Hello~
So... I am a new owner of an 05 RX8 (Manual) that I just bought a little over a month ago. When I first got it, the car had a little over 50k miles on it, which I thought wasn't bad at all.
Within probably less than a week of owning the car, I was having problems with it like engine getting flooded easily, and no matter how long the trip was after shutting off the car... It wouldn't start back up again for at LEAST 15min. I even revved the engine before shutting it off, warmed it up... etc etc... Nothing worked so I just took it back to Mazda and they pretty much tried telling me I was driving it wrong-- Asked them to just take a look at it... And it ended up NOT being me and it was actually the previous driver. The engine was pretty much... Gone.
So thanks to Mazda, they sent me a brand new motor-- Free of cost! So I am pretty happy about that.
But... I don't want to be like the last owner. I actually want to drive this car right (Well, of course)

So I guess what I am asking is.... Anyone know why rx8's can crap out after 50k, and what's the best way to really avoid it?

I've heard so many different things-- Especially from people who don't know anything about my car.

...Other than that, I LOVE my car.

 

you are about to get ( Flamed ) by other members for not searching etc.

I"ll be nice.

Basically the rotary engines just don't last all that long like piston engines.
some do some don't it's hit and miss.

Some have even failed as early as 19,000 miles
unfortunately it's un-avoidable and will happen to every one if it hasn't already haha.

The engine in my 8 was replaced at 80,000

Read the threads man a lot of great info and tips to make your motor last longer

Consider Pre-Mixing or even sohc adapter.

Redline at least 1 once a day if you can to be sure to burn off that carbon.

Gas / Oil Premix thread = https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/gas-oil-premix-thread-99636/

New Owners thread Must read = https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/

 

Single Overhead Cam adapter FTW!

 

make sure you follow proper break-in procedure of your new engine

 

HAHA noob on noob action

 

OP:
Read the last link of the first reply to your post. I put that together specifically for people like you with your questions.

If it scares you into selling the car, then at least you can sell one with a low mileage motor and you won't lose your shirt on the deal.

 

It's all about margin of error. The rotary engine, fundamentally different than an ordinary engine is, I suspect, far less forgiving of owner neglect.

Most Americans don't check their car's oil level regularly, if at all. They routinely postpone oil changes. When they start their engine cold, they drive right off with little or no warm-up time. And they rarely if ever redline their engines, because they don't have to.

These small improprieties undoubtedly shorten the engine life of piston engines, but not to the extent where they require early replacement.

Now ask yourself this: what percentage of American RX-8 owners do you suppose 1) change their oil on schedule, 2) check oil level every other fill-up and top off if necessary, 3) let their engine warm-up a couple of minutes before driving away and 4) regularly redline their engines, say at least once a day.

Draw your own conclusion. The reason why some Renesis engines are replaced early is no mystery to me.

 

There are also several other causes added in. It's a finicky little engine.

- Too much carbon from low RPM burning clogs oil injectors (reducing or eliminating the needed lubrication and cooling of the apex and/or side seals), clogs fuel injectors (leading to power loss issues which have been mistake for engine failure) and displaces the seals (low compression)
- High RPM increases the exhaust temps, which in the engine increases the exhaust port temps, leading to side seal failure
- too infrequent oil changes increases the contamination level of the oil and most oils lose their viscosity, reducing the lubrication provided to the bearings
- ignoring ignition health can rapidle accelerate cat failure (if you have one), which increases localized heat and stress on the engine and it's seals
- Engine seal tolerances from the factory are not the best, and "blow-by" around imperfect seals accelerates the wear of the seals and what they seat against.


And of course, there is the guy that had a mud dauber insect nest built inside his engine while it was sitting in his barn for 6 months.



Sounds like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" doesn't it? Well, pretty much. Piston engines are really the same way, but their failure points are nearly as close or as fast as a rotary, and can take neglect FAR better than a rotary. The comparison to a high-maintenance woman is often made. You neglect a rotary and it slaps you hard for it. Although, even if you take fantastic care of it, it may slap you anyway.

Run it high occasionally / frequently to keep carbon to a minimum, but don't keep it up there or hold it there and let it cool down as needed. Stay on top of your oil and your ignition. If you can do the work yourself, just keep a cash stash available for stuff. If you can't/won't, buy an extended warranty.

 

please show me where my sohc cam is? i thought i had a dohc?

and where is the damn timing belt.... my rotary timing seems to be off, can you help me with your infinite wisdom?

 

Confucius say "Man who give advice and do not listen to make for haha time"