beritek3

If I might ask a 2004 engine that is mixing coolant and oil might have what type of failure modes:

?????
?????
?????

I am thinking of buying RX8 engine and rebuilding and if an can get it down then I buy the RX8 with blown engine. They are all over the place.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Just 1 failure mode: Coolant seal failure from overheating.

This could be just the seal, or it could be also a warped housing. I personally wouldn't consider a coolant seal failure engine as a candidate for buying to rebuild. Too big of a chance of the entire motor being junk.

beritek3

any link to an exploded view of this engine?

I assume no inspection method to determine if junk except total teardown?

Dude only wants $250.00 and engine ran. But if the major stuff is warped guess it could be a boat anchor.

I do thank you for the help.

beritek3

seems like any Renisis from any junkyard and they go for $155 to $3000 could have the same overheat and warpage isses?

how does buyer determine a good safe mechanically sound candidate?

unless he gets a engine from a known driver?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Cooling system failures kill more Renesis motors than anything else (in my opinion). What you want is one that is just low compression, and preferably compression scores to back it up. Probably easier to actually buy a low compression engine already installed in the 8 you want to buy. Random engines are going to be harder to figure out all around.

See the new owner's thread linked in my signature for an exploded view of the engine and a link to the factory service manual.

beritek3

Due to my large fleet and 3 young adult drivers and outrageous car insurance (lots of people in Texas are texting and crashing so up go everyone's rates, found this last Friday with policy renewal) and 2 Miatas already as entertainment/hobby cars my wife will not let me buy a RX8. But I will have to roll the dice with an engine loose and not with a car and hope that I can get it rebuilt, hopefully by myself. This will be a nice winter project and open the door for a future purchase of an 2004 to 2008 shell as kids get off the old car policy. In theory anyway. So if I get a basket case I write it off to learning and a few hundred dollars in not much loss. The ones ont eh junk sites are like $2000, seems high to me.

Only big issue is running out of garage space.

Maybe need head examined for this whimsical idea of processing myself toward an RX8.

I test drove them years ago as new and I like the car. And the interiors seem durable.

Not crazy about 20 MPG but think I can get used to it, if I cobble a car together for not too much..

beritek3

Sorry for all the questions but I am on learning curve.

May I assume that 2004 to 2008 engine from auto car will fit without issue in a manual trans car and vice versa without much issue?

I tried search but found no tread on this. Thanks.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes.

3 Engine Variants (for the US, some differences if you go hunting overseas for some reason)

1) Series 1 4-port => 2004 and 2005 Automatic transmissions only
2) Series 1 6-port => 2004 to 2008 Manual Transmissions, 2006 to 2008 Automatic Transmissions
3) Series 2 6-port => 2009-2011 all RX-8s

All 3 physically have the same mounting points and outer size, however the electronics conversion alone to make a different engine work is going to be more than the price of a good engine in the first place.

beritek3

so let me be sure I understand, a manual pretty much go in manual car and auto in auto car. the electronics is the driver for this constraint?

beritek3

the 2005 auto I found is a 4 port and must go in a 2004 or 2005 auto car? I guess I can live with that given all the 2004 cars out there.

J8635621

iTrader: (10)

Get a 6 port. Thank me later

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

No, there is several other hardware differences, the intake manifolds for example, the injector system, in vacuum plumbing, etc... Most of that is relatively simple to solve. The challenge is in how a 6-port ECU can't run a 4-port, and a 4-port ECU can't run a 6-port. So you need to change the ECUs too, but the ECU's run EVERYTHING about the car. Every single electrical module in the car is either controlled by the ECU or married to the ECU's ID, so changing the ECU means you have to either change everything else to the modules that were in the car that replacement ECU was in (including all the keys, door and ignition locks, console locks), or get every other module re-coded to the new ECU at a dealership (not cheap).

This is before you get into the problem that even if you buy a 2006-2008 automatic, you will still need to change the ECU to deal with the fact that you have 2 additional gears in your transmission and all gears are geared with wildly different gear ratios


The 4-port AT is also 40hp lower than the 6-port manual and generally more troublesome, so....why would you go through the trouble to only get that when you could start with the higher power higher redline to begin with?

beritek3

Thanks for the insight to me a newbie.

Sounds like I need to slow down and find one of these engines:

"Series 1 6-port => 2004 to 2008 Manual Transmissions, 2006 to 2008 Automatic Transmissions"

with only low compression issues

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Edited some mistakes in my prior post.

Yup, most common engine, most powerful, easiest to find an appropriate roller later on.

beritek3

where would you look? not many in Texas on car-parts.com

found one on Craigslist Texas with recent rebuild, but hoping to spend less than what they want