Engine Rebuild help!? - newbie :-(

antrosser · May 17, 2006, 10:14:51 PM

cool, i will give that a go! im actually looking foward to doing it! not looking forward to taking the engine out tho!

ive seen an ebay site called atkins and he\'s doing a master rebuild kit for about Â£650. i think one of my rotars is ****ed too, so will prob have to purchase one of those me thinks. is it easy to tell if a rotar is not working properly or at all? will there be visible signs?

stuart wizy · May 17, 2006, 10:25:46 PM

check the apex slot width with a 2mm tip pushed in each groove with feeler gauges, you should not get more than .006" down the side of the tip on any groove, check the bore size for corner seal with vernier calipers (internal).
the side plates are checked with either a base clock or a dial test indicator with a good flat base.
If you rebuild your own you will save a fortune, dont listen to people who say take it to a specialist, just have a go and take your time.

antrosser · May 17, 2006, 10:30:33 PM

wow, i that sounds very technical! lol. i might just buy them to be on the safe side! hehe...or purchase some vernier calipers!

I think i would save alot too and its an experience well worth trying! if it fails then i will take it to the specialists, but no harm in trying in the mean time! might take it to them anyway just to have a quick look for signs of wear that way i will know what will need replacing.

Ive got a year to do the project as i wont be driving it til next summer so there is no rush for me. i think its going to be a summer project for me!

Grizzly · May 17, 2006, 10:31:18 PM

Quote from: antrosseri thought that was the technical term for it!? hehe. its a flappy thingy...that costs loads!

Take a pic of it

Grizzly · May 17, 2006, 10:32:19 PM

Quote from: stuart wizycheck the apex slot width with a 2mm tip pushed in each groove with feeler gauges, you should not get more than .006" down the side of the tip on any groove, check the bore size for corner seal with vernier calipers (internal).
the side plates are checked with either a base clock or a dial test indicator with a good flat base.
If you rebuild your own you will save a fortune, dont listen to people who say take it to a specialist, just have a go and take your time.

I think if hes lost an apex its going to be a bit more ovious than that

Do listen to people that say take your engine Bit to Rx man!! If your not too clued up there is alot that could be missed and for an hours labour cost will save you Â£600 in Gaskets!! if you get where i\'m coming from. If you have done all your Home work and have a Proper engineers table etc to make sure the plates are not warped as well as worn then you\'ll be half way there and could do it yourself.

antrosser · May 17, 2006, 10:35:29 PM

blond moment here....what s an apex? lol

maybe a specialist might be better for me! hehe

stuart wizy · May 17, 2006, 10:35:36 PM

tim rx motors is the man for housings and rotors,
get the rebuild video and watch it a few times before asking to many questions or you will get confused by different answers of people.

antrosser · May 17, 2006, 10:38:24 PM

i think i may have sourced one so when i get it, i will watch it a few times to get myself to grips with the beast! lol. i want to know what sort of cheap mods i can do to it as well while the engine is out. i think i may get it ported and polished, but not sure what else is available!?

stuart wizy · May 17, 2006, 10:43:08 PM

grizly , i meant dont listen to people who say take the motor for the rebuild to a specialist,
Ive taken housings to pips and asked for advice.

antrosser · May 17, 2006, 10:44:51 PM

are they quite good at giving free advice? i dont suppose you know of any rotar specialists in my area do you?

Grizzly · May 17, 2006, 10:50:46 PM

Quote from: antrosserblond moment here....what s an apex? lol

maybe a specialist might be better for me! hehe

Don\'t take this the wrong way but i think ytou need to do a bit of reading up, Maybe old threads or a Trip to the US site (Nopistons.com) and find out exactly what your letting your self in for.

I\'m on about my 9-10\'th engine rebuild now so its not realy as bad a prospect but when you take the Upper inlet of an Fd you\'ll S**t your self. If your not prepaired you may get cold feet at that point. So do your Reading

Engine its self is not hard, Bit expencive but not hard...

Bits, I\'d say if you don\'t realy know what your looking at Buy mazda Genuine parts from Tim at Rxmotors. Also ring him or even better take a trip to see him hes a real helpfull guy but bussy!! The Rx world is a Place where there is a few people that have been doing it years and know all the tricks and whats more important what not to do!!

Grizzly · May 17, 2006, 10:52:59 PM

Quote from: stuart wizygrizly , i meant dont listen to people who say take the motor for the rebuild to a specialist,
Ive taken housings to pips and asked for advice.

I think for a Newbie to the Rx engine world its the only way to get it right.

antrosser · May 17, 2006, 10:53:34 PM

i think that is a very good idea! ive only just got into this so am trying to do all the research i can!

stuart wizy · May 17, 2006, 10:53:45 PM

how does he know hes lost an apex seal??
sounds like the motors just lost compresion to me.
Ive stripped 2 fcs and an fd and all where none runners, the apex seals wear out and wont push hard enough against the housing because theyve worn down that much, thus no compresion.
on all 3 motors the rotors have been within tolerance, the housings where worn but the rotors have been reused.
most high mileage none runners just loose compresion and dont throw a tip grizly

Grizzly · May 17, 2006, 10:54:45 PM

Quote from: stuart wizyhow does he know hes lost an apex seal??
sounds like the motors just lost compresion to me.
Ive stripped 2 fcs and an fd and all where none runners, the apex seals wear out and wont push hard enough against the housing because theyve worn down that much, thus no compresion.
on all 3 motors the rotors have been within tolerance, the housings where worn but the rotors have been reused.
most high mileage none runners just loose compresion and dont throw a tip grizly

LOL how do you loose Compresion without wear? Most people don\'t rebuild unless it not running right not just low hp