Ocelfa

I have been lurking and studying a lot here. Really impressed by the knowledge from the community.

I purchased an 8 bc it was cheap (low compression) and way to learn about rotary. Mechanic skills for me have always been a necessary hobby for me. I have a fleet of work trucks that are high milage and require maintenance and repairs from time to time. I usually fix old motorcycles for fun but, decided to switch it up a bit with the rotary. I pulled the engine this weekend and have been tearing it down and inspecting. I studied for about a month, but, Gonna have some questions thru the rebuild...anyway guess I am just wetting my feet.

CaymanRotary

Welcome! I appreciate that you are going for a rebuild. I always just recommend a swap. When you tear the engine down, take pictures of the rotors and housings. Sometimes they are not reusable and you will need to order new ones. Also, make sure you tear engine down first before purchasing your rebuild kit. That way, you can order the correct kit and not have headaches. Good luck!

Ocelfa

I have taken tons of pictures just to get to this point. Will take many more.

I purchased this from an experienced builder. Came with a ton of parts, including new housings. Sure I will find more once I get into it here soon.

That e shaft bolt is only thing holding me back currently. Going to have to heat it up.

CaymanRotary

Heat always works!

Ocelfa

04' and 85k.

I cant tell someone been in here before. Anxious to get to the rotors !

Ocelfa

i am no doctor but something tells me they are not going to be paperweights. Guess I need to check with feelers...i should probably clean first.

CaymanRotary

Definitely need to clean them up but the scratching on the outside edges looks concerning. Overall not terrible. Need to also check the bearings and make sure everything looks good. Got housing pics?

Ocelfa

I got new housings. I did clean the rotors changed bearings. Working on stationary gears now. Missing the front and rear main seals. They wont be here till sunday...

Ocelfa

CaymanRotary

Yea housings look shot. Good call replacing them. The engine will last much longer. Great stuff.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

Never go full noob; you need new housings and rotors.

Ocelfa

That's a great idea. I still thinking about it. It being my first build. Trying not to waste too much money if I mess something up...

CaymanRotary

Depends on your budget. Ideally, better to replace rotors as well but I dont know your budget. I know a guy who not only reused his shot rotors and housings, he also reused all the seals haha. That car still running so I cant really say anything.

Ocelfa

This thing is a weekend toy for me. It won't be a daily. I am going to be absurdly surprised if it starts right up once I drop this engine back in.

After I learn from this then I am going to get another engine and experiment with things. Most likely finding a turbo off a tractor or something stupid like that.

CaymanRotary

Well play around and have fun. If you do the rebuild right it should work no problem. Good luck!

Williard

iTrader: (18)

Team,

Care to explain why the new rotors are needed?

I see the bearing wear however the bearings were replaced. It didn't look like it spun one but i could have missed the photo indicating it. As long as the seal pathways are not stretched or damaged and the rotor isn't damaged (again, unless i missed something); im not sure why a new set of bearings and seals with a thorough cleaning wouldn't be sufficient. I do see some discoloration but can't tell if it's a film on the rotors, from the lighting/angle of the photos or the metal weakening in that particular location..

It's entirely obvious why the housings are shot and with that much wear on the bearings i would inspect the E-shaft thoroughly.

just curious.

Travis

Ocelfa

I don't think bearing was spun. That was the worst bearing in the photo.

CaymanRotary

Got pics of the E-Shaft from different angles? Rotors with new bearings should be ok. The scratching on the outside edge will only be a problem if its bent the slit the apex seal goes into. Make sure it moves freely once you install the seal on that corner with the springs. You dont want that seal to lock in place.

Ocelfa

I trial fit the shaft after the bearings were installed. Seemed fine, but I am no pro. It was a snug fit and moved nicely.

I almost got the seals all installed on the rotors. Going to get behind the bench tonight and get the last rotor finished.I am going for minimums on the side clearances.I will get some pics here soon.

I want to get the engine back in this weekend.

Thanks for checking up on me !

Ocelfa

CaymanRotary

Normal wear and tear you would expect to see on a well used E-Shaft. Looks good. Assuming all your gears also look good as well. It's not the best shape ever but it will most definitely work.

johnwalter1044

New member and owner of an RX8, from Croatia.
I am jealous of all people who have a safe space and tools to work on their cars.
I live in an apartment, close to the city center. There's barely room to park my car, let alone work on it.

So good luck with your rebuild!
Hoping it lasts forever!

CaymanRotary

Toss your tools in the trunk with some Jack stands. Not having space is a bad excuse to not wrench your own RX8. This car is not that difficult to work on for most things.

Ocelfa

Thanks for the words of inspiration! Now I have some for you.

I used to live in an apartment. In fact I drove across the country to a state with zero family or support system for a chance to increase my standards of living. I had a locking tool chest that I chained to my little outside patio. I did routine maintenance on my vehicles in the parking lot and even did a clutch job out there. Space is a huge problem in apartments. You can rent a storage unit or in my city we have shop space you can rent. It's real affordable and even comes with tools.

I started my buisness out of that apartment. I now have 3 employees and can have adult toys, hobbies ect. (No one told me managing people is like being an adult babysitter) That was 8 years ago. It was still is a lot of work regardless, best decision I ever made in my life.

I guess what I am trying to say is think positive and don't let limitations get in the way of what you want. Life is a mindset. Positive thinking is way more powerful then most think.

johnwalter1044

That's a nice career development! Keep it up!

Well i'm a young man. 23 years old in fact.
So there's still much i can learn to do.
As you said, if there's a will, there is a way.
And surely i will find a way to work on my car