Renesis Rebuild Woes
 

Hi folks. First post on this forum - I hail from the Caribbean (W.I.).

Recently went about rebuilding a Renesis (6 port) due to a failed water gasket.

Went all out with NEW OEM parts (new housings, new seals, all OEM, no aftermarket parts at all etc), and had the engine rebuilt by a mechanic (best that I know of - rotary "specialists" are not common in my country, and the local mazda dealer offers no support for them).

As far as I can tell, the mechanic followed proper clearancing checks etc., and made sure that the engine rotated (by hand) easily enough for 3-4 full rotations of the ellipsoidal shaft before re-installing the engine in the car.

Problem:

Engine was re-installed. Fluids added etc. Fired up, ran for 20 seconds and then died.

Removal of the spark plugs showed no signs of flooding (I think).

Tried to restart again, and now the engine is completely dead (no response, just a "click"). Battery has been charged for this restart BTW - maybe it's weak?

We tried to "hand rotate" the engine (with it installed in the car, all pulley belts on, car in neutral etc). The engine only rotates for abuot 1.5 turns before meeting some sort of restriction where it cannot move further (in either direction).

I'm guessing a fubar-ed build/dropped apex/corner/side seal?

I've read about adding ATF to start a rotary after a rebuild also......haven't done that yet.

I'm open to any options since I just want to get the car back on the road - it's been a long and frustrating road!

Thanks in advance folks!

Re: Renesis Rebuild Woes
 

Additional info:

' - Compression test not done (sorry)
' - While the engine was idling (for the first few seconds), we did not hear any sort of "rattling" or knocking sound that I'd expect to hear if something had come loose on the inside of the engine. It sounded normal/smooth, but then died.

Re: Renesis Rebuild Woes
 

I would attempt to rotate the shaft by using a breaker bar and socket on the main shaft to see if it will rotate freely. if not be sure that the starter teeth are not engaged. If that fails to be the problem you will need to pull the transmission to make sure that the flywheel and clutch components are not causing the engine not to rotate. If all that fails, you will have to re-open the engine and see what the problem is. Hopefully your rebuilder will honor is work and get it taken care of for you.

Re: Renesis Rebuild Woes
 

Thanks kasper

The engine builder has already offered to pull the engine (if needed) and rectify at no additional charge, so I'm hoping for the best.

That said, I'll be sure to look into the starter and/or clutch.