ROTARY! Mazda Rx-8 13B Renesis JUNK Engine Teardown. Series 1 6-Port Disassembly. Is It All SCRAP?

[@MazKid]

Just a bit more background - I didn't charge a core on the good (7K mile Mazda rebuild out of my '04 RX-8 that was totaled at the end of a police chase in my driveway - there's helicopter footage of this incident elsewhere on youtube) Renesis I sold, but the guy offered his bad engine to me to sweeten the deal, and I'm a sucker for free Mazda stuff. I just knew it to be 'bad', which with a Renesis is anything from one blown coolant seal to zero compression because of carbon to broken apex seals and gouged housings. It had been in my garage for somewhere around 8 and a half years... I meant to tear it down years ago, well before my brother started doing these videos, but it was low priority, and this worked out better in the end. Glad to have it out of my garage, also glad to see us get a video out of it! As far as the parts... all looks pretty trashed to me. I'll consult an actual rotary expert/rebuilder friend of mine to see if any of this is salvageable/worth selling. - Ryan, Eric's brother.

[@gchampi2]

That explains a lot - freebies always go to the bottom of the priority pile, usually staying there until space becomes an issue.

[@joshuagibson2520]

Where can we see the police chase?!?!?!?!

[@MazKid]

@@joshuagibson2520 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYimaqeGotGAbbMsi=16vXp7PGB2bFgJ86

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

You ever heard of the Rotary Doctor? Is that guy still doing business I wonder.... used to sell him side or corner seals all the time. Can't remember which it was. He was a nice dude.

[@TimDrury]

I love the blurring of the water pump cavity.

[@jefflochner5972]

Porno pump.

[@Hullu-Kukko]

Why it is blurred? :D

[@djasseater2262]

The penis pump

[@jeffrogers2180]

​@@Hullu-Kukko I wondered that myself until I looked at the shape a few more times... Let's just say it's juvenile humor. 😂

[@Hullu-Kukko]

@@jeffrogers2180 :D

[@schuylerwilcox784]

Your original rotary teardown video has been a huge help for me. I’m rebuilding an RX8 and I lost all my disassembly photos when my phone died. Your video was the only way for me to figure out where the wires and oil lines go. Thanks

[@aland7236]

1:10 As a Subaru EJ owner I am weeping at that comment. Weeping just like my valve cover gaskets do.

[@mauritsvw]

Yes, I had to have those gaskets replaced a short while ago.

[@noble6791]

Mine had its head gaskets blow 😅😅😅

[@UncleKennysPlace]

But your garage floor will never rust.

[@micahreid5553]

@@UncleKennysPlace The only time there isn't oil beneath a Subaru is if there's no oil inside the engine

[@brianallen9810]

@@UncleKennysPlace Just like old VW's, whats with flat engines anyway ??

[@danven1256]

As a Mazda Master Tech every once in a while someone would come in and tell me that they found a really good deal on a RX-8 and wanted to know what to look out for. I always told the customer make sure you purchase a RX8 with a sunroof. You need the sunroof so when the engine loses compression you can turn it into a planter box for your front yard. 🤣

[@stevelee5724]

Brilliant ! 😂 Cheers from New Zealand

[@stevelee5724]

I'm used to hearing the "wank wank wank" of rotary's in the 80's and 90's, I've not seen one pulled down. I'm interested 😅 Cheers from New Zealand

[@stevelee5724]

Series 1 RX7's are wantable as..... all others are shyte...😊

[@stevelee5724]

Ha ha. Flip it on its belly ! Storey of your life bro.....😂 Cheers from New Zealand 😊

[@stevelee5724]

Wow ! You pulling apex seals was painful bro.....😮

[@HaloToday]

You don't owe us anything Eric, you do you and we follow what you do because of who you are and I think it's crazy that there are people that get upset if you don't upload a video for a month. Thanks for all the content you give us, keep up the great work!

[@JerryCDillard]

@HaloToday AMEN, I'll watch whenever Eric makes A video, anytime!

[@thomasrowell6569]

That's such an accurate statement could not have said it better

[@GoneAsGoneCanBe]

The rotary is such an amazing idea. It blows my mind that they are able to run at all. Almost zero moving parts. Insane.

[@VoVilliaCorp]

Not only that, but the amount of power they generate

[@darkblaze176]

@@VoVilliaCorp Yup. upwards of 1600hp from a 1.3L

[@markcoveryourassets]

I remember reading an article from the 80s where they won in both GTU and GTO categories. Loved the purr my friend’s 7 exhaust had. Fascinating design.

[@ferrumignis]

@@darkblaze176 Except it's not a 1.3L engine in reality, it's equivalent to a 2.6L engine. Not only a direct equivalent in terms of total displacement per crankshaft revolution, but also in terms of power and fuel use.

[@gangstafish25]

Helicopter engines. The Tucker.

[@lrowlands53]

I had an RX4 and then an RX7 for more than twenty years. They were great cars and I loved everything about them. The were dead reliable - never an issue with failures and were a true driving experience like no other. I did rebuild my RX4 engine not because of any drama, but it was a high mileage unit and was beginning to use a bit of oil. Parts were cheap and I had the cast iron housings surface ground. In saying all this, you have to be a rotary person, be scrupulous with oil changes, quality of oil and drive it like you rebuilt it. I drove the RX7 on a few big trips - 18 hours at 80 mph all the way - and it was a dream. People want the best for cheap without taking any responsibility and there are no cars that can take abuse without consequences. At least it's not a Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, BMW, etc, engine that will shit itself way sooner than a rotary, but you never hear people talking about that elephant in the room. People are just scared of what they don't understand and will demonise stuff at the drop of a hat.

[@HAV0X_]

... and other jokes you can tell yourself

[@IanMcCloghrie]

The naturally aspirated 12A and 13B engines will last a long time. The turbos on the FD shorten the engine life significantly, and the renesis out of the rx-8 is just kind of a train wreck.

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

You fall into the trap yourself, friend. I mean, if those Ferrari, Maserati, etc engines are treated just like you treated your rotary, then maybe they last just as long?

[@lrowlands53]

@@wtfiswiththosehandles I hear you, but many of these exotic car engines have fundamental failure points that mean no matter how you treat them they fail prematurely. Something like a Ferrari, Audi or a Porsche has to be treated like a race car with oil changes every couple of thousand miles and tear downs for things like pistons rings, rod bearings, water pumps, turbos, timing chains and oil pumps every couple of years, just to keep them running.

[@lrowlands53]

@@wtfiswiththosehandles I was for a time a motorcycle race mechanic and have great engineering instincts, so while I don't know everything, I don't lack knowledge, skill or expertise. Just saying, not bragging.

[@nickmail7604]

I had Mazda RX 7 from new in 1985, I live in the UK and I drove that car like the 21 year old nutter I was. I sold it in 1990, never having had to spend a penny on it other than new tyres, brake pads and general MOT costs. I went on to have several Porsches over the years but nothing ever came close to creating the fun I used to have in that RX7. Still my favourite car.

[@lutomson3496]

I had one also with proper oil changes and service they will last a while the problem is they are driven into the ground

[@macunion1225]

it was fun because when you are 21 you are the funnest version of yourself , when i was 21 i had an Rx3 coupe with a bridgeport 12a , i miss it and i miss being that age

[@nickloh912]

Been a while since we had a NSFW water pump... Thanks for the video!

[@MK__Two]

YEESSSS!!! I WANTED YOU TO DO AN ROTARY FOR A WHILE. YOU’RE THE BEST ERIC!!

[@brotherloops]

Pretty sure he’s done one already

[@H.E.outdoors]

Yes he has😅

[@MK__Two]

@@brotherloopsNo yeah, he has. But that was a couple of years ago. I kinda wanted a newer video of him taking one apart. Which is AWESOME. Lol

[@budlanctot3060]

My brother bought a new RX2 in the fall of '71 or '72. We drove it around 1300 miles down to CA for a wedding and then back home. I remember my brother falling asleep, while I was driving thru the Siskiyou's. I was kinda racing a Porsche thru the mountains. He could out corner me, but he couldn't beat me on the straight sections. When my brother woke up, he questioned why we were about a 100 miles further along than we should be by that time. I just said the traffic was light, which WAS true. I really liked driving it. It was very smooth, and pretty snappy, too. But then, I didn't have to deal with the eventual, inevitable problems, later.

[@brucecole5175]

My '73 RX2 is the only car I genuinely miss. Incredible fun, reliable, & great looking. I took care of it & it took care of me. Eventually succumbed to northeast road salt.

[@macunion1225]

me and my mate found a barn find $200 rx2 in good condition about 1986 when they were only worth scrap value , we had a rotor each and they came with a mandatory pretty GF , so sad being old

[@FastSS02]

I'm OK with this being short. I've never cared about rotary engines, but it was neat to see this torn down and to see how different it is than a normal engine.

[@johnfoulk3448]

I want to thank you as I have never had one of these apart. 59 year mechanic. Very simple design. Well thought out on sound mechanical principles. Too bad they got a bad rap for wearing out quickly.

[@jeffausbun]

i now know more about rotary engines than I did 30 minutes ago... thanks for sharing

[@boffam00]

I used to own an RX-8, a wonderful car that I loved dearly. But before I dumped it, the engine seemed to go soft and occasionally would stall. At the time, I lived in Windsor Ontario - a big union town. Once, the car stalled at a major intersection, and while I was trying to refire it, a guy in a clapped-out Ford Tempo (I shit you not) rolled down his window and screamed at me “that’s what you get for buying foreign!”

[@Mikkel-RS]

Oh my, that must have hurt! (As someone whos owned a 87 Tempo... ) lol

[@DaDaDo661]

Oh Windsor. $50,000 war homes and $80k domestic car in the driveway. That was pre covid of course

[@aidanbrooks771]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@DaDaDo661now its $500K war homes with a $90k domestic car in the driveway

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Man, that car needed to be driven harder and have the oil checked/changed more probably. Most of them died from fuel dilution of the oil, low oil levels causing starvation, metering pumps going bad from poor oil quality... If properly used and maintained they're awesome. Sadly nobody taught any of the owners of them new, how to properly operate them. Standard procedure anytime we started one at Mazda, was to Rev it to at LEAST 4k rpm before turning the key off, to help clear unburnt fuel from the engine and keep it from washing down into the oil (usually only when they weren't at operating temp, but our techs made 100% habit of it to be safe)

[@boffam00]

@@goosenotmaverick1156 I did those things pretty religiously, but I also bought the car used with 40,000 km on it, so I can’t account for what the original owner did. I’d be curious to know how many Renesis engines created 100K miles and how they were treated.

[@gregoryweber7408]

as usual i am grateful for your time eric always learning something new from your efforts no need to apologize for the short vid you owe us nothing sir

[@racecar021872]

I had a 1977 Mazda REPU for over 20 years, in that time I rebuilt the engine once. I dont know how many miles were on it but I just wanted to freshen it up. I loved that truck and I treated it like a rotary is supposed to be treated, revved it to redline several times every time I had it out. Lots of people that I took on rides with me liked the buzzer it had when you hit redline, yes it did work the entire time I had it, it was nice because you didnt have to look at the tach, just listen for the buzzer and shift. Back in the day they were known for their power to weight and power to liter, the 13Bs were rated at about 130 or so HP so about a hundred horse per liter. I went on to have several more RX7s and rebuilt the engines in those as well. I was known around the area for being the Rotary guru.

[@ScottJ175]

Thanks for your comments about much of the rotary's bad rep being due to abuse by ignorant owners. I have a bit of a unicorn myself. A 2009 RX-8 I bought from a friend who bought it new and only put 7,103 miles on it over the course of 11 years. He also stored it indoors and never drove it in the rain and he knew to rev it out when he did drive it. I've owned it 4 years now and am closing on 19K miles and also store it indoors. I will drive it in the rain but I try to avoid it. I also have a 1982 GSL with the 12A and two parts cars I bought hoping to save the 1982 but that's been a stalled project for a couple years now.

[@wraithette01]

Hey Eric, you don't owe us any more time - we love you and your videos as you and they are. Thank you for all your time and effort in getting the videos out as often as you do!

[@LuisDhubhairt]

Once you get accostumed about the classic engine design, with pistons, conrods, crankshaft, it makes the Wankel appear like it works with some sort of magic. Nice change from the regular tear downs, Eric. Don't apologize about video length: Knowledge is knowledge, and we learn from this videos.

[@dereksmith1803]

My dad's first (and only) brand new car his entire life was an 81 RX7. He loved that car.

[@mostlynew]

Drove all three of my RX-7s long and hard in my self employment. Monitored and changed oil frequently. No problems. Used engine flush every 2 or 3 oil changes as the miles built up to clear gunk in and around apex seals. Most fun I’ve had driving ❤

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

And that's precisely what folks should have done with the rx8, and they didn't:/

[@XtheUnknown99]

My engine ran good for 75000 miles. Exceeding your recommendations, I always revved the heck out of it. Never a problem. The third gear synchro got tired of downshifts at 90, though. But being (and still) an old ( both me and the car) Corvair driver, double clutching instantly solved all. Moved on after 5 years with it functioning, except for the synchro.

[@garytull7730]

Years ago I worked in a shop and across the street was a guy that was a wizard at hot-rodding these engines. One of the oddest memories I have was when he would pour ATF into a pretty high revving engine to try and get the seals to "seat'(?) which also killed every mosquito in the county with toxic white smoke. He also used Super Glue to hold the apex seals in place while assembling, he kept a tube of it in our refrigerator. A 2 rotor motor with a small turbo would produce well over 300 HP, at something like 12k RPM. Thanks for posting this.

[@bslaws]

In 1974, my dad got me a Wankel rotary engine model for my 9th birthday. Never understood how they worked until I was older. 9:56, that's going to leave a mark.

[@40calDeathPunch]

I got one for Christmas when I was 11.

[@matthewtymaja3760]

The fact the video was short is a very good demonstration of the simplicity of the rotary engine (if only we had stronger materials, the rotary engine would be (even more) awesome!)

[@1cipi]

materials are good enough, owners are not

[@saltycarl6581]

whats stopping them from being common? do they make bad daily drivers? On paper they sound great but every one of these i ran in to had serious loss of power. I must be missing something.

[@IanMcCloghrie]

@@saltycarl6581 Rotaries are, fundamentally, 1970s technology. Compared to the piston engines of the 1970s they're great, but piston engines have moved on from there, with every car company in the world spending untold billions of dollars on R&D. Mazda is one small manufacturer who almost went bankrupt in the 1990s, so rotary engine tech hasn't really changed much. As for what stopped them from being common, rotaries are inherently less fuel efficient and much harder to control emissions on, both of which are serious problems in the EPA and CAFE regulatory world.

[@Grayson203]

I just finished getting my renesis rebuilt this week! Convenient timing lol

[@phoenixazian]

My first new car was a 1979 RX-7. What a fun car!! It was so easy to trigger that RPM buzzer LOL. It was my every day driver - except in the Michigan winter - for seven years until I bought a new Audi quattro in 1986. Never had any engine problems in the 70,000+ miles I drove it but then, I drove it like a sports car. In 1988, due to a move to Arizona, I sold it along with my 1969 Mini. Yes, I always went for the unconventional when it came to cars. The only mod I made to the RX-7 was installing a nice set of headers. That necessitated the removal of much of the rudimentary pollution control parts - smog checks in much of the country were not yet instituted. Anyway, fast forward to 2010 when I needed a more sporty 2-door replacement for my aging 1998 A4. One of the cars I test drove and seriously considered was an RX-8, but I ultimately went with the new Genesis Coupe which I got to test drive on an actual race track. I opted for the gutsy V6 in that car and never regretted it.

[@gregorygrimaldi9030]

I've been watching your videos going on 3 years and love it.i used to watch top gear now I'm 42 and it's you tube because there's never anything good on TV.

[@stevepops4450]

Have an acquaintance here in NZ who did 'his time' as a mechanic on these. Built a set of flat assembly boards to help hold all the seals/springs in place. Simple to flip over to do each side. He had quite a few old 12A housings stored. Intended to build a fence outta them.... My Dad used SACHS rotaries. Set up to drive a self -built pump to operate a suction dredge. Great little motor and light and easy to transport in the old school backpack. Had an alloy fan housing (was cracked) explode near me. Still have scar on my chin from a piece of it. Lucky the steel hand starter unit flew in a different direction (though found it behind me). GM were going to supply AMC with rotaries for the Pacer. But GM backed out. AMC used their inline six instead.

[@gavinb9627]

I can't thank you enough for this video Eric. I have seen many of these in pieces before, but never watched one be torn down.. I remember when they were very popular to be modified for the street, and the noise they made way just so unique. Thank you again, and your brother.

[@protonpillpopper1]

Keeping it family friendly at 7:37. Love this channel

[@marathoner43]

As always Eric, thanks for my Saturday night entertainment. The video might have been short, but it's nice to see something different occasionally. Keep the great content coming.

[@XY_Dude]

owned (bought new) RX3 wagon. Regular trips btwn Bay Area and Riverside CA. Smoooth car. Drank gas like crazy. Came with Holley 390 CFM 4bbl. Actually loved it - but only 80K mi, then oil burner.

[@gtpanoz]

It's been long overdue for a Mazda Rotary to show up again for a teardown. The last time a rotary was shown on this channel, you've only had done maybe dozen engine teardown vids before then. Amazing to think about how the channel has grown from then to now.

[@waynegalvin4639]

That is rare to see! Thanks for showing it to us!

[@hirisk761]

oh a rotary! been a minute since we had one of these!

[@stringpicker5468]

I had a mate who used to race an RX-3-13B. He had an R-100 with a ported 12A. It would top 100 mph in 2nd gear. Got over 130 in 4th, but it kept wanting to fly. Not very quick till you got to about 7 000 rpm, then it was like a rocket sled.

[@allisonelkins1662]

I think we need a brother cameo now

[@gs1100ed]

Dad too, if he’s available!

[@MazKid]

I'm game. Though not a dad, I'm sure I can come up with at least a few dad jokes. I have another engine for my brother to tear down - one that I 'blew up', what a surprise - but it's in a car and I haven't gotten around to it yet. Soon? - Eric's brother

[@tsimpson007]

Thanks Eric i have not seen a rotary teardown in a long while.

[@davidcperron]

I tore apart a 12A rotary (1980) in maybe 1988. One of the plastic oil feed lines snapped and the unoiled apex seals scrubbed the chrome facings from one of the rotor housings, as it turned out. My torque wrench was insufficient to remove the flywheel nut, so I bolted some steel angle iron to the flywheel using the clutch cover bolts, used that as a brace on the concrete, and slipped a 6’ steel pipe on the end of my breaker bar. Stepped on the end. I was maybe 185lb at the time and that was barely enough to break it loose. Not sure how it’s been redesigned since then. Steel oil injection lines would be better. I think we scored a 12A replacement motor and the wife continued to drive that one around for a while after the divorce (in which I got the Chevette) until (guessing) her oil line also broke and her motor met the same fate.

[@MichaelHybrid]

I love rotary engines ❤️ I have been daily driving RX8s for nearly 2 decades

[@Faxie83]

I had a RX8 for 16 years, 2nd owner but low mileage when I got it. HP version, no premixing, kept the coils and plugs in good shape, revved it to redline when properly warmed up and kept the oil at a nice level. Had to replace the engine at 130k miles. Premixing should keep it healthier for longer. The R3 version of the RX8 had extra oil injectors added for durability. The car was a joy to ride, so I didn't care that it needed a new engine eventually.

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

honestly, all cars will need an engine rebuild, but... rotaries are usally sooner then later.

[@Grayson203]

All second gen rx8s had the third oil injector, not just the R3. Lost of changes were made with the s2 rx8s that made their engines much more reliable than s1 rx8s

[@PajakTheBlind]

​@@Grayson203agreed - as a happy owner of R3 should 😉

[@Faxie83]

@@Grayson203 I thought R3 was 2nd gen?

[@johnt.848]

I believe the RX3 had a recall on the early version, hence they had an improved second gen RX3.

[@85rx7se]

I once had a Mazda Cosmo 1976 which had the 13B and it failed due to excess oil consumption. My fault for not checking it more often. I also had an 1981 RX7 12A engine which went for quite a number of miles before I got into a wreck. I also had a 1985 RX7 13B manual shift which went to at least 125K miles when it got stolen. So the motors are somewhat reliable if you follow three things. 1): Check the oil weekly and add as needed. 2): Never let a rotary engine overheat. If you do it will warp the rotor housings.3): Do oil changes every 5K at most and use a good quality oil.If you do .. FYI the clutch in the 85 RX7 was still the original as were the brakes when the car was stolen. I had a 73 RX2 which ended up wrecked and a 74 RX2 that also got wrecked at some point.. I still have the giant flywheel nut socket and the flywheel holding tool.

[@timparmentier4267]

Had an ‘80 RX-7 that leaked a quart a week. Finally tore it all down and replaced the oil seals. That was a fun job.

[@jonathanshaw8868]

Thank you for mentioning the premix, most don't know, and with premix they last. I had over 150k on my rx8 and it was running strong until i had to let it go.

[@brettster3331]

Hi Eric, I so enjoyed seeing this video, I must have missed it when you did one before. It is so amazing that these engines work at all and develop enough power for a sporty vehicle. Best to you, Brett

[@GoddessOfMisfortune]

I was excited with how short this video was, actually! Seeing a simpler engine being torn down is as equally as fascinating as the more complex ones (looking at you, audi.)

[@Lawdog652]

My 04 RX-8 has 95k miles and it gets to 9000 rpm a day to keep the mechanic away. Always premix and never short trip it. Always warmed up to operating oil temps before starting off. Also your original Renesis tear down is what got me hooked on your channel. Great to see you returning to it.

[@tomhanna2714]

If ever there was a car I jonesed for as a pimply faced high school freshman, it was the homecoming queen’s beautiful black and silver 1984 RX-7 GSL-SE, loaded to the gills with all the options, manual transmission, leather, everything. In hindsight it pains me to realize that like most chicks she probably just puttered it around in college until the seals went bad and daddy wound up trading it in at a huge loss or who knows what. All I know is I would have driven it like I had stolen it! Whether or not I would have lived very long is another question, but hey I’m still here.

[@bobferranti5222]

Eric, I can't remember the last time I saw a rotary engine pulled apart, thanks for doing this one! Even used up parts like these have a amazing resale value.

[@RGP_WA]

Eric, I have never seen a rotory torn down. Thank you! Very entertaining!

[@davidcustard9311]

I just found a breakdown on how it works here on KZbin. Very interesting. I'm glad you were able to tear this one down Eric. Thank you!

[@waltfriedrich7631]

I got involved with Mazda before there were dealers around. Answered an ad and got trained on the RX engine and emission system. The later RX 7 and 8 were great engines. Two things that caused most engine failures were using synthetic oil and the US govt requiring 5w30 oil use. In other countries where they used 10w30 or 40 much lower engine issues. Also the majority of issues with the first gen RX8 engines were ones with auto trans.....these things needed to rev.

[@southsideronnie]

Eric, you have a cool channel and I enjoy seeing what is inside modern engines. I gave up on tearing things apart or rebuilding stuff in the mid 70's. Things have changed a lot since then!! Thanks so much for sharing all that you do!!

[@thecatofnineswords]

As a lover of rotary engines ... I am sad to see the demise of this one. It hurt to see the rust on the rotor, and the locked up apex seals. They're a lovely engine, but yeah, have to be cared for and they're literal high maintenance ^_^ Do NOT give this to Rob Dahm heck, don't even show him; He'll be just as sad as us. --- One of my girlfriends had a late 70's RX7 (looks similar/same to yours I think) and it was a dream to drive. I wish there were more rotaries in the world. I also wish there was a way to make them consumer-friendly and not just enthusiast-friendly, and thus easier to maintain.

[@tinman7551]

A Wankle !! I’ve waited a long time for this 🥰😍❤️

[@djmech3871]

Wankle was a German engineer. The company NSU used his engines, I’m not sure if any other German companies used the Wankel.

[@Aztom40]

I bought a 74 RX4 new with the 13B engine. I was commuting from Riverside to South Santa Ana 90 miles round trip. I thoroughly thrashed that car trying to break it under warranty. Pegged the tach many times at 9000 rpms and could shame most smogger V8s of the era up to 400 cu in. Always stayed on top of the oil, running Castrol, I think, 10-30. Would use a quart every 1800 to 2000 miles till over 100,000 miles. By the time 140,000 rolled around it was down to a quart every 400 miles (I knew of era GM 454s that burned that much new). Anyway Mazda had a shortblock swap program for $1300. They were much simpler back then. The engines came from the Mazda Tech Center in Irvine, CA and was their racing program hq. Sold that car to my daughter and later she sold it to a friend who destroyed it. I'd love to have that car brand new. Never left me sitting, never knew a tow truck hook.

[@justdeaf-ry6bn]

It's interesting how the Rotary engine works. The marvel of engineering engine design.

[@darrylr]

Thanks for his. Former RX7 Turbo owner here, and had a Austro Engine AE50R Wankel rotary (derived from the Norton motorcycle Wankel engine) in a self-launch motorglider . I love Wankel rotaries, even with their issues.

[@rotorhead5000]

To me, the rotary is kind of like that one ex we all have, crazy, ruined everything, but damn were they fun on occasion. Had an rx8 for a number of years, it was fun, i made it a point to hit redline daily, and it was pretty reliable for me, but i dont often miss it.

[@georgeian3243]

Thank you, Eric, very interesting video. Mazda won the 1991 24 hours of LeMans race with its 787B Group C rotary engined car putting out 700 hp. The engine finished the race in good condition and could have gone the distance again, so they said.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I've seen a little bit about these engines. But I've never seen one torn down. This is gonna be interesting

[@DartzIRL]

Mine's been the most reliable car I ever owned. It's been almost the most reliable car we've ever had. Maybe I got lucky. I put a bad sparkplug in it 5 years ago and it fell into the engine. It *ran* even with bits of plug running around it. But it needed a replacement engine. Can't blame it for that - it was a scam part. Took the replacement engine out for overhaul earlier this year - doing some porting work and just giving it a 10 year 'transition to usually idle classic' overhaul. Everything was still in spec inside, and mint. The chassis on the other hand, was only held together by the paint in places. The level of rust was staggering. The exhaust tips rotted and one broke clean off. When I ran it daily, I treated mine like an ordinary car. Just keep the oil in it, keep a little premix oil in the fuel and use it like an actual car. ---- Those eccentrics might be getting rare. Ones over here tend to eat their bearings for some reason.

[@theflyingW64]

Awesome video dude. The Mazda rotary engine has always been a mystery to me

[@keithsayer8058]

I had a 79 RX7 and I loved it, what a blast to drive

[@cruzin6123]

Excellent video! That is the first time I saw a tear down of a rotary engine.

[@johnha-mitchell-sd]

Thanks for this! I've seen that RX-7 in the background fairly often and wondered about it. Now I know part of the story. I'd love to see more about it. In 1985 I bought a new GSL-SE (red, of course). I really liked that car and it never broke or left me stranded. Unfortunately, it got to the point where I almost never drove it and I sold it around 2011. It only had about 67000 miles on it, still ran beautifully. But I digress ... Love your channel (and your humor).

[@nickd.4512]

I had an 85 rx7 with the a12 rotary. Loved that car. Horrible fuel mileage, and used more oil than gas 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Mike-pr8hx]

I owned a FB RX-7 with a 13B that saw redline every time I drove it (after after reaching operating temperature). I know it's a different engine but these engine love to be driven HARD. I drove mine for 175,000 miles before selling it to someone else and they started to have have problems soon afterward. Mine was a 1985 and I'd still love to own a 1988 GTU but my sensibilities would never let me 'do it'. They were great for their time but that time has since past for this older guy.

[@bobsmith2637]

Oh so it's like an old two-stroke Detroit Diesel, slam your fingers in the door to get nice and angry before driving it 😁🤣

[@mshotz1]

"Piston engine goes boing boing boing, but the Madza goes HHMMMMMMMM!"

[@terrywebb8636]

Hey Eric, not ever seeing one, it was nice to see you tear one down, thanks for sharing.

[@garygatto3410]

I drove one of those Mazdas for a few weeks about 40 years ago. It was pretty darn fast.

[@murrayfranklyn84]

40 years ago, l had my first rotary, an NSU RO80, what a car, ended up buying another 2, and still have it today. Looks like the engine you pulled down had been run a lot on low rpm, going by all the chatter marks on the chamber.

[@betovallejo]

Thanks Eric, if it wasn´t for you I wouldn´t even know how does a Rotatory works. Thanks again. Greetings from Mexico.

[@dudenamedclem]

A pry-bar, where the hell is Blue?! Oh there he is … phew.

[@waldo4891]

great video man, this was my shortest lunch ever.

[@50zoomie]

I bought an RX3 wagon in about 1975 and sold it to my brother when the Air Force sent me to Italy in 76 as I knew it would be impossible to service. It was a hoot to drive, very fast. My brother loved it and drove it for about 5 years then sold it to a kid in rural Minnesota.

[@johncooper4637]

I see an RX-7 behind you. I have seen many of those as there is a Spec RX-7 class in the SCCA. First time I have seen one torn down. Thanks.

[@victorrosario4109]

Awesome video. Such therapy just watching u tear engines apart. 😊

[@patrickmorrissey2271]

Very cool. Nice job. I had an 88 RX-7... 13B. It was a fun car. It ran good. For such a tiny car & tiny motor, it LOVED gas.... You might get 15 on the highway, if you were lucky.... It was really a "handling" car... The speed was not impressive..... A Mitsubishi 3000GT would walk away from it at half throttle..... It was a fun car though. I had it for 2 or 3 years.

[@petersomma4407]

This was great! Thanks for sharing it!!

[@inothome]

Love the wind-ups!!! Fun cars back in the day.

[@_Dyedinthewool]

I have a problem thanks to you 😂 Both of my kids asked my wife why I was constantly wandering around saying "Penetrator" in a Monster Truck announcer's voice. Her reply: "It's an Eric thing" 🤣 You are indeed a great entertainer, thanks!

[@thrillshaveabeard]

In St Louis visiting, still gotta watch my Saturday engine teardown video

[@dudebud72]

Great video! I had a Mazda RX7 normally aspirated, it was a blue gray color, bought it off my friend for my girlfriend at the time. It was a nice little car that zoomed zoomed at 12 mpg. I remember guys at the PD I was working at like the rx7, but collected older ones like yours. Cool cars.

[@mikepodorski4272]

I was the Matco guy at the Mazda in North County. I remember these would come in on a hook flooded. The techs would drag it behind the shop truck down 367 and pop start it to clear it out and give it back to the customer.

[@dehypnotizerz]

Wow, this video was a real treat for me. I always wanted to see the Wankel's engine teardown. Thanks, buddy!

[@shug831]

Nice to have a change of engine type. 👍

[@AC-lq4zw]

This is my new favorite channel

[@billwells5211]

I had an 82 RX-7 and the interior disintegrated, but the engine kept revving. Anal oil changes of 1k miles (I was young and had nothing better to do.) EVERY gal that was in the passenger seat complemented me on the way the seat vibrated.

[@2Hunnit_Hawka]

6:04 how your mind went there that fast is wild 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@traviscoombes3578]

My aunt had one of the first generation RX-7's new, and she said the engine was replaced 4 times. I don't know how she maintained it or how she drove it, though. Love the blurring out of the water pump, lol.

[@slicedbread9003]

The side housings can be Blanchard ground to clean it up but the rotor housings have to be replaced. I don't know how easy they are to get anymore. And those rotors look too far corroded to bring back. It may be possible, but if you can get good rotor housings, perhaps you can also find good rotors. I had a RX-2 back in the 70's. It was a fun car. I also worked in a repair/tuner shop specializing in RX-7s. When you have cast iron and aluminum sandwich held together with steel, operating out of the designed temperature range will squeeze the aluminum rotor housings. When the rotor housings cool back down, in comes coolant. At least that was the common failure on the 12A's and 13B's. They were great for club racing.

[@ejesoriginal]

I always wondered how the rotor sealed for compression. I didn't know those springed seals you called apex seals were there sort of like piston rings. That was actually a very interesting teardown. I've never seen one apart or really understood how they really worked.

[@timothygibney159]

My dealership just had one with 185k miles just come in for service. Still works

[@Flies2FLL]

A Japanese company called O.S sold radio control model airplane engines that were Wankels. .30 cubic inches, or about 5 cc's. They made about 1/2 hp, but were predictably very smooth. Didn't sound any different from other model engines, but one thing they told you NOT to do was to try to start it by hand. These things have a NASTY tendency to light off, and then kick backward! If your finger is in the way, you can get a nasty cut from the propellor when the engine tries to start in reverse. As a result, everyone used 12 volt electric spinner starters on their engines.

[@Aztom40]

I have two, a first and 2nd generation (they were peripheral ported). The first one I finally wore the chrome off the chamber. The second one is in running condition.

[@Flies2FLL]

@@Aztom40 Awesome! This guy at the Toledo Weak Signals , Daly MacGrayne had one. I watched him fly this thing when I was 15 years old and he told me it was a .30 that made power like a .25 and you needed to use an electric starter with these engines, since they can kick back and cut your finger.

[@philbro1829]

My brother, Eric had an 82 RX-7 and I don't remember why he parked in 90, but thanks for inside look 😊

[@cliffkiehl2070]

Very interesting. I've seen diagrams of this engine and how it works, but never expected to see one disassembeld.