Hi everyone,

I'm brand new to the forums. I just bought my RX-8 New Years Eve. 2004, 98.4k miles, $7600. Off the lot it needed some repairs but what has me most concerned is the compression test results I got from the Mazda dealer I took it too. I think it got cut off (not enough room on the ticket but basically the technician said:
"Perform compression test note engine is marginal and will require a replacement at any future date. Rotor 1 6.2, 7.0, 6.8 Rotor"
So I can't see my rotor 2 results. Since the '04s and '05s have a 100,000 mile 8 year factory warranty and I'm so close to being outside this has me worried because they told me that I just barely DON'T qualify for a new engine... At this point they said all I can do is drive it around for a month and if I notice a loss of HP like I did when I brought it in they'd take another look.
Any suggestions on how I can get my car last more than another 10,000 miles before I can't afford to fix it?

Thanks in advance.

 

I would be more focused on making it fail before the warranty is up, new engines are not cheap. Maybe just let it idle a lot or something.

If your going to try to make it last premix the hell out of it. It's pretty much the only thing you can try to get more miles out of it.

 

On the surface, those readings may look low on Rotor 1. But it isn't really meaningful data all by itself. To really know what the relative health of your motor is, you need readings on both rotors and you need to know what the cranking speed of the motor was (in RPMs) when the readings were taken. Then compare those readings to the attached chart to determine where your motor stands.

From there, you'll be more knowledgeable about what your next steps might be.

 

Thanks for the reply, what do you suggest for the premix? I'm thinking I'll use my tax return to get a power train extended warranty on the car. I just need to make sure that it's not worded in a way that leaves it up to Mazda to decide whether to replace the engine or not.

 

Yeah I have that same image in my album here. Found it before joining the forum. I'll need to call them up and see what my rotor 2 values were and at what RPMs. The mechanic doesn't sound too optimistic about the quality of the engine though, just from his comment on the ticket.