Hi I was test driving an RX8 today and I smelled a burning oil smell when I turned on the heat but did not smell it when it was not on. I know the rotary engine does burn oil, is this a normal occurance.

 

^ Yes. I asked the same question when I first got the 8. It's normal.

 

umm, thats not normal, usually means there's an oil leak.

 

most new cars have smells in the beginning. new pipes, new cat, etc. when everything heats up you can get some funky stuff. maybe it was an oil leak tho who knows

 

Was it new?

Uh, I dont think it's normal. Maybe it was the gear oil smell in the interior some owners have had?

One Shinka I test drove smelled like oil on the inside...I did not buy it.

 

that's definitely not normal. there's probably a leak going on somewhere. i'd test drive some other 8's, ask the dealerships about it, and do some research so you don't end up with a lemon

 

not normal.
could it be one of the porters spilled a bunch of oil when topping it off?

 

no its not new its a used 20k miles 2005 off of someone who just leased it.

 

i had it when i first got mine. i bet it was recently 'deflooded' using the .. dump alot of oil into the intake ports TSB...

I'd check the incabin filter... i bet it's black, which doesn't help.

 

Sometimes I smell that after I get done hammering on it pretty hard but not enough to really smell for long just a couple seconds....I would have it looked at.

 

Have it checked for oil leaks, definitely if you're planning on buying it.

But my bet is that they changed the oil before they put it on the lot and the way these oil filters are positioned, it's pretty hard not to spill any when changing the filter. I've done mine a few times and even when I put rags down, I still manage to spill enough to smell it burning off for a few days.

 

bad news!!! AVOID THAT CAR. Mine smelled like burning oil when I bought it and it had only 19K on it. Ive went through hell and back with oil and trans leaks with this car!! Trust me, theres other 8's out there.