Originally Posted by micaheli

I had a conversation today with a reputable shop that rebuilds engines... I won't list their name because they are great people and know their ****. I just need to get a second opinion about it.

Basically the conversation was about Atkins Rotary rebuild quality... My last 91NA got a rebuild and I loved it. However, I only got about 25,000 miles on it, it was great and pulled hard. The individual I spoke with basically said that they see a LOT of engines blown after only 10-30k miles from Atkins... His argument was that their viton oil rings weren't designed for the kind of movement that rotors make and end up leaking WAY before the OEM counterpart. Also, the atkins seals, made of a softer steel, are more porous.. lots of gaps in the steel under a microscope... they don't make as efficient of a seal. He also stressed the fact that they shouldn't be using used rotor housings and that you can't get a decent rebuild to last any longer than 30-45k miles on a used rotor housing. The ONLY way to get another 100k miles out of an engine is to replace the rotor housings, bearings, and use an OEM rebuild kit.

I'm trying to get the most out of my money when I get an engine... I had assumed that my 2500 dollar budget was going to be sufficient, but its starting to look more like 3000-3500. Looks like I'll have to sell a kidney.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by Karack

i just don't know how they can impregnate the cermet into a surface like chrome and expect it to stick. i also do not believe in cermet coated rotor housings or rotor faces. it works fine on porous materials like the iron housing wear faces though and a completely ceramic apex seal.