Well i'm looking for an rx8, i don't really car what year. Some say 2004 is the worst year to buy but it seems that the general consensus here is that they just need a little TLC.

Anyways it seems that the general public knows little about the rotary oil consumption. So what is the best way to test for a good engine?

most of the ones i'm looking at have 50-80 thousand miles so the coils could be bad as well.


I'm going to get the lowest mileage i can find but what should be done to check if the engine is still good? Well good enough for boost that is.

 

You should have it compression tested.


If you're planning on boosting it, you better start searching and reading the forum.

 

i have been lurking the forums for a while so i know a lot of what it takes to get boosted with this engine.

But i thought i read that i needed some sort of special compression test for a rotary?

 

the compression test is to see if you engine still has its compression and runs properly, with bad compression you lose power, fuel economy and pretty much need a new engine. if you buy privately, make sure to ask the person specific questions that only people who really know the rx8 can tell you. and that can kinda tell you if he took care of it well. Eg, How often did he add oil to the car and so forth, good luck with the purchase. I'd shy away from the 04's from my own experience at work , we had many problems with, but you seem bright enough to realize the issues and will probably do your best to resolve them if any. Just find something well taken care off and you should be fine... Happy hunting

 

To get accurate results, it has to be a rotary specific compression tester since it needs to read the compression on all three faces. A standard tester will just bounce the needle and give you an idea, but it won't be accurate. It's about $100 at a dealership to get it done. If there's a local rotary shop on your area, they may be able to do it as well.

 

I notice you live in the Cincinnati area, i live in Englewood which is near Dayton so were do you go when you need rotary specific work done?

Honestly i would like to pic one up that has a blown motor and just rebuild a new one. I'm sure i could just throw together new housings, rotors, and seals but i do not have the tools to get precise clearances. Besides information on how to get said clearances in spec is not so easy to find.

 

I've done all of my own work thus far, but if i needed to go to a shop, I'd probably head up to Defined Autowerks which is up by columbus

 

Whats is the quality like on the reman engines? it seems like the best solution is to find a rx8 that has bad compression but is still in warranty along with oil change receipts to get a new motor.

Then run premix with a sohns adapter on the new motor with a cat delete for best reducibility.