Well after much thought let the mini go for a 05 8.Hope I like it as much as the mini but had to give the mazda a go.Any good break in advise?

 

you'll find tons of info if you do a search on the topic

 

No redline's for the first 1000 miles!!1! (or 600 or 2000 depending on what you prefer I guess)

 

It's going to be very hard, but you must resist the urge to push the car very hard. I was successful for the first 2 day and I just let lose on here ever since. Got here in September 03 and had no problem so far. Oh, except for that one time I got hit by a drunk dirver. She was in the shop for 3 month, and I cry every night before going to bed. She is back now just as good as new. Good luck with your 8, and a happy Zoom-Zoom to you.

 

I followed the advice on this site and was not sorry I did:

https://www.racingbeat.com/RX8%20Break%20in.htm

 

First, Congrats and I hope you enjoy your 8!!!


OK, I never saw the above before and it looks like RB really wants you to take it easy. I'm at 590 miles and for the first 500 miles I kept the RPM's under 4.5K but not 4K. Today comming to work I took my 8 up to 5.75K but I've never taken her over 6K.

Now I feel bad about it, thanks RB...LOL, I'm going back to keeping it under 4.5K until I reach 1,000 miles. Then, I'm going to take it to 6K until 1,500 miles. Finally, I"ll take it to 7K until 2,000 miles...after that it's REDLINE time.

I can't help but feel like I've been mistreating my baby...eventhough according to Mazda I have not.

Last note, is anyone actually following the 6 month or 7,500 miles oil change interval? I know new cars can go longer without changeing oil but that interval scares me. I thought I was going to stick to the tired and true 3 months or 3K, but RB and Mazda stated that was not needed so why waste money then.

Is the rotary engine cleaner than a Piston one? Is it because we add oil every so often because the rotary drinks a little so we wont need to change our oil like a piston engine?

Maybe I can compromise and change the oil ever 5K, but what do you guys think about that?

 

Hope you like the RX. I have a MINI Cooper S and an RX-8. The RX is nice but I'll choose the MCS every time over the 8 unless I have no choice (meaning my wife is with me ).
I've done break-in both ways -by the book and driven like stolen from day one- with cars and it didn't seem to make too much difference in engine life. Yet, I babied the MCS and the 8 by the book.

 

First of all, the RX-8 doesn't consume very much oil. You can expect to add, at most, a qt every 2K-3K miles. So that's not enough to make a difference when you consider the dry capacity of the engine is about 7 qts of oil.

In addition, I wouldn't advise going that long between oil/filter changes because this engine has a tendency towards gas contamination of the oil. (Just take out the dipstick and have a smell.) Not only that, as I said, the dry capacity of the engine is about 7 qts of oil, but about 2-3 qts of the old oil will remain in the oil coolers/oil lines when you change the oil. So, even though you change the oil, the new oil is diluted to a great extent by the old oil. Personally, I change mine at 2K intervals on a regular basis.

 

First to the orinator - the fuel consumption will improve with break in. So don't get too excited if you get poor mileage. The 8 does use a lot of fuel, but it should get better as the engine breaks in and you stop playing so much.

As for the fuel in oil comment I don't understand that. I have worked on rotarys for 32 years and seen just the oposite. A piston engine will let excess fuel drain pass the rings to the crank case and oil. But the rotary has all the oil in the center and then under the engine. The excess fuel will drain to the bottom of the rotor housing and when you start the motor will be pushed out the exhaust. That causes a puff of smoke at times. There is also no blow by gas as there is a ring on the side of the rotor that directs any side seal leakage on to the next chamber, not into the oil system. In fact the oil seals have a slight taper and a "O" ring and if blow by gas did get to them enough the seal would lift off the housing causing extreem oil cosumption, or burn the O ring and the same problems. RX7 owners did see this problem, especially the turbo, with age. The smell of the oil is probably a product of the brand oil being used. Also many oils will change color with heat, but not actually change performance.

Actually Chevy was planning to have the engine and transmision (auto) as one unit using the same oil as the rotary is so clean on oil. Keep it full of oil, but you really don't have to change it as often as many say. Just follow the MFG recomendation to make sure you don't give the dealer a excuse to not cover any warranty issues. I di change my oil at 5k to get out any left over manufactureing junk.

 

I applaud your decision!! never liked mini's...personal opinions aside, yes the rotary will no be as good on fuel as the mini was, but you can fit four normal sized people in it. And it looks a lot better. It's best to go by the book and break it in like they tell you to.

 

Well, I have it and I have read a number of threads on various forums, including this one, that discuss this "problem". Here's an example of one of the threads:

Edmunds RX-8 Owners Forum:

"#364 of 617 I have gas in my oil..anyone heard of this? by dragon940 Mar 08, 2004 (12:00 pm)
Reply
I have gas/fuel in my oil in my rx8. I called the service department when I first noticed this around 700 miles on the car. Service said this can be normal for this engine. I had my oil changed at 3000 miles. I am now at 4300 miles and still have gas in my oil. I spoke to a mechanic, ASE master cetified for 35 years. He says no way, that is not normal. It dilutes the oil and the oil can't lubricate like it is supposed to. I just called Mazda service again. Mazda still says this can be normal in a rotary. They did say I could bring it in and they would check it out. Who is right and how worried should I be about this?


#366 of 617 Gas in oil is normal. by mazdafun Mar 08, 2004 (3:34 pm)
Reply
It occurs in regular old reciprocating piston engines too, but probably to a lesser degree than with a rotary engine. It's one reason to change the oil regularly.

What matters is how much in the number of miles you've driven. For that, I'd have to defer to Mazda's recommendation, though you can send a sample of your oil to an independent test lab for their opinion. Check the Mazda6 boards for one referral. I think someone recently sent a sample of oil from his 6 (running on synthetic) in for testing, and he's now going longer between changes based upon the results he received.

#367 of 617 rotaries by rotarykid Mar 09, 2004 (9:54 pm)
Reply
they do tend to get a noticeable amount of gas in the oil and you should not drive more than 3k without changing the oil. An engineer @ mazda gave me the reason why years ago, and at that time it sounded very logical and reasonable for the mixture, but I cant remember what exactly caused it. The ASE certified tech of 35 years knows an awful lot about cars with that type of experience, but rotary engines are a rare breed and you would need just as many years on rotaries alone to be an expert on one. Frequent short trips will result in even more gas in the oil."

 

Well, with all of that said...

I'll go with the 4K oil change...not Mazda's 7.5K, not the 2K that seems a little overdone (but, heck...I know that only means you take care of your engine with EXTRA LOVE) but 4K should be good. I'll save from changeing it ever 3K while still keeping it within what Mazda recommends.

It's crazy...if you go by what Mazda said, you would have 2 oil changes per year...WOW!

Note: If I notice the oil being a little dirty too soon, I"ll change it sooner.

 

First and foremost CONGRATS!!!! It's been said on this forum before........DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy.