It all depends on how you do it. Every rotary I've rebuilt I've always used the gasket and silicone. I would then let the engine sit overnight on the oil pan itself while it cures. This will add even pressure to the entire oil pan sealing surface. Sin ce I assemble my engine on a bench, the engine mounts are the last thing I put on. I've never had any sort of oil leaking problems most people here usually have.

 

Interesting technique. Low-tech, but effective. I myself, just don't trust the gasket...

I ended up following the Oil Pan R&R thread. Very helpful tips there.

How I did it:

- remove oil filter and plug, let drain for several days (otherwise you will have oil dripping on you and the flange during install)
- unbolt subframe and steering rack. Pry down subframe and wedge wood between it and the body, requiring no re-alignment of suspension
- remove oil pan, clean everything scrupulously and pin the oil pan flange.
- re-install using no gasket and "THE RIGHT STUFF for imports", let dry for 24 hrs, put in oil/filter and drive car

 

This car is amazingly fun. I still only have 400-500 miles on it, so I still haven't really taken it past 4k, but the twins give it some nasty kick even down low.

I totalled up my spending on the car thus far and came out just about where I expected. Keep in mind this includes all the "little things" too.

Atkins master rebuild kit (solid corners) + oil rings/springs + bearings
Cermet B resurfaced rotor housings
Turbo rebuild kits + turbine assembly balancing
Exedy clutch, CC clutch disc, TOB, PB and seal
aluminum radiator
all new coolant hoses
new wires and plugs
new belts
new waterpump
trans front main seal
custom poly motor mounts (love them)
supplies/tools from mcmaster carr
machine shop (press in bearings, resurface flywheel, remove broken stud in manifold)
downpipe
silicone couplers
injectors serviced
fuel line recall kit
new fuel pulstion damper
+ all the little things (and there were quite a few)

Total:

$4300 give or take a couple hundred

I have receipts saved for everything but the clutch PP and disc. I did not include the cost of twin turbo cores I purchased for rebuildable parts. This was probably ~$400, since I bought 3-5 core assemblies.

 

Thats a beautiful car, what'd you end up giving for it?

 

I might as well say it now... $4500

 

$4500 .. man you robbed that poor lady BLIND! And she was disappointed about not lasting very long at 125K HAH

... and those manifolds were f'ing beautiful. I bet you could NEVER find ones looked that good in any FD over 100K. I think you owe her a ride (in the car I mean.. u pervs)

this the first FD you have ever worked on? first rotary rebuild?

 

You will need to get the car aligned mate, despite the fact the suspension components arent moved, the thing they attatch to (the subframe) is moved, probably by 0.5 mm at least when you bolt it back up - thats gonna throw everything out.

apart from that, looks awesome dude.

 

You're right. I did notice the wheel is a bit off now, so a few other things are probaqbly off a little.

and thanks

 

It was a good deal, yes... but I wouldn't call it stealing I've kept her updated on the build and when it's broken in I'll drive it out there and let her take it for a spin.

Those manifolds are off one of the cores I bought. I think they have under 20k on them and appear to be a different casting than 93-95's. I think they may be S7 or S8. The stock wastegate on them is a tiny bit larger than the others I have too.

First FD, second engine I've built. I started off on a NA 13B. I'm a mechanic at an independent full service shop, so it's not exactly new territory.

 

For any of my friends in RVA it's old news, but about 300 miles into break-in, the primary turbo compressor nut worked it's way off. I had read some misinformed imbecile's post somewhere about not loctiting the nut and guess what, like a dumbass I took it seriously. I'd ring that guys neck if I could find him.

I rebuilt the primary turbo (re-using only the hot side and center housing) and put high temp, high strength loctite and primer (from mcmaster.com) on both compressor nuts and thought things would be ok, but they weren't.

It was a stupid error that eventually caused my compression to drop due to scoring on the rotor housings, which gradually ate up the apex seals. Within 1000 miles I was having starting problems and flooding.

That was before winter. Since then I have built another engine with all new mazda seals and springs, new mazda rotor housings, and new bearings all around. The rotors and side irons were inspected & spec'd and came out unscathed. The JHB housings and the atkins apex seals were the only real casualties, but many other componenents were replaced regardless.

Obviously, the turbos were fine since they only had 1000 miles on them since the rebuild.

I did a couple tweaks while things were apart and have a somewhat polished list of what's been done to the car:

thermoid epdm vacuum hoses
all engine gaskets, seals, and o-rings
mazda coolant seals
oil control o-rings
oil control rings
oil control ring springs
mazda apex seals and springs
mazda corner seals and srpings
mazda side seals and springs
mazda rotor housings (new)
main bearings
rotor bearings
smoothed and matched ports
oil pump drive chain
thermal pellet bypass
OMP o-rings and lines replaced
oil pan sealed with permatex right stuff
injectors cleaned and tested
injector o-rings and seals
fuel pulsation damper
Mazda fuel line recall kit
fuel filter
k&n filter drop-in
PFS down pipe (old style, bent tube sections)
"Turbo X" coating by Thermal Tech Coatings in Hopewell, VA on down pipe
breather valve
flywheel resurfaced
exedy clutch pressure plate
exedy clutch disc
OEM pilot bearing
mazda throw out bearing
rebuilt twin turbos (bearings and seals replaced, rotating assemblies balanced)
transmission and diff oil replaced with synthetic oil
brakes and clutch bled
RB sway bar brace
R1 dual oil coolers with debris guards
aluminum performance radiator (CSF)
FC thermoswitch
engine wiring harness cleaned and refurbished, then re-wrapped in silicone electrical wrap and 3M electrical tape on top for high abrasion areas
engine bay harness cleaned and re-wrapped in 3M tape
all coolant hoses replaced
NGK platinum plugs
OEM plug wires
new leading coil
new ignition harness
new water pump
bando belts
ATP Turbo silicone IC couplers

Some pics of the new powerplant and car at ~500 miles into break-in:





Dual oil coolers and the grills and coping for the front bumper. After 3 hours slumped over the coolers fixing the bent fins, I wasn't trying to go through it again:

 

Hey car looks great! What kind of grill material did you use? I'm thinking of putting the same kind of material on my cooler. You did a pretty damn good job of straightening your oil cooler fins.

 

amazing rebuilt.
sucks that it had to be done twice though.

 

Thanks. I just did the top panels with some zymol. They tend to get dull after many washes without wax, but they clean up well.

The grill material is just black aluminum mesh. With the ducts off I cut it bigger than the holes, did some reliefs on the excess material for bending, then formed it over the hole. It's a trial and error process. Then, I bent the edges of the excess material out so the duct would catch it and hold it against hole and coping.

The coping is just split vacuum hose.

The fins were a bitch. I used two small metal spatulas, one in each hand and did it while the coolers were out. Like this:





Thanks. I was pretty heartbroken when I found out I had to do it all over again, but I also got to tweak all the stuff I didnt like. I hated the first clutch disc (competition clutch brand), so I put in a stock exedy disc. Got the DP coated, put in the dual coolers and used all mazda internals. So it kind of worked out despite the whole money thing.

 

Not a problem, it's why I put it up here in the first place.

Yep, just rebuilt the primary again. I had to get another compressor wheel and turbine and send it out to be balanced at turbo city. The center housing was fine, used a different compressor snail of course since it was torn up.

I've got over 3k miles on them and an autocross with no problems. 10-8-10 pattern like they're supposed to do.

Keep in mind these turbos didn't need a rebuild yet. I have no idea if smoking turbos are servicable, but from what I've read it's a crapshoot.

I think people should look at them like a 13B. If you thrown an apex seal and it eats up the housing, you're not going to re-use the rotor and housing. I don't know for sure but I think most people rebuild the twins because they're smoking. At that point there are things that are so worn out (turbine oil seal groove?) that a rebuild kit can't help them. That doesn't mean they're useless, it just means some things need to be swapped for lower mileage or new parts.

 

Hey Alex, what happened to your old scored up housings? Did you keep them? Are they completely trashed? I was thinking that you should make them into clocks

; ]