rotary engine

[darklight]

does anyone know exactly how a rotary engine works? i think rx-7's have them but i hear they wear easy over time. i just wanted to know what makes the thing spin. :silly2:

[taranaki]

As usual,the answer can be found on Google.....

http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=HOW...gle+Search&lr=

28,000 SEPARATE LISTINGS...

[darklight]

hmm well thats interesting, but wouldnt it shake really bad? and wouldnt the power be either alot more powerful or alot less?

[MBTN]

The engine is a very great design. It make make a lot of power with little displacement. However, it over heats, and the engine MUST burn oil due to the nature of it's design.

[darklight]

hmm, why is the rx-7 the only common car with the engine?

[NeoFreek]

Originally posted by darklightvr4
hmm, why is the rx-7 the only common car with the engine?

I think one of the reasons was because Mazda was one of the few companies that could figure out how to make the rotary engine into a production engine.

The common four stroke engines are more reliable, have better gas mileage, easy to repair, and can be very easily be mass produced. As opposed to the rotary engine which can sometimes be reliable but have huge problems go wrong, have alright gas mileage, not easy to repair and are not mass production friendly.

The RX-7 wasn't the only car with a rotary engine. Actually at one point Mazda went rotary crazy, they made alot of vehicals with rotary engines from cars to trucks to even buses.

A better link.

Thats all I can think of now. My brain hurts and I need some sleep.

Neo

[Gonthrax]

Originally posted by NeoFreek

The RX-7 wasn't the only car with a rotary engine. Actually at one point Mazda went rotary crazy, they made alot of vehicals with rotary engines from cars to trucks to even buses.

The Mazda Cosmo is the big boy of the roteries, there were a bunch more out but I can't think of them either.

About the reliability issue, with a little bit of money in reliability mods to the RX-7 you can ensure that it will last just as long as a boinger. The main problem is heat and some say the stock rad in the 7 isn't the best. Also they have a precat that is prone to fail and clog up, so replacing it with a downpipe will fix that problem. I don't know if this type of thing happens with the other mazda rotery cars or not.

[darklight]

hrm.. well what about the main shaft wouldnt it not only be spinning but going in a circular motion too? wouldnt that be hard to control, and make the car shake too?

[tazdev]

howstuffworks.com

[darklight]

thanks guys, now i know!

[Jay!]

Don't forget the famous Mazda 787B with it's Le Mans-winning R26B 4-rotor engine!



:coolguy:

Also, I was surprised to find out that the Chevrolet Aerovette concept was prototyped with a GM 4-rotor. Very cool!
http://holden.itgo.com/avette.html

[MBTN]

Mercedes Benz also built a C111 prototype car with a rotary engine.

[Jay!]

Originally posted by MBTN
Mercedes Benz also built a C111 prototype car with a rotary engine.

With gull-wing doors, too! I have a R&T issue with it in the "auto salon" section!

[darklight]

yea the 787b is a mid rear car, i bet it handels like a dream.

[EvilWankel]

Well, I just saw this post. I got it from a fellow rotary site. I just had to let you know a little about it. Rotaries are not really hard to fix, or maintain. There is only 7 moving parts in the engine. Alot of people dont know how to fix them, thats why we get alot of misconceptions about their reliability. And with the milage, with my real heavy foot, I still get about a good 19 mpg, on a 150k engine. It's also got the best HP per liter ratio. 1.3 liter engine in the later cars, 1.1 liter engine in the first gen RX-7. The naturally aspirated 1.3 made around 150-160, depending on which year. The 1.1 made about 110, but not bad for it's time. The turbo RX-7 made 190-200 HP, and the twin turbo made about 265. There is also the 3-rotor twin turbo RX-7, that makes over 350HP. Thats not bad considering it's only 120 cubic inches, or about 2,000 CC (give or take). The cosmo was the first production car with the rotary, and soon to follow was a bunch of RX-(#) to follow. We also had a rotary pickup. And, as far as the 787B goes, it places 1, 3, and 4th in that years lemans. I read that when they tore the engines apart to see how they handled the race, it was said that they could have gone for another 24 hours. After that year, rotaries were banned from the race. I wonder why? Have fun guys, take care.