Paul, et al,

    I'm shopping and got a quote that said:

    *Used Japanese Import coming to us direct from **Japan** (JDM). The
    average
    mileage, on our Japanese Engines & Transmissions, is 25,000 to 50,000
    miles.
    This engine, although low mileage has compression issues. We are
    selling it
    as is for the price of $785.00, plus shipping*
    **
    Should this preclude me from buying this engine? My thoughts are that
    I'm going to rebuild it anyway and my thinking is that apex seals are
    the culprit. What else could be wrong with this picture.

    Allen
    Houston


    Well it could be a late 3rd gen turbo engine with detonation and
    fractured apex
    seals figure on new rotor housings and maybe one or two new rotors.
    Sounds like
    a core. Perhaps worth as much as $500. $785 sounds high. Maybe if it
    was disassembled
    so all the parts could be inspected.

    Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.


    Thanks Paul. Any thoughts on JDM engines in general? A lot of
    shops/dealers are selling them out there.

    Allen
    Houston

    Usually JDM engines are pretty good if the compression checks out.
    If they won't tell you about the compression be wary.
    A lot of people here and in Japan have cranked up the 3rd gen boost
    detonating the engines, fracturing the 3 pcs apex seals or rolling
    them out of the rotor slot. If done properly, with the right mixture and
    ignition timing, 400 HP is possible.

    All Mazda rotary engines from 1992 to 2004 had 3 pc apex seals.
    Mazda went back to a two piece apex seal for all engines starting
    with the  2004 RX8 as they had a lot of trouble with the 3 piece. One can now
    get stock Mazda  2 pcs seals for all engines.

    The 2 pcs will tolerate rotor slot wear better than the 3 pcs. See
    the dwg.

    If you buy a 1992 to 2004 3rd gen engine JDM engine or not I would
    change out the apex seals for the latest stock Mazda 2 pcs seals no matter
    how good the compression.

    Don't buy after market seals. They are usually cheaper steel and not
    softer cast iron, among several other problems, so they tend to tear
    up rotor housings lickity split.

    Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

Paul,

Is there a website somewhere that one can check by way of an engine
number what engine you have and what year it is from? This apex seal
story has me worried. My engine feels awfully soft when I turn it over
by hand......

--
Erik Snyman
Messina
South Africa.

I think there is someplace but I don't know what the address is.
Take some pictures of your engine and I can probably identify it for you.

The cheap easy way to check is rig a starter. Take the Shrader valve
out of a ordinary compression tester and watch the needle. You should
get three equal pulse in a row for each rotor of about 70 psi.


Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

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