ok i have this dream which is called a rx8.. but i need to wake up and see with cold eyes...

i`ve learned that the rotary engine:

- takes up alot of oil
- has a very hi rev
- and if you engine brakes down or any of its parts you have to replace the whole thing

i want to know if i`d buy a rx with 40 000 km on it... will i play the lottery and it might or might not make another 10 000 km?

how many times and after how many miles/km did your rx brake down?

thanks

 

Where did you learn this? Because you must have either had a very stupid teacher, or you didn't pay attention in class.

1) Do you think adding 1-2 qts of oil every 3000 miles is a lot?

2) Non-Turbo rotary engines are very reliable, and previous generations have lasted 200,000+ miles. Turbo setups (especially bad custom turbo setups) are what are mostly responsible for destroying engines.

3) Is high-rev supposed to be a bad thing? That parts doesn't matter once you pass 10 MPH.

 

Its not like your replacing the engine on a piston engine though. Unless you have 5 paper pistons, but that was a different post. There are much fewer parts in a RX engine.

 

If it used a quart or two of oil (as it was designed to) between changes, that could cost you, like, $4 right?

If you have a problem with $4, don't buy an '8.

Don't look at oil use as sign of engine weakness, as it is with a "banger".
The oil it uses lubricates parts deep inside, and gives the engine a nice long lifespan - best $4 you'll ever spend!


S

 

1) The oil portion should not be an issue. It is normal for this engine to consume oil.
2) As for the high rev, this engine is designed for high rev. As a matter of fact, you diminish the amount of carbon buildup by reving it occasionally. Also note that with this engine and other engines as well, hard accelerations to high revs tend to wear out the engines quicker due to a lubrication failure. (Have you ever noticed someone punching it at entrance in the highway and white smoke comes out of the exaust?)
3) As for engine parts, this engine actually has less moving parts than convensional engines. So if anything, they are simpler and should not break down much. The only problem with rotaries are the APEX seals. The seals are the ones that tend to go first.

 

80,000 miles, no more, no less.

 

hmmm......maybe not

 

Don't make me repeat myself!

 

first of all thanks for all the answers...
oil is not a problem of course


I have a friend which has some buddies with rx's and some of them broke down @ 50k km. The problem i understand was there was no one good enough to fix a rotary engine in romania so.. he had to get a new one.
But under normal conditions... with a rx without turbo you should pass 100k km right?

- as for the APEX seals... what are they and how can i prevent it

i`m not worried about fuel/oil and other maintanance costs.. i`m just a bit afraid of buying a rx becouse i tend to sportly drift some of the time which put's strain on the car.

 

Please do....
What are you basing your answer on?

 

If you are planning on drifting with the Rx8 you might want to look at this video. It tends to be hard to drift due to it's well balanced suspension setup from factory.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=105313

 

Well lets just put it this way. My 8 got a new engine after 28K...

 

I have 108,000 miles on my 8 since October 2004.

Still purrr's like a kitten.

A few rattles inside the car but the engine seems sound enough.

 

80k, boom! Understand now?

 

@ DOMINION how much was the replacement?

@ Ike: when did the boom happen? at high speeds.. or just like that?
had that mazda have a tough life? did you buy it second hand or new?

@ puch96 some mods have to be made but drifters use the rx7 every day now... and the rx8 isnt that much different

 

^The replacement was free as it was the recall that all the owners are getting.

 

NA should last a long time, even longer if you run 4 oz of premix in your tank. Friend of mine premixed in his NA Gen 2 and gave the car to his son with 200 K miles on the engine. They sold it 4 years later with 270K on the motor and she was still running strong and had great compression.

 

Ike is right. They all blow up at 80k. I'm already planning a BBQ to mark the occasion.

 

I'll bring the 7 layer salad!

 

And 4 peices of meat

 

Check my sig. All my previous RX-s were retired due to accidents, with motors still running strong. If you take care of rotarys, they will last a long time. Mine all used a qt every 2500 miles. Need to redline on average, once/day, but only after at least 15 minutes of warm up. Don't get one unless you spend at least 1/2 your time at freeway speeds.

 

the engines blow up because hitler said so

 

i`d might have forgot to mention that i`m romanian.. i know all the computer abrevations but not the car ones.. so:

"NA should last a long time, even longer if you run 4 oz of premix in your tank" - ? whats 4oz of premix?

"Mine all used a qt every 2500 miles. Need to redline on average, once/day, but only after at least 15 minutes of warm up" - ? the warmup part i got.. but all the others once/day i didnt..

thanks ... the picture is so much clearer.. and i`m falling in love more and more with this machine as days pass by...

 

lol this thread is

 

"NA" = "Normally Aspirated." That means an engine without a turbocharger. Premix refers to mixing a small amount of good quality 2-stroke oil in with a tank of gasoline. A few people do it, mostly those who take it to the track, because that puts a higher strain on the engine. 1 ounce (1oz) is about 30 milliliters, so 4oz is about 120ml.

1 quart (qt) of oil is about .95 liters, so they put put in about 1 liter of oil every 2500 miles (~4000 km). To "redline" the engine means to accelerate until the tachometer reaches the red line, or about 9500 rpm. It's generally understood that occasionally "redlining" the RX-8's engine is good for cleaning it out.

I've owned mine for almost 2 years, and the love affair continues.