I migth have the opportinity to get a free rotary engine (1.3L) 2-rotor motor. Apex seals are good from what I hear, which is good.

There is exactly one member here that has done this, could you pm me or something....?

b

Focus, man... focus.

you do know the adapter kit is $600+ ???

worst gasmileage in the world...I do like them, I have a 1/4 scale model of one.....

do a search. wankel himself had a 914 rotary....

its posted here on this site.


and its MISTER smartass to you.


cool article about the wankel 914

bingo

the original wankel rotary 914

check out the radiator intake

I looked at one a while back.
The seller/builder was having a heck of a time with exhaust being too hot/routing the exhaust pipes.
It melted the clutch pulley, and who knows what other damage to the trans.
It can be done well and it sure would be nice shifting at 7000 rpm.
The engine is likely the cheapest part of the build.

Good luck,
George

Twould be cool! but I wouldnt like the no tq buisness...

QUOTE (tesserra @ Feb 9 2006, 09:00 PM)

I looked at one a while back. The seller/builder was having a heck of a time with exhaust being too hot/routing the exhaust pipes. It melted the clutch pulley, and who knows what other damage to the trans. It can be done well and it sure would be nice shifting at 7000 rpm. The engine is likely the cheapest part of the build. Good luck, George

i have still not driven a rotary powered car, I'd like to.....I have been behind one at Thunder Hill racetrack...most annoying car to ever be stuck behind...couldn't wait to pass him

We just dynoed an RX7 N/A two rotor.

210 hp @ 10500rpm

no torque to speak of till about 5000rpm

sounded pretty cool too

Just in case you haven't seen it, this rotary 914 page has some good info.

Our peripheral port 13B makes north of 300 at the wheels. At less than 10K.

QUOTE (Mueller @ Feb 9 2006, 09:53 PM)

you do know the adapter kit is $600+ ??? worst gasmileage in the world...I do like them, I have a 1/4 scale model of one.....

how bad is worse?

QUOTE (Brett W @ Feb 9 2006, 10:20 PM)

Our peripheral port 13B makes north of 300 at the wheels. At less than 10K.

im not going that much, i expect 160s from this one.

its from a 92?

it has L-jet on it or at least some licensed knock-off

b

Britt, don't waste your time.

I have an RX-7 with a strong 13B engine (132 hp) and lightweight flywheel, and it's a fun daily driver, but the local 914s with stock 2.0 engines thoroughly kick my ass all the time. To be honest, I've given up on trying to keep up with them, because it's too frustrating and humiliating to even try to keep up. It's an in-your-face lesson about the importance of torque. Be smart and be happy, and walk away from the rotary engine idea.

Just my experience talkin'..

Since I'm the one person active on this board who has actually done this,, let me say even with a stock 84-88 13B engine mated to a side draft dellorto carb would kick some serious booty in our light weight 914s.

Years ago I took a guy I was buying parts from for a ride and he said it felt like a 2.7 six.

You won't notice the lack of torque,, and the stock 901 gearing actually compiments the rotary engine's high revving nature. Imagine cruising in 5th gear at 5k and having much more headroom. It's a great feeling.

-Rob

I owned a 74 RX2 in high school. It Once you get used to burning oil like petrol you cant help but love the engine. I have always thought a rotary 914 would be fun. No torque, but you have so much powerband at the top end that it really doesnt matter.

The exhausts on these engines run very hot. Just a thought when you are running headers and muffler around cables.

I get enough oil smoke in the cabin to giev me lung cancer when i'm thirty.

how bout a engine bay radiator?

b

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Feb 9 2006, 09:42 PM)

I get enough oil smoke in the cabin to giev me lung cancer when i'm thirty. how bout a engine bay radiator? b

nope.... i highly doubt thats efficient enuff

hmm...

might have to make a snorkel to direct the air into teh engine bay then.

or a huge sail.

b

see if alpha can make you a set of titanium rotors

Sorry, dood. Smartasses here are a fact of life. A sure fire way to attract them to your thread is to ask them to stay away....another fact of life, btw.
Just my smartassed .02

yeah

and maybe a titanium apex seal too.

b

I checked my PMss,, and regarding mileage. I drove my converted car as a daily driver for 3 years in sucky Los Angeles traffic. Straight down the 110 from dodger stadium to Honda in Torrance. I drove in rush hour and the few times I kept my foot out of it I got combined mileage of 25 mpg. My set up at the time was a 13B streetport (= to a cam and PP) guestimated at 225 HP. I had a Holly projection 2D system. It ran sorta crappy,,,,

I used the Kennedy adapter plate,, it's an easy and proven system.

QUOTE

Just in case you haven't seen it, this rotary 914 page has some good info.

My front end looked crappy, anc I've tried different radiator configs,, and believe it or not I got by using a diesel rabit radiator. Air flow is the most important thing with a rotary install. The VW fan and shroud was up to the task of keeping my car cool for extended idles in traffic. And a descent flow of air past your radiator at speeds is a must.

Which mazda is your engine from?

-Rob

if you're askin me, its from some 92 RX-7 or something. I looked and saw that it had a AFM FI system....

I saw the car today...and besides from some oil leak thing, it runs good...this is a very far LONGSHOT for me, but i was just wonderin if it was done b4 and it has.

25MPG isnt bad for the pep that you'd expect from that engine.

gets better and better.

b

it seems that for the power and rpm available the fuel economy is not bad. a 911 six would be in that range?

As far as I know, there's no such thing as a '92 RX-7..

The FC model ended in '91, and the FD model started in '93.

i dunno what year it was.....

it was yellow with a rattle-can primer over it...

front end bumper gone..

had a small radiator though...

b

You should look into building a megasquirt. The rotary guys on that forum seem to be adding more and more features for the rotary engine. I have one I plan on using,,,, The stock system is overly complicated with emissions related stuff. MS can even interface with the stock ignition system so be sure to get the coils and crank angle sensor.

When I got 25 mpg, I never revved higher than 3500.

I mounted my radiator up front, slanted against the gas tank bulk head. The heated air exited out of the bottom of the car past the brake m/c. I channeled air from a scoop in the front below the bumper into the front compartment and controlled how the air exited. I made sure to channel it through the radiator. I had the upper 1/2 of my front trunk usable. My spare was in the back.

I've had a recent revelation and am wondering if we can cram a small (mini cooper) sized radiator where the /6 has it's oil tank. I would vent it through to the engine bay and have some fans to help. Then I would mirror it on the side the battery is on. (It would be best to relocate the battery for this mod.) Then I would connect the two radiators with a connecting pipe. I wonder how much air flow will this get? Is the areas that I am thinking of making swiss cheese structural? any comments on a crazy idea?


My header pipes were custom and routed well clear of the clutch cable and pulley. I never melted my pulley, even on long drives up to San Francisco with occasional blasts up to 120 and constant cruising at 80.

Engine mount is pretty easy, exhaust is medium in difficulty to get right (in regards to exhaust tuning)

-Rob

don't worry rog. we'll always wait for you to catch up.

k

Welcome aboard! I think that getting rid of heat in the exhaust and cooling system will be your biggest challenge. Rotary engines don't handle being overheated so the cooling system should be of primary concern. I went with the Renegade Hybrids set up on my 3 rotor project because it's proven and I don't mind having a radiator in the front of the car. Now if you want some serious N/A power modify that little 13b like this one:

Awww... Look at the cute little motor...

914/2 ?

QUOTE

914/2 ?

or,, I like 914/2 1.3 or something like that

Big ports?

_


Kev.. yeah, you guys are way cool.

I owned two rotary cars: an '85 RX-7 GSL-SE (13B) and an '87 RX-7 Turbo. Both got about 18mpg in daily driving, with as much as 24mpg on gentle highway drives. Flogged on a good road, mileage would often drop to as little as 10mpg. This would probably improve a bit on a 914, since you're dragging around about 300-400lbs less weight.

The OEM control systems are fiendishly complex, with a zillion vacuum hoses to leak, and solenoid valves to break. You'd want to do a custom injection setup. Weber manifolds are available, and you could bolt on a TWM throttle body. I know there are manifolds for DCOEs and big Holley carbs, but I'd use an IDF manifold if one was available, with an IDF-style throttle body. The DCOE manifolds wrap around the top of the engine, and, like the OEM injection stuff, make it difficult to impossible to reach the OEM oil injection stuff, which often leaks. Unless you want to pre-mix all your gas, you really want to keep the oil injection.

The earlier engines used a distributor, or a fake distributor that triggered multiple coils. These would be easier to adapt to DIY EFI than the later systems.

They generate enormous heat and sky-high exhaust temps, so a rear-mounted radiator would be unlikely to work. You'd need as much radiator area as a V8.

They also sound NASTY (not in a good way) w/o very good muffling, and require LOTS of muffler volume to kill the noise w/o also killing the power. However, because of all of that, they do turbocharge very well. The early factory Turbos had lots of lag, but the later variable inlet turbos were pretty good. The turbo kills the worst of the noise, so you can use a normal muffler after them.

For their size and weight, they can be made to produce big power. Their torque characteristics would be a pretty good match for a 901, too.

Nice idea...

Some gotcha's though. 1) Rotary's run hot. I doubt an engine bay radiator would work very well. 2) They need good intake and exhaust to make power. A stock 13b -can- put out from than 220hp (seen the dyno sheets to prove it), but it needs the good stuff.

I like rotaries though. Only three moving parts, no valves, no springs. Nice and simple. Will keep making power as long as you can get air in, and exhaust out.

As for a teener beating up on an RX-7? Well... The RX7 is hauling around a good deal more weight (like 500 lbs or more), has poor low end torque, and is stuck with a live rear axel. Now... the cool thing is you can make power all the way up to 10,000 rpm. So long as your transmission can take it...

Be neat to see though. Put a blower on it and now we're talkin'!

-Josh2

Here's a website that offers a kit. Have fun.
http://home.earthlink.net/~reddawgbytes/re...reats/id19.html

Guy in yakima wash has one. Cooling was his biggest enemy.sounded cool,and on the open hwy my car couldnt hang with my 1.7.In town he couldnt even keep up.
just my .02 i have drove the car,and had him drive me in it.wasnt really impressed.but to each his own.
James

QUOTE

You'd want to do a custom injection setup

I mentioned 210hp @ 10500 rpm before,

We dont know didly about rotaries.. Someone brought there car to the shop, and asked us to get his car running (he bought Haltech from someone else and could not get his own car running) we have no idea what, if any mods were made to the engine...

from the dyno plots we have it looks like at 16000rpm we could have 300 hp

tuning a rotaryy has been a learning experience.. we now have a car with a worked and ported rotary he asked us to intall a HUGE turbo.. should be interesting

I have a Kennedy adapter Mazda to VW, flywheel and counterweight in the garage. Came off one of the old racers we used to build. PM me if you're interested.

A 13b with good carburetion will make well over 200 HP, rev to 12k RPM and run like a banshee in a lightweight car.

Pat