oh that's easy.

what i didn't know when this thread was started was that there are many (many!!) holes in the e-shaft which actually spray oil out all over the place, into the bearings, and inside of the rotors. tons of the stuff, and for racing they often bore these jets out a bit so they can flow more oil at the same pressure (y'know with the higher rpms and stuff).

i'm quite sure that they don't use aluminum rotors because they are definitely too soft. i've asked CeramicSeal (who's a real wankel engine racer) about hte old school Mazda Racing "g" type rotors which are apparently a whole ton lighter, but he hasn't responded yet. i'm eager to find out too what the big secret was, and how it might be able to be made more cost friendly (probably nothing in the short term).

 

Okay, I'm almost there. Just trying to figure out how the oil gets out of the rotor as there has to be a lot of centrifugal force. Does it exit through the center of the rotor into the sides of the rotor housing? All illustrations I've seen of the eccentric shaft seem to indicate it only has pressurized oil passages to supply oil to the rotor and I don't really see how the oil could go back through it anyway...

Yes, inquiring RotorHeads want to know

 

I love this quote!

 

After referring to the 1988 FC manual, it appears the oil from the 13BT rotors empty out from the side, then to which are drained via the power of gravity back into the sump. I always wondered this too. I don't know about the 13B-MSP's lubrication system; I'll probably have to get off my lazy butt and go buy an engine manual .

I believe the oiling system is adequate to meet minimal performance gains. Since the 13B-MSP needs to meet EPA standards, it would not be wise to over-lubricate the engine; rotary engines burn oil along with fuel, and extra oil would dirty up the system, not to mention drain your wallet.

What would happen if the compression ratio was dropped from 10.0:1 to 9.0:1? I was hoping this would be a viable solution for forced induction applications. Of course, power would be lost throughout the entire rpm band, but what about from idle to mid rpm? Would losses in power and torque make low speed driveability a concern?

 

the oil drainage system is the same as it always has been.

the oiling system is pretty awesome for anything short of a dedicated drag engine, and modification to it isn't something impossible (boring oil squirter jets, etc) should it not be enough.

dropping the compression ratio would let you run way more boost, but yeah it will reduce the efficiency of the burn and you will lose torque (and hence power) at all rpm. whether its drivable or not is completely up to personal taste: what was "peppy" ten years ago is supposedly inexcusably gutless today.

 

shelleys_man_06 & wakeech,

Thanks for the info, somehow I missed seeing your responses until now These engines are just so incredibly cool. So now that I understand that the lubrication is also a serious component in the overall cooling of rotaries, I wonder if there is some sort of thermostat for the oil coolers? Seems like things could get a little too cold driving at 70 mph on a 20 degree day.

The other day it was 95 degrees out here and the oil coolers on my 8 were hot when I got home from work. Yet, on the same trip on a 68 degree day they are just warmish... Yeah, I know why do I care? I think it's some sort of engineering thing. That sort of stuff just fascinates me.

BTW, shelleys_man_06, what happened to your Moonite Avitar? Moonites crack me up just thinking about them. Ah, the days of Atari and “Pong.”

 

I was just thinking about mass vs inertia. What if the rotors were heavier? Would they hinder performance because it takes more force to turn the crankshaft? Or would the extra weight create more momentum thus more torque at the wheels? Or is it all about the compression/combustion factor baby!? :D