Guys,
 I took apart my motor to send the housings for p-port mod. I think I
 am the third owner since rebuild.
 It was one of the generator motors that I heard some of you guys talk
 about a few years ago.
 The combustion chamber has AT fluid in it and those parts seem to be
 in good shape.
 The builder must have tested it with water (not antifreeze) because
 the lower water jacket was full of rust/sand.
 There is one section on the center housing that the corrosion got real
 close to the o-ring seal. It is too bad the housings otherwise look
 brand new.
 Here is a picture: "
 http://web.missouri.edu/~lewisbc/13b/parts/corrosion.jpg".
 Also take a look at the bolts. Some of them are fairly bad too:
 "http://web.missouri.edu/~lewisbc/13b/parts/bolts.jpg"
 I was very careful and I am pretty sure I didn't drop/lose it. I came
 up a apex spring short. The little one of the two.
 "http://web.missouri.edu/~lewisbc/13b/parts/ceramic_seal.jpg"
 Here is a picture of one of my seal boxes.
 "http://web.missouri.edu/~lewisbc/13b/parts/sealbox.jpg"
 Here some  pictures that Dean sent me when I bought it: "
 http://web.missouri.edu/~lewisbc/13b/".

 If anyone cares to drop an extra spring in the mail to me, please do.
 What do you guys think of the center housing corrosion and on the bolts?
 What do you guys think about the seals? One piece and no corner piece.
 --
 Blake C. Lewis



 Blake, IMHO the tension bolts ae a throw away. The good news is that two
weeks ago someone was selling several sets of  new alloy RX7 bolts on
E-bay.
They were pricy but upgrades usually are.   About the side housing, I
would
not disqualify it although care in cleaning it seems prudent. I would use
the baking soda air blasting since it would remove no metal but clean the
part to where the antifreeze will protect future degradation. Tape up the
chrome liner surface with several layers of masking tape.  The area which
needs close inspection on the irons is the side on the inner water
seal ring
right at the intake port which  has been prone to cracking or  more
rarely
having a piece fall off into the intake port. The amount of material
remaining after cleanup of the rust on your housing looks to be wider
than
the edge  found at the intake port. The gas pressure at the intake
port is
lower, however the main force on the "O" ring lands is the hydraulic
pressure from deforming the round seal into it's rectangular operating
shape. If your side housing tests good for flatness that is a big plus in
its favor, however if is needs lapped that will do away with most of the
surface imperfections. I would not however lap a good housing to make the
rust look better because it is gas nitrided for a wear surface and the
depth
of the nitriding  is minimal. Check e-bay for loose individual parts like
housings and seal kits, just search "mazda rotary"

george grimes

Hi Blake;
Take a wire brush to carefully remove all the rust and get a good look
at the damage.  The center iron may be repairable.
Are those iron housings ceramic coated as well?
2nd gen irons are cheap on ebay or (sometimes free) on www.rx7club.com.
Stock 3rd gen housings are more expensive.
Ceramic$???

The bottom 3 tension bolts are probably toast, possibly others.  You can
usually buy a whole set of bolts for $20 or so.
Small parts like springs and bolts can also be be bought cheaply from
the dealer or Rotary shops.

Take a very close look and pictures of the apex seal springs.  Check
that everything in spec.  Some springs will show accelerated tip wear
against some brands of ceramic seals.  Some springs have tips that have
also been ceramic coated to slow the wear.
Cheers
Cary