starting on a damaged engine is just fine. A couple of damaged engines may provide enough good parts to build a running engine. Older damaged engines should be under $100.00.

Lynn E. Hanover

collier

I have been doing a little research and some local browsing around.. So far it seems no salvage or junk yard has any rotaries either broken or working. I've been searching eBay and can only find working engines, nothing damaged or anything. But this came across my eye: 13B RX-7 Engine

I think a working engine would be great to work on as well, as I could take it apart and re-assemble it to see if it still works, lol. Now, I also found this on Craigslist, but I wasn't expecting a whole car as I have limited space to work on this: 1986 Mazda RX7 Project

Now I feel if I were to work with this and get it running, I'd actually have a body for it and possibly a nice little project car. Only thing is I'd have to leave this at my parents house about 15 miles away and would only be able to work on it on the weekends.

And last major question I have: Which is easier to work on or get running, a carbureted engine or a fuel injected one? I'm just not sure if I'd have to have more equipment or knowledge since a computer is involved with fuel injection, or whether it can be just as easy. So far though I haven't found any carbureted engines anyways.

collier

Okay! So I have already had a little adventure, and I think I have found the car I am going to work on. Firstly, I found the only rotary mechanic in a 200 mile radius, and his lot is the only one that even has RX-7 parts on it. Anyways, he must've had enough parts to build 20 or 30 engines so I at least found a local place for parts or some hands on help if I need it.

Next comes the car. After contacting the seller I find out its an old friend of mine and headed over after work to take a look at it. Apparently the engine runs but spits out black smoke and burns way too much oil, he told me that it needs a seal or two replaced. I was also informed that everything electrical works, and the only problem ever reported on the engine was the black smoke, which happened at 240K miles. I figured if it just needs all the seals replaced, this should be the perfect first project to work on. It also comes with a few extras like the rear seat bins, original carpeting (trunk is spotless), JDM tail lights, new intake/exhaust manifolds, a dash with the turbo gauge on it, MOMO shifter and detachable steering wheel.

He want's $500 for it so I'm thinking about dropping a deposit off today and picking up the car next week. What says you guys??

The car is an '86, 240K miles, one owner, been in this area (lower alabama) for its entire life.

collier

Also, I watched the entirety of Aaron Cake's RX-5 restoration on youtube, and it was extremely detailed on how to take the engine apart, cleaning it, and then reassembling properly. So I feel that I can take this on much easier, and also want to film my progress as well.

banzaitoyota

Good luck!

rx_214

$500 is pretty much paying for the shell. Looks alright in the photos, shouldn't be an issue getting it.

Get the car painted while the engine is being rebuilt. See if you can get stuff from the forum members here or from local shops, that will save you time and your wallet.

Good luck and keep us informed!

collier

I know, Im excited and cant wait to start labelling and stripping down the engine. The paint job looks good so far, just reeeally dusty, a little bit of faded paint on the roof. Besides that I need a speaker cover for one of the rear shock housings but everything seems legit. Apparently it even has a rubber dash which he told me was rare and same with the back carpet. He wanted to paint the car white, but im thinking about juat keeping it that stock red, maybe touch it up some. The only rust in the car is under where the spare tire goes but I dont see why some sheet metal couldnt fix it, not noticeable from outside the car.

Once I pick it up next week I will start cataloging my process and post it up here. My goal is to have it fixed in a month, or before I need to update the tag on my RX8!

Is there any basic mods or anything I should do when I get the engine disassembled? I dont want to do anything too extreme, really want this thing to be cleaned out and have it reliable until I drop a turbo engine in it. Thanks again guys, any tips, tricks and ideas will help!!