car5car

Do I have to post here to post in other forums?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

RX8Club.com - Announcements in Forum : New Member Forum

car5car

Which parts go bad? How much are parts to rebuild engine?
Why can't I post in other forums?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Threads merged. The reason that you can't post elsewhere is because there are forum restrictions in place to keep new members from doing what you want to do: Creating threads randomly all over the place when they still need to learn the basics and don't appear to be able to read at all.

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

car5car

Thanks, RIWWP!
I read about engine.
OK, here is info I got, let me know if I am right:
2 common engine problems are:
1. housing damage
2. seal damage.
Housing replacement probably doesn't make sense, it is very expensive part.
Seal replacement is probably not a big deal, if seals and gasket prices are not very high.
How much do seals and gaskets cost from a dealer and are there aftermarket seals and gaskets?
thanks.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

A rebuild is going to cost you $2,500-$5,000 USD. If you cheap out and ignore out of spec parts, you will just have spent money on other parts that are now junk, and you still don't have a working engine, and you still have a $2,500-$5,000 repair cost to fix it from that point.

How did you diagnose engine failure? Are you 100% sure that it really is a blown engine? Plenty of people think their engine is blown when it isn't, or are told it is by people that don't really have any idea what they are talking about.

djgiron

You should read the new owners thread highlighted by RIWWP. What you will get from that is get a compression test by a Rotary specialist or Mazda Dealer as this is the only way you can tell if you have a bad engine. After this, there are an entire list of things which could be wrong which are all laid out in the above mentioned thread highlighted by RIWWP. Main point, read that thread and you will have a very good idea what to do, after this, then ask whatever questions you have left (if any).

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Side note:

This isn't strictly true.

For example you can diagnose a failed engine a number of other ways too, such as: coolant in the oil, coolant on the plugs, combustion gases in the coolant, pressure pulses from the plugs on one rotor but not the other, a siezed engine that won't rotate by the nose bolt, and a variety of specific noises that would indicate a seal is flying around chewing up everything in a rotor.

djgiron

You are very right, I should have put a compression test is a good way to determine the health of the engine.

car5car

I was repairing engines for almost 20 years, so I am trying to figure out if it makes sense to buy RX8 with non-running engine.
I understand that there is a chance to get easy problem, but have to think about worst case scenario, actually removing and repairing engine.
If seal is bad, it can be just one seal, not all 12 (?). 6 side seals and 6 apex(?) seals.
If I just need 1-2 seals and 4 big O-rings, it is not bad.
Looks like fun:

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If you open a rotary, you really need to replace all seals. There are more than just the 6 apex seals, 12 side seals, 12 corner seals. There are also coolant seals, oil control rings, gaskets, seal springs, etc... You need to replace them all every time. Proper sizing and clearancing is critical, you can't just do a half *** job and expect to get more than a few thousand miles out of it. Beyond that, you will need to replace the irons if they are too far worn and can't be relapped, or pay to have them relapped. You have to replace the housings if there is any scoring or missing chrome, you can't repair them. You have to replace the rotors if the apex seal spring seats are worn too far. You have to replace the e-shaft if there is copper showing on the bearings. And you can't tell ANY of this until you open the engine. If the engine was overheated, it could be junk immediately just due to housing warp alone.

It's a dice roll on what you get.


YES, it can make sense to buy an RX-8 with a blown engine, but it has to be cheap enough to justify it, typically under $2,000 USD. You have to account for a full engine replacement at full cost, as well as other neglected maintenance items.

If I was buying an RX-8 with a blown engine, I'd budget $3,500 for the engine, $2,000 to replace everything on the 100k maintenance list in the new owner's thread, plus more for any tires, brakes, etc... that are likely to need replacing.

Replace it all, and assuming it's a 2004-2005, you will end up with a car that is worth around $7,500-$8,000. So that leaves $2,000 or less for the car itself, or you are over paying.