DerrickS

I've got a small puddle of oil by the Mazda 13B stamping on my '84 -SE. I assume it's the oil leak of death, but I wasn't sure if there was a dowel pin in there or not. Can someone confirm for me that the 13b can do this just like a 12A? If so, then I might try the drill and blow sealant method for fixing it.

Thanks!

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

either 12a or 13b, they both have dowel pins there and an O ring that tend to leak.

DerrickS

Thanks! That must be what I've got going on. Doesn't seem that bad for now so I'll have to keep an eye on it.

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/engine-interesting-dowel-pin-oil-leak-fix-864358/

DerrickS

So I tried this last night, and I'm a little bit concerned. From the pictures in the above link, I was expecting to drill down into aluminum, and hit a steel dowel and that would be deep enough. I drilled down maybe more than an inch (!), and still didn't hit anything solid, but looking into the hole still looked clean with no intrusion into any other areas, not even an oil journal or O-ring. This is where I drilled the hole:



I got a bit concerned so I stopped, and fired up the car to see what would happen. Oil started coming out around the end plates as usual, but also out of the hole! So I have compromised something. I guess worst case I can just seal the hole back with sealant and a screw, but I wanted to run this by people and see what you thought of my location and depth.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

yeah ur way off from where that dowel pin is.

DerrickS

thanks, where the hell is it then?

notveryhappyjack

iTrader: (4)

you should not have drilled into your housing.

disassemble and replace gaskets and soft seals, I almost cannot believe someone told you to drill your housing, then i realized this is the internet and anything on here is truth

DerrickS

uhm hum. so... does anyone have a factual reply to this? data of some sort? surely someone with a 13b has done this, or can at least maybe give me a picture of the housing showing the dowel location...
You can tell from diagrams that it would be pretty hard to screw the the thing up in that location. What you can't tell is the specific measurements unless you've got one apart in front of you.

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

I never tried it, I was just pointing you to the tread about it. I saved it in my favorites incase I needed it. It looked like it worked fine for a few people. And its leaps and bounds cheaper than a rebuild. We aren't all rich.

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

If you looked at the link where they guy drilled the hole then you've seen where the dowl pin is. 12A and 13B houseing look thr same as far as the down pin location. If you drilled an inch then you papbly drilled all the way through the dowl pin. Clean the area up well and use some JB weld to seal hole. I personnaly would't have tried the fix. I have seen people use JB weld between the iron and housing to fix a leak before.

DerrickS

Yep, the whole reason i started this thread was because of the one cshaw pointed to, so i had already given this quite a bit of thought. So i thought i was pretty close to the correct location given that photo and all. I also thought that dowel was steel, is it not? that would be wierd if it wasn't, and I know I didn't drill into steel. I'm just a little confused now...
I already sealed the hole off with sealer and a screw. I don't think JB weld is going to fix the leak from the things I've read here.

liondogs

iTrader: (1)

DerrickS

I originally way back did the fix on my 82 and it is still holding strong. . Here is my take on things.

1. Yes I think you drilled in to the right area.

2. The fact you have oil coming out the hole just means your O ring is leaking. That is why the engine is leaking between the plates. If your O ring was good there would be no oil there to leak out. After I drilled my hole I also had oil coming out the hole.

3. What I would do now is take your sealent, syringe and 100 psi compressed air and work sealant down in to the area. Then fill the hole with sealant and cap it off with a screw. Let it sit 24 hours and fire up the engine and check for leaks.

4. I don't think you will see much trying to look down the hole. I imagine the dowel pin and the plate fit pretty close together.

5. I am not sure but is not the dowel pin solid? If so I don't think you hurt anything by drilling as far as you did.

6. Let us know what happens.

DerrickS

Thanks liondogs, I put a syringe with sealant in there and did my best to force it in. I have an air compressor and tried to force it with the air, but it doesnt seem like I can get a tight enough seal around the air nozzle and the hole. I did as best as I could and then capped it off. I let it sit till the next day, and cranked the car and.... Oil through the plates still :-(
I agree that there should be nothing bad to doing this unless you got waaaayyy off and drilled into the return oil jacket. I might try again just north of the original location at sometime, but for now I just want to drive it, so I stuck a paper towel there to soak up the oil. Been driving fine so far.
Part of the problem with the fix that I encountered was that the dizzy is in the way slightly, especially the vacuum advance. This makes it hard to get the proper angle on the work being done. Probably I should remove that the next time I give it a try.

notveryhappyjack

iTrader: (4)

It has nothing to do with being rich, more like not ruining very expensive housings by drilling a hole in them. O rings are about the cheapest thing on the car, everyone with a car can afford to replace those. This is a seriously stupid idea

DerrickS

You know you can weld it up, right? It's an easy repair. Personally though, I don't even think that will be required.
So you contend that, if it were you, and you didn't have the cash for a full rebuild, you would still pull engine and disasemble to fix this this one o-ring? Or are you saying something different?
I honestly don't know what you are worried about drilling a hole in that location anyway. It's only metal man... Chill. Machined holes are easy fixes. We do it all the time...

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

but in his case it's not a cheap fix when the replacement of those O rings requires a complete engine tear down.

notveryhappyjack

iTrader: (4)

Orly you welded it and it still leaked oil ?? Its a really easy repair..

this thread is pointless, you guys are blowing this up. wanna do some ghetto *** fixes, expect ghetto result

notveryhappyjack

iTrader: (4)

your blowing this outta proportion too
doing budget rebuilds without the assistance of a shop (aka in your garage/driveway) isn't that expensive, get some friends to help, get a $30 dvd that walks your through it(even cheaper find aaroncakes youtube) and just do it.
If your lazy and or don't have the necessary tools you must go find another hobby and stop driving these cars.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

i know what it takes to build an engine, i've done it. an engine that seems to run fine, once tore apart, u can find ware u weren't expecting or seals that r out of tolerance so what's the use in putting it back together with worn out parts. that's the unexpected expense i'm talking about that can be expensive for someone that can't afford a complete rebuild. i'm not saying i'd attempt this kind of repair. i'd take it down and fix it right. but if anyone wants to try it, more power to them.

DerrickS

I agree that taking the engine down and rebuilding it is the best way to do this, but it's not the only way.
Why do a rebuild when you don't have to? I can't think of a reason why.