was it your first engine rebuild? How did it go?

 

I would like to put an LSx engine in an FD, but i don't have the funds available at the moment. I want to hit at least mid 11s with my rotary before i even think about swapping the engine. I cant put an LSx into this car because its being rebuilt purely to sell. I got the car for about $2600 with a non running engine,so its gonna be a real money maker - only has 60k miles.

Plus, its not easy to get hold of LSx engines here. Your looking $20,000+ for a new crate engine, or find an old american car somewhere and take the lump out of there...which is about as easy as finding a triumph TR5a engine in america.

No, its my second engine build. The first one was on my red RX7, which can be found here:

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-gen-archives-73/work-begins-new-engine-lights-wheels-pics-506967/

alot of the pics dont work, ill get around to fixing them at some point. They used to be hosted on some webspace that doesnt exist any more, i just have to amend the links to my photobucket.

 

it's a coolant temp switch for the transmission.

 

what he said ^ all automatics have that sensor

 

Now thats a "Virgin" rats nest....

 

I believe Gotham Racing sells stainless OMP lines. They are about $150 for a set. Replacements from Mazdaspeed are about $23 each.

-Charlie

 

Well got a few more bits done today. The good news is it doesnt look like im gonna have to spend any more money on parts!

My sophisticated flywheel locking tool:





Got everything off..



Onto my oh so sophisticated engine stand she goes:



Alll the parts i removed:



Eccentric gear removed and tension bolts marked up:



First plate off:



Inside of housing looks good...if a little dirty.



Rotors have quite a lot of carbon on them

 

wow..

 

dude ur a 13b machine. just curious how u came about all this knowledge? u buy books, manuals, etc? Nice work btw

 

Sideways...just read, read, read some more - then dive in headfirst. I rebuilt my first 13b after owning an RX7 for about 6 months. This is now my second build...

 

Well i thought i'd better write an update as i haven't done one in a while now. TRuth be told i havent done a lot of work on the car! But i should be steaming ahead now, i have until the 6th of october now to finish this rebuild, remove the engine in my car, fix various leaks and re-fit it as im going to the nurburgring.

Ive removed the injectors and sent those off for cleaning:




Marked my rear rotor:



removed all seals etc:



got the front rotor fully cleaned:



and started work on the rear...



This weekend will b espent cleaning that rotor, the end plates, various other componenets that need it and hopefully getting the engine built. I want to fit the engine one evening after work next week...

watch this space!

 

I do believe you just said Nurburgring!?!!?!

 

yes, thats what i said!

nordschleife here i come

Jealous?

 

Yeah, well, uh

Gas is $2.55/gal here :P

 

Very! Closest I've come is Stuttgart.

For the US crowd, BMW CCA in the US sponsors an event yearly at the Nurburgring. Search the Race Section for further details from a member that actually went.

Keep it coming Bob.

 

Alright alright! Nureburgring is going to cost me $600 in fuel just to get there and back!!!

 

hey guys, sorry i havent posted in a while, been too busy working on the car!

heres the progress from the weekend and tonight...

Well heres the front rotor cleaned up..



But look, disaster!!! A coolant seal broke...crappy mazda castings!!



Luckily i had a spare on hand...so i got to work scraping out those grooves of 14 years worth of crap, and ended up with this...



Time to measure it all up...



Front plate:

No warping.
Side seal wear - 0.03mm, mazda spec <0.1mm
side seal overlapping oil seal wear - N/a, Mazda spec <0.01mm
Side seal outside oil seal wear - 0.02mm - Mazda spec <0.1mm
Oil seal wear - N/a - Mazda spec 0.02mm

Intermediate plate, front side

No warping.
Side seal wear - 0.04mm, mazda spec <0.1mm
side seal overlapping oil seal wear - N/a, Mazda spec <0.01mm
Side seal outside oil seal wear - 0.02mm - Mazda spec <0.1mm
Oil seal wear - N/a - Mazda spec 0.02mm

Intermediate plate, rear side

No warping.
Side seal wear - 0.03mm, mazda spec <0.1mm
side seal overlapping oil seal wear - N/a, Mazda spec <0.01mm
Side seal outside oil seal wear - 0.02mm - Mazda spec <0.1mm
Oil seal wear - N/a - Mazda spec 0.02mm

Rear plate

No warping.
Side seal wear - 0.02mm, mazda spec <0.1mm
side seal overlapping oil seal wear - N/a, Mazda spec <0.01mm
Side seal outside oil seal wear - 0.02mm - Mazda spec <0.1mm
Oil seal wear - N/a - Mazda spec 0.02mm

Eccentric shaft:

Front side outside shaft bearing external - 42.95mm
Front side outside eccentric gear bearing internal - 43.03mm
Clearance - 0.08mm - Mazda spec 0.06-0.11mm

Front side inside shaft bearing external - 42.97mm
Front side inside eccentric gear bearing internal - 43.03mm
Clearance - 0.06mm - Mazda spec 0.06-0.08mm

rear side outside shaft bearing external - 42.95mm
rear side outside eccentric gear bearing internal - 43.03mm
Clearance - 0.08mm - Mazda spec 0.06-0.11mm

Rear side inside shaft bearing external - 42.97mm
Rear side inside eccentric gear bearing internal - 43.03mm
Clearance - 0.06mm - Mazda spec 0.06-0.08mm

Then i dry assembled the rotors:



Ground my side seals...

front rotor gear side:

face1 0.25mm clearnace
face2 0.2mm clearance
face3 0.1mm clearance
Mazda spec 0.05-0.4mm

Front rotor open side:

face1 0.2mm clearnace
face2 0.1mm clearance
face3 0.15mm clearance
Mazda spec 0.05-0.4mm

Rear Rotor Gear side:

face1 0.1mm clearnace
face2 0.1mm clearance
face3 0.15mm clearance
Mazda spec 0.05-0.4mm

Rear toror Open side:

face1 0.2mm clearnace
face2 0.15mm clearance
face3 0.3mm clearance
Mazda spec 0.05-0.4mm

I put all my seals to one side on rotor build sheets...I made 4 of these, one for each side of the two rotors.



Rotors now ready for wet assembly:



My engine build area! lol



Off we go!









And we're done!





Flywheel on...



Now to fit all this stuff

 

Buy a stand, you are making my back hurt.

 

Hey I'm happy for you. I'd give a ******** to drive my car on that track.

Maybe two.

Hope you get some video. You've given us a lot with all these photos of your rebuilds, but a few minutes of an FD on the ring would be priceless.

Dave

 

I will try. But as im sure you can appreciate - filming on the nurburgring is forbidden and carries a fine an ejection with a year ban for persistent offenders. It might be a video from a cellphone unfortunately - i am taking my video camera but as i say, it will be difficult to film.

Dgeesaman, you've always been very helpful to me. I will be going to nurburgring again a few times over the course of the next year. The next time i go; your welcome to fly over to london and we can drive over to Germany and ill let you lap a couple of times in my car. What goes around come's around eh? Maybe later on in the year we can go to road america in your car!

Seriously though, you are more than welcome; i understand how much of a mecca the Nurburgring is to petrol heads around the world, and i also understand how it is completely impossible for you guys to get your FD over there to drive it yourself.

PM me if your interested!

 

I wasn't aware of the ban on filming. Pity

The nurburgring is dangerous enough, so leave the camera phone in your pocket. I'll make do just fine with the video that's out there already.

Dave

 

Bobfish - you are amazing to do all that rebuilding! I enjoyed your first thread on the vintage red car and it was an inspiration to me to pull the engine on my car myself. I wasn't as brave to do the rebuild but I am putting the engine back in.

Quick question on your reinstall, did you bolt the clutch to the flywheel before reinstalling the engine or did you just mate up the bolts through the tranny peep hole? I am having a hell of a time trying to pop that clutch bearing off through that peep hole.

 

Nice work Bobfish...and that is one hell of an offer!! Let me know if you ever need any help...with ANYTHING!
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/engine-reinstall-question-565831/ I believe your answers are in here.

Bolt the pressure plate (with the clutch aligned inside) to the flywheel and then reinstall the engine.

And again I don't fully understand your question about poping that clutch bearing off through that peep hole???

is the engine and tranny out or in the car? or just one or the other?

 

Mecman - i popped off the clutch through the peep hole on removal and bolted it up on refitting as i didnt have a clutch alignment tool.

If you unbolt it though, you shouldnt need to get a new wire ring and wedge collar.

Dgeesaman - im going to get a friend to film for me! jeez you think im psycho???!!!

 

p.s NEW DISASTER.

OMP line broke on removal. got a new one. wrong one! none of the others IN THE COUNTRY! gonna have to wait till next week. Have from the time i get the new OMP line till friday to finish the engine, reinstall in, remove my engine, fix the oil leak, fit a new rad and get a 4 wheel alignment. Maaan this is gonna be tight!!!