Rotary shop - down state IL
 

Hey guys, I was doing some searching for a Rotary shop to replace the Apex seals on my '05 but the only shops that I have seen on the forum are in the Chicagoland area, EvolveRotary and such.

I was wondering if anyone knew of a shop downstate around the Terre Haute, IN area.

I am located just south of I-70 along the Illinois/Indiana border.

I have had my RX-8 taken to a dealer for a compression test because it would not start after new plugs, Deflooding procedures, new battery, new Midpipe, etc. I tried to replace every part that I could replace, dont have access to a shop or garage setup, and so I had it hauled to the nearest dealer that could do the compression testing.

They have verified low compression and have stated that they can put a rebuilt engine in. I was looking to pursue the Apex seal replacement route but have not been able to find a shop that can do it.

I am willing to have the car hauled within a reasonable distance.

Please let me know if there is a shop that can do this work.

Thank you in advance.

"Apex seal replacement" is a synonym for "engine rebuild". At a minimum, you're going to need $1000-$1500 in parts alone and that's assuming your housings and irons are in good shape. If they aren't, the parts alone could take you up to $3500.

The closest place to you that I know of is going to be Rotary Resurrection in Morristown, TN. They have an excellent reputation and have even authored how-to articles for removing the engine and stripping it down to the shortblock for shipping. Expect to pay $1200 on top of the rebuild cost to have them remove/reinstall the engine for you.

If you have a garage, floor jack, 4 jack stands, the basic "100 pc mechanic's toolkit" and can borrow an engine hoist, you can do the work yourself. It's not terribly complicated (I've done it twice so it can't be that hard). The first time I did it, a buddy let me borrow his garage for a couple of weeks.

Another option for you is to get a Mazda reman engine. Gossett Mazda in Memphis have reman engines (part # N3H3-02-200R-V0) for $2875. Mazmart tore a Mazda reman down and found it to be a pretty good engine. A friend of mine in Champaign bought one and races NASA TT with it and it's pretty good. I know it's just anecdote but that's all we've got.

Either way, you'll need a gasket set ($100), 9 qts of new oil, 3 gallons of new coolant and whatever other brittle plastic that breaks while pulling/stripping the engine.

If you find a good shop not listed on this thread, please post it.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...ilders-265177/

Thank you for your replies guys, I have several decisions to make and see if anyone I know has an engine hoist. I appreciate all of your comments.

There's always the $160 Horrible Fraught hoist.

Shade tree & cable winch.

Don't know which one is more dangerous... :yelrotflm