As people get out of warranty and past the 100,000 mile mark , they will get to a stage that thier engine is tired (low compression)and will start giving them problems .
We see lots and lots of hard start , no start etc threads and I think the Renesis engine (probably true of rotaries in general) needs to be in better shape than it's piston rival in order to keep being a reliable engine .

However - many engine replacements could be defferred for a very long time if a few simple maintenence items were looked after .
So if you think you need an engine replacement - do the following before you fork over your hard earned and you may well find you get many more miles before you need to spend more money :

*Upgrade to the 2005+ starter motor (or the BHR upgrade motor). This motor will start an engine that is low on compression if everything else is kept up to scratch.
*Ensure battery is 100% - replace if there is even a hint it is down on cranking amps.
*Ensure battery connections are 100% . IE tight and clean
*Ensure spark plugs are replaced regularly
*Replace plug leads with quality leads
*Replace coils if they have done over 30000 miles
*Perhaps a seafoam ? (don't really have experience with this so if anyone else can add their thoughts ?)
*Learn by heart the deflood proceedure - you may find it is more prone to do this as the engine gets older. If you know what to do immeadiately you wont drain the battery trying to get it started.


This thread shows how the old starter in good shape sounds like - if you don't think your starter is a least as fast as this or better - you will have issues.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/hard-starting-suspect-your-starter-motor-check-out-207244/


More suggestions are welcome

 

Good thread idea.
It would also pay to show your Renesis a little love in some form of oil and fuel system cleaning every so often. That means premix in the gas tank and some type of oil system cleaner as well. I noticed a definite improvement in smoothness and ease of starting when I first began using Idemitsu in the gas tank at around 80k miles (have 145k miles now). I also use Marvil Mystery oil in both the oil and gas occasionally for cleaning and that minty fresh smell

Also, new owners need to be told what all the rest of us found out the hard way. If you don't exercise the third intake runner (rev above 6250) on a regular basis, it can get stuck from carbon buildup and kill upper rpm power. Rev it or lose it.

 

When I started my premix, I also used a cleaner after every four fills. And I do feel a noticeable difference of how the engine runs. I think it would also be okay to suggest changing the fuel pump, line, and fuel filter for the higher mileage engines.