sedentaryelite

Hello

I have a 85 gsl se. one of the main engine seals is leaking oil at a rate of 2 quarts a week, and its getting worse. Once I found a shop that was somewhat willing to work on rotaries said that once you open the engine to replace a seal, you have to do all of them, including the apex's. They quoted me 1200 dollars for seals + labor. They said the engine has to basically be rebuilt. I bought the car w/ 82.5k miles for 3000 dollars, and cosmetically, its perfect. But I've had to replace all the intake gaskets, get it tuned, and it wont' accelerate past 4500 rpm, and now its leaking oil. This car is becoming extremely expensive for a daily driver. I bought it because of the mileage, assuming I'd be able to drive it for years, but an engine rebuild @ 84k?

first, is this car worth keeping? I like the car alot, but I don't have money to pour into this car every month, it has to last a long time. If this doesn't go well, i'll sell it and buy a volvo. (!)

second? if it is worth keeping, how can i fix this oil leak without rebuilding the engine? I live near Asheville NC, if that helps.

i'll load a picture to show exactly where its leaking in a few minutes

thanks so much.
woodman

jorx81@aol.com

iTrader: (6)

at 84k the apex's shouldn't need replacing, 1200 is a friggin deal for all those parts and labor which leads me to believe the guy dosen't know what he's getting into or he's being dishonest with you about the work he's offering to perform.

Oh and the car's not worth keeping, I'll send a truck down to haul it away for you. lol j/k

bliffle

There ARE a lot of beat 7s out there, usually from neglect and abuse. It's the drivers problem, not the cars.

My guess is you're looking at $3000 for a rebuilt engine, installed. The guy who sold it to you probably knew it was beat.

B

rxseven

Yes, you will need an engine rebuild to replace the oil seals and at the very least you will have to replace the gaskets, springs and apex seals. If you do want that, get it done from a known rotary shop. Kevin Landers from the 2nd gen section does cheap rebuilds for about 1200 bucks and has a good reputation. If I were you, I'd try and get a good used motor for half that price. Gsl-se motors last a very very long time so even if you find one over 100k with good compression, it would last a while.

rxseven

Oh, almost forgot, you can find used 2nd gen motors really cheap if they are n/a and you can drop one in your gsl-se with minimal fuss and your existing front cover.

riofrio

Kevin Landers lives in Knoxville, so that should only be a few hours drive from Asheville.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

You should investigate the milage of the car.

That's extremely low milage for a 7. Either the car has sat for a long time (and the guy who had it probably force-started it with a pry-bar or the starter and blew the oil seal) or it was driven like a granny and has carbon-buildup up the yinyang. Low milage on these cars can be more of a curse than high milage.

For the rebuild, you *shouldn't* need the apex seals. Seriously. If the engine has pretty good compression (though the oil seal leak will kill that a bit) then your apexes should be fine. What you would need to replace are all the soft rubber seals like the oil seals, water o-rings and whatnot. Those are markedly cheaper than a full rebuild. If everything else in your engine is within spec, then you should be okay. If you do get a rebuild, you want to get a rotary person you can trust.

But honestly, if I were you I'd look for another used GSL-SE engine. They can be had for cheaper than most rebuilds, and they do last a long time if they haven't been neglected. If you're mechanically adept you can probably rebuild yours on your own if you're feeling adventerous. Rotaryaviation and I think Atkins have 13b how-to rebuild videos, and it's not the *hardest* process in the world, it just takes some time and effort.

Cheap and easiest - used GSL-SE Engine
Minimal rebuild on yours - soft seals
Possible upgrades - any 2nd gen (N/A or Turbo II) engine is possible, with an appreciable amount of effort.

Is the car worth keeping - HELL YEAH! It's hard to find cars like this in good condition body-wise. Your car is probably like mine. Mine sat for more than 5 years on pavement. There's no rust on it, the interior's perfect. When I started working on it 2 years ago (this is the third full summer) the engine was siezed, the brakes were almost completely shot, and so was the suspension. But the car itself was perfect. I unsiezed the engine the *right* and *safe* way, but if someone had forced it to move, I think it would have run for a while then blew a seal like yours.

Definitely keep the car. Check the FAQ for great info, and if you want to learn more about the rotary engine check out www.rotaryengineillustrated.com and www.howstuffworks.com (search for rotary engine). I'm sure you'll love what you find. If you decide to get rid of the car, you probably won't get anywhere NEAR what you paid for it - these cars don't have a huge resale value, despite how much we love them. But if someone here grabs it, you can guarantee it'll have a good home.

Any questions, feel free to post... but check the FAQ and the archive first, there's the answer to most questions there (I'd tell you to search, but with every day that goes by, the search function gets harder to find good info with, since you have to wade through thousands of threads of crap!).

Jon

Cody

1200 for a rebuilt 13b?

I just saw an ebay auction for a 12a Turbo motor complete for $950.

sedentaryelite

I think I may go the used engine route. I have the number of a group of rotary entusiasts in Asheville who probably have a 2nd gen 13b N/a.

I bought it from an old guy who only drove it on the weekends, and babied it. I dont think it was ever redlined nor driven full throttle. Everything else is in good condition, the engine just sucks. I couldn't redline it if i wanted to... wont' go past 4500.

What sort of work does it take to get a 2nd gen into the 1st gen chassis? I know electronics, but how about the tranny? will the gsl-se bolt onto the 2nd gen 13b and will it deal with the extra power well?

sedentaryelite

oh, i meant to mention:
cheap and reliable are key words here


thanks

jorx81@aol.com

iTrader: (6)

Not being driven and driven hard now and again can be worse. Great deals are found on unloved/ attention deprived cars.