Originally Posted by RIWWP

The engine failure story:
Most of the engine failures were on 2004s with automatic transmissions. The 2004s in general had more issues due to the flash not adding enough oil and a few other things off the boat, and the automatics being 4-port and usually driven much more casually compounded the problem.

Compounding THAT was the original reman facility for the engine replacements did not have very good quality control, and alot of those original reman engines had improper seal clearances and other build issues that caused quite a few people to get to their 3rd or 4th engines.

MSP-16 updated the flash and improved things greatly, and happened early 2005. Mazda North America can tell you if MSP-16 was performed for any 2004 or 2005 if you give them the VIN. they also re-vamped their reman facility, and reman engines 2006+ are now usually far better than the original factory ones. So if you find a 2004, 2005, or 2006 with an engine replacement that occured late 2006 or later, don't take the engine replacement as a negative mark against the vehicle, but a positive one, as it means the engine is likely in fantastic shape, and good for quite a long time.

Plenty of 2004s were still perfectly fine.

2005s have a much reduced failure rate, 2006 further, 2007 and 2008 are relatively rare.

In 2009 they introduced further engine changes correcting several things, the most critical of which was an increase in oil pressure to RX-7 ranges (they dropped it for the 2004-2008 years for some reason), and re-introducing the center oil injector (they deleted it for the 2004-2008 RX-8s for some reason, all prior rotories had it).

I have not heard of a 2009+ engine failing yet. That doesn't mean that they won't though.

A compression test should be standard before anyone buys an 8 though, just to be on the safe side. Most dealers charge $80 to $120 to do a compression test.

The oil burning story:
The RX-8 burns oil intentionally. The only way to to lubricate the seals inside the combustion chamber is to inject oil (or have oil in the fuel, called premix). This oil then gets burned under combustion, so it has to keep oiling, and oil keeps burning. On average, you should see about a quart of oil burned every 1,000 miles. If you aren't burning anywhere close to this, something is wrong. If you are burning way less, you aren't getting enough oil injected, and your engine doesn't have much chance of lasting long. If you are burning way more, then either you intentionally increased the oil injection and it isn't an issue, or you you have an oil control ring failure, and oil is leaking into the housing. This will require an engine rebuild to fix, although isn't inherently bad. You will have more oil smoke, you will burn oil faster, but not much else. Let your oil run too low though, and you can fry your engine from being too low on oil.

Keep the oil filled above the 1/2 full mark, letting the oil light come on means you are already critically low. Don't overfill though, since overfilled oil spills into the intake and gums up your intake valving, and can easily cause costly repairs.

General issues to keep in mind:
Most problems that crop up in the 8 start very small and get serious because they aren't addressed. For example coils start going bad, plugs then start getting fouled from excess unburnt fuel, unburnt fuel rapidly degrades cat life, clogged cat can over stress the seals and over cook the O2 sensors, localize heat too much which accelerates oil breakdown and increases engine wear...

Most of the owners that remain trouble free are trouble free because they keep on top of their oil changes, their oil level, and their ignition health.

Then again, that stuff is like taking cholesterol medication and regular exercise for your heart. They help prevent problems, but it doesn't eliminate risk and it doesn't mean that you still won't die of a heart attack. Mazda factory QC over the engine tolerances has improved quite a bit, but it is entirely possible to be sitting on an engine waiting for any chance it can to fail. It's also entirely possible to completely ignore all the recommendations and get 160,000+ miles out of the engine (one owner came on here thinking her engine was blown, come to find out it was just badly flooded, but she didn't know anything about rotaries and still had it healthy at 160,000 without doing what she should have)

It very is much like a heart, or lungs, or whatnot. All you can do is reduce the risk of failure.

Cooling and Lubrication are 99% of the battle to keep these engines healthy. Mazda didn't have enough of either from the factory, a flaw that puts us behind the curve. Several mods that are common can go a long way towards improving engine live. Namely the ReMedy water pump and thermostat, BHR ignition upgrade, COBB AccessPORT (for the part that allows you to monitor temps and set a lower threshhold for the radiator fans). Even removing the cat and going with a midpipe helps I think, as it helps keep heat away from the engine, and you don't have to worry about a clogged cat causing more problems. My engine was perfect until my cat failed, and it's never been right since. In spec, not replaceable point, but not back to the above average that it was. If you have a 2009 or newer, you have a Series2, along with the improvements to the engine that should mostly solve the lubrication problems. They still need better cooling.

But you also have the warranty. 100,000 miles, 8 years for the engine core. (if you are in that and outside powertrain, a "free engine" will still cost you ~$500 for all the fluids, gaskets, etc... associated with the engine, but not part of it)


Common repairs:
Mazda made the 8 incredibly easy to work on, and insanely expensive to get someone else to work on. Coils are 20 minutes for the untrained with a 10mm socket wrench and $140 in parts, $300 is the lowest I have seen a dealer charge, $500-$700 is common. Plugs are $80 in parts and 10 minutes for the untrained with a plug socket and a few ratchet extensions. Dealers are $300-$500. Plug wires are $60, and less than 5 minutes to change, no tools needed (though removing the intake makes it easier) A full brake job at a dealer, or just about any other shop, will run you $1200+, $500 or less doing it yourself. Even other stuff like suspension components (struts, springs, sway bars, end links) are really easy to remove and install compared to other cars. Engine components are too, like the water pump, thermostat, alternator, air pump. If you need something replaced, there is probably already a DIY on here, and tons of friendly advice to help you along the way. Most of us don't need much of an excuse to find a reason to wrench on an 8. We just love it. Beer is a common currency for help

Flooding:
Flooding is only a concern if you have a weak ignition system. The problem is, your ignition system usually fails very slowly, so it is a gradual decline. The alert and responsible owner will detect the drop in mileage, the drop in power, the rougher idle, the occasional misfire, and replace their coils, plugs, and wires before it gets bad enough where there is a chance at flooding.

Every single flood I have seen reported for quite a while ended up coming down to one of these failing: Battery, Starter, Coil(s), Plug Wire(s), Plug(s). But by then, they also generally have a fried cat that needs to get replaced as well, and possibly an O2 sensor or two. Stay on top of the maintenance (long term included!) and you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Coils ($160 for all 4, 20 minute swap), plugs ($80 for all 4, 10 minute swap), and wires ($60, 2 minute swap), should be replaced every 30,000 miles, possibly sooner if you detect something starting to fail, since people have had them fail as early as 8,000 miles or 15,000 miles, though that's rare.

You don't want to shut off while it's cold simply because when the engine is cold, the ECU dumps more fuel into engine to help it warm up, and it leans back once the engine is warm. This extra fuel can make it harder to start an ignition, which a healthy ignition system is perfectly capable of overcoming. Weaken the ignition with failing plugs, coils, wires, alternator, or battery, and you have a flood on your hands, and all the associated problems from that.

Specific Issues:
- Misfires are shown by a blinking check engine light (CEL), and are usually caused by a failing coil, failing plug wire, and/or failing spark plug. They can also be caused by cat failure and engine failure (and a few other rare items)
- If you have a 2004 or 2005, and do not have the improved tailight gaskets, then your tail lights may fog over and/or collect water. All 2004s and 2005s are outside bumper to bumper warranty from the factory, but if you got an extended bumper to bumper it might cover it. Otherwise a few options are available, from drilling a tiny hole to opening it up, airing out, and resealing with a new gasket.
- The clutch pedal assembly is weak, and over time the pivot points wear through the mounting points, and eventually this will cause a failure in the assembly. If you are lucky, this will just mean that your clutch is stuck engaged or stuck disengaged. Partial engagements have happened, along with complete clutch failure, transmission damage, and brake damage (via the brake master cylinder). A squeaking clutch when you push it and release it signals the issue getting worse. Getting a new assembly only solves it till that one breaks. There are a few options for fixing it, including welding at your local shop, buying a bracket from Race Roots, or buying a fully welded up assembly from BHR. If yours breaks on you, take pictures and report to to the NHTSA. There is an open investigation on the clutch pedal assembly through the NHTSA.
- The oil collects moisture in colder ambient temperatures. You may notice that the dipstick will look like it has wierd discoloration. This has been discribed as foamy, milkshake, white crap, brown oil, etc... This is normal, and nothing of concern. If you want, you can pay a large chunk of money to make it go away, but there is no harm to it, so just ignore it.
- "Power Loss" can be just about anything, including:
- Coil failure
- Plug failure
- Plug wire failure
- Cat failure
- Compression loss
- Dirty MAF
- O2 sensor failure
- Fuel Filter clogged
- Fuel pump failure
- Battery terminals corroded
- Air filter clogged
- Fuel injectors clogged
- Fuel injectors leaking
- E-shaft sensor misaligned
- Fuel trims not set/reset
- Incorrect MAF scaling
- Carbon Buildup
- SSV failure
- Coolant seal failure
- Mental problems (including faulty memory and inability to drive)

Originally Posted by RIWWP

Cost of Ownership.
The cost of owning this car isn't low. It's not as high as some people think, but it is alot higher than people expect that aren't actually thinking it through. DO NOT MAX OUT YOUR FINANCES purchasing this car. Any car really, it's stupid. But here are the costs you should have over the first 30,000 miles:
- 1,764 gallons of gas - $5,294 (using 17mpg and $3 per gallon)
- 40 quarts of oil for oil changes - $160
- 10 oil filters - $120
- 30 quarts of oil to top off with - $150
- 4 spark plugs - $80
- 4 coils - $140
- 4 plug wires - $60
- 4 tires - $800
- 2 quarts of transmission fluid - $20
- 2 quarts of rear diff fluid - $20
= $6,844

Plus any other failures that occur, such as:
- Cat failure - $1,400 (free if within 80,000 miles, but can cause other issues)
- O2 sensor failure - $285
- Steering rack failure - $2,000+
- Lower intake manifold or SSV failure - $2,000 (dealer, I don't know the parts cost to have a self cost)

Multiply any items by 2 if you purchase them from a dealer.
Multiply any items by 3 if you purchase them from a dealer and have the dealer do the labor.

Originally Posted by Huey52

RIWWP gets a sanity check every time he links his excellent "for noobies" thread.

Originally Posted by jaimbot1

hey i was looking at buying a 06 mazda rx8 and was just wondering about the reliability of the rx8, any experiences? will it last a lnog time if its treated well. also does the engine eat gas like a v6 or v8? if it eats it like a v8 i won't bother thats just too much. but most people say its like a v6 when it comes to power and gas consumption, is that right? if so that would meen it would be like a big car(chrysler 300) or like a suv on gas rite?

Originally Posted by jasonrxeight

I think it drinks more like a 5.7V8
power wise I think its more like a high reving 4 banger not like a V6.

Originally Posted by jaimbot1

hey i was looking at buying a 06 mazda rx8 and was just wondering about the reliability of the rx8, any experiences? will it last a lnog time if its treated well. also does the engine eat gas like a v6 or v8? if it eats it like a v8 i won't bother thats just too much. but most people say its like a v6 when it comes to power and gas consumption, is that right? if so that would meen it would be like a big car(chrysler 300) or like a suv on gas rite?

Originally Posted by jaimbot1

really? many people say its comparible to a v6 on gas consumption? anyone can comment on this?(please dont flame..)

Originally Posted by Renesis07

17/22

Like the window sticker says........

**sniff sniff** I smell troll...