There is a shop in Sacramento, CA. that will rebuild the rotary engine
(RX7) with an output of 250HP and guarantee it not to blow,
That and a TR-3 would rock-your-world!!
Mark
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> From: John L. Walker <up497@freenet.victoria.bc.ca>
> To: lsmc@lightspeed.net
> Cc: The Collective Wisdoms <triumphs@autox.team.net>
> Subject: Rotary Engines
> Date: Thursday, September 25, 1997 8:49 PM
>
>
> A 'standard' (pun not intended) engine uses pistons & cylinders to
> combust the air-fuel mix and turn it into rotary power. Dismantle
> the lawn mower when nobody's looking to get a first hand example of
> this. Leave it apart for added effect!
>
> The rotary, or Wankel, engine uses a rotor instead of pistons. The
> rotor is shaped like a bulged triangle and moves in an eccentric
> motion inside a 'cylinder' somewhat of the shape of a bulged '8'.
> Consequently, there are 3 'combustion chambers' per rotor. Each
> is sealed off from one another with the equivalent of a piston ring.
> The rotor moves from one end of the 8 to the other, while rotating.
> Air-fuel mix enters from one side (of the 8-chamber), gets compressed
> along the top and is ignited just after the point of most compression.
> The explosion pushes the rotor around and the cycle begins again.
> Exhaust gases escape from a port just 'before' the intake port.
>
> Each rotor is the equivalent of 3 cylinders. Mazda's rotary in the
> RX series car has 2 rotors, therefore has roughly the same performance
> as a V-6. I have seen too many proud RX7 owners claiming that they can
> do burnouts with a 4-banger, truth is that there's 2 plugs per chamber;
> otherwise the piston pattern would be parallel twin... none too
efficient.
>
> The net result is far more powerful (and higher revving) than a
> conventional piston engine. RPM around 13,000 can be acheived.
> However, a 'ring job' on a Wankel is a true nightmare! Because
> they aren't rings, so to speak, but metal seals, you must replace
> much more metal than a piston ring.
>
> I have not had the chance to fool about with a working rotary engine.
> I did get to dismantle a burned-out Madza mill but there were so many
> missing pieces it wasn't really worth it. Interesing though, the 'head
> bolts' are what hold the _whole_ thing together. There's a whole bunch
> of them, and once removed, the 'layers' of the engine fall apart.
>
> I'd like to see someone patch 3 or more rotors together and transplant it
> into a larger car... because the rotary's so small, you could hide it
> somewhere unexpected... a Stag with ~12 cylinders? Yikes!
>
> I have an auto mechanics textbook from the high school beside me, so I
> can probably answer *some* questions.
>
> Hope this sheds some light on the matter...
>
> -Malcolm
>
> Too many rocks and not enough sand.
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