Clichedmule407

Hey guys brand new to the forum! I recently purchased a 2009 aurora blue mica R3 Rx8 for 12k with 34k miles on it and so far i absolutely love the car. I'm doing everything I can to keep her clean and running smoothly (even touching up the paint scratches). I did my research beforehand and i understand the rotarys shortcomings but to me they're worth it for such a smooth, high revving, perfectly weight distributed, unique engine. But before i bought the car the seller agreed for us to take it to the closest mazda dealership and have them check out the car to make sure everything was fine. The car itself was in great shape minus needing a rear break job and a few little imperfections here and there. However at the dealership they absolutely tore apart the RX8's comparing them to a hand grenade and so forth. Made me uneasy yet them trying to sell me on a miata made me question their intentions. Especially after i mentioned the series 2 had some reliability improvements (that i know of) and him dismissing that saying they're all the same. iI haven't found many people with gen 2's complaining about reliability but it's also a much newer car, so I was hoping someone here could answer if gen 2 is more a decent bit more reliable the the gen 1.

ZoomEricZoom

Don't listen to those guys man. Don't worry too much about what a few guys said. They're obviously not rotary fans. The S2 is more reliable. Plus, I'm guessing you didn't buy this car for reliability reasons anyway, so hopefully it didn't come as a huge surprise what they said.

Post some pics of your car man!! Sounds like you got a helluva deal!!

Steve Dallas

Gen 2s are thought to be more reliable, but we don't have a lot of hard data on that. Mine has been fine.

Read this thread very carefully. It has a lot of great information on how to get the most out of your car and how to maintain it properly.

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

The main points are ignition health, oil health, and cooling.

The ignition coils, plugs, and wires are wearable items on this car, and they often fail by 20K miles. Failing ignition components will kill your cat, which will then kill your engine. This cascade of destruction can happen very fast. You must stay on top of it, and you should check yours now. (One of my coils failed when the car had only 11K miles.)

Frequent oil changes are key. It doesn't much matter what kind of oil you use, if you change it every 3,000 miles per this forum's experienced recommendation. Always use an OEM filter, which you can buy from Amazon for $9. Or, you can have the dealer do the oil changes to keep the paper trail going for the power train warranty. My delaer often has coupons for $20 or $25, which is cheaper than what I spend to do it myself. If you let an oil change monkey do the work, always check the oil level before you drive away. They often overfill these cars.

Keeping these engines cool is also very important. Do not trust the gauge on the dash. By the time it moves--even a little bit--the car has already overheated. You can use an OBDII reader and your phone to read the real temps from the ECU. Stay on top of the coolant level, and drain and fill it every 2 to 3 years with only Mazda FL-22 (Amazon $22).

As a side note, I'm very surprised you need a rear brake job at such low mileage.

Anyway, take good care of that car according to the advice on this forum, and you should be able to enjoy it for a very long time.

Welcome to the sickness!

gwilliams6

Really good advice from Steve Dallas. Yes there were improvements in the Series 2 that should make it more reliable, but not much long term hard data from Series 2 owners. Ignore that dealer.

RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30,000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.
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unpocoloco

So, I have a dead Series I engine that I'm going to get replaced. If I'm getting a new engine installed anyway, is it worth the trouble to get a Series II installed instead of a Series I?

I see some posts about how to do the Series I -> Series II engine swap.

• https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...4/#post4533722
• https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-racing-...rx-8-a-254874/

Is there a post that directly compares all the differences between the engines? I've found a few that lightly brush the subject but that's it. For instance, the Series 2 has an extra oil injector port I believe (this sounds huge!). Also, the electronics between them are different (what electronics??)

So, I'd love to be able to compare the differences between the Series I & Series II engines, to help me decide - Is it worth the extra effort?

Your thoughts?

New Yorker

I suspect the S2 is a tad better at accepting owner neglect, which in my case is a moot point. My '05 is now eleven years old with 35K miles and I've yet to have any problems to speak of. Runs perfectly.

Remember, reading car forums like this, you'll see lots of posts from owners with problems looking for solutions or just to vent; you won't see nearly as many from owners without issues. Owners with problem-free RX-8s – or any car, for that matter – have little motivation to discover this forum just to post "my engine is good".

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Installing a series II Renesis in a Series 1 is not a viable option if it is in a street car because you have to omit the Series II Renesis oil metering system.

You can do it, but it won't last. No one has done it on a street car and the only one to do it in a race car has already blown it because in order to install it in a Series I you must omit the oil metering system which is a big part of the improvements made to the Series II Renesis.

You would have to go with a rebuilt S1 engine using either a combination of used an new parts or all new parts (which is crazy expensive) and exactly who and how it is rebuilt is the only thing that matters as not all remans are the same due to many rebuild philosophies. Either way, the best you can expect is 100,000 miles on a solid cared for Renesis.

I have seen well maintained engines die in under 30,000 miles and we have guys come to us with totally neglected cars that had and engine in them with almost 100,000 miles. There are lot's of variables of course that determine engine life and we are rarely aware of all of those variables when tearing down a blown engine, but the facts are that the failure rate for the series I Renesis is high so you just have to accept that.

Unless of you are in denial because you only drive your RX-8 3000 miles a year, , then you think it's a super reliable engine.

My RX-8 just turned 13 years old an has almost 150,000 miles on it. The fourth engine and only engine to not be rebuilt by Mazda (built by Pineapple Racing) is nearing 40,000 miles or so and has been turbocharged since day one. It has outlasted two Mazda built engines but my car is no wear near comparable to a stock car.