Watch a YouTuber Assemble a Massive 12 Rotor Engine

Sure, the rotary engine could also be an oil-eating machine stuffed with Nazi-designed spinning tortilla chips that flip cash into nightmares, however god, I really like them. My first automotive was an RX-7, and whereas, considerably tellingly, I haven’t owned one other rotary since, I take into consideration them usually. Not as usually as Rotary Stifler, aka Rob Dahm, although, and particularly not since somebody gave him a home made 12-rotor marine engine to attempt to get working.

Yes, 12 rotors. It’s a lot to take care of, even for a rotary knowledgeable like Rob. This engine was cooked up and constructed by a man, which suggests it has every kind of idiosyncrasies and quirks that must be handled to get this pile of elements that hasn’t run since 2008 again into preventing form. Maybe it’s simply my pure love of schadenfreude, however seeing an hour-and-a-half-long video of individuals organizing springs and seals and determining rotor timing on this one-of-a-kind motor with little or no documentation is so satisfying, which is why I’m sharing it with you.

In addition to the huge organizational problem introduced by this many rotors, Dahm and firm must attempt to work out what made this engine kick the bucket within the first place, then attempt to stop it from taking place once more. This includes working with a ton of custom-machined elements, astronomical costs for even Mazda-based rotary engines after which doing a little A (*12*) Mind stage arithmetic in order that not solely are all of the rotors timed appropriately, however they’re additionally set up in order that a trendy laptop can run the ignition and likewise so it received’t blow up or shake itself to items.

There’s a lot of shifting elements. OK, properly, not that many; it’s a rotary, however as a determine of speech, it really works. Enjoy.

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