eurodaytona

I had the oil changed on my '04 at about 8,800 miles and have been checking it every weekend and noticed the oil level has never dropped at all over 1800 miles. Its actually always appeared over filled on the dip stick. So, i took the car to the dealer with 10,664 miles on it and told them the problem. They checked it out and told me they think gas had somehow mixed in with the oil, but they were unsure how this could have happened and that they went ahead and changed the oil once again and took keep an eye on things. They advised me about the flooding issues, which ive known about, but the car has never left us stranded yet. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts on this gas in oil stuff? Our RX-8 has very low mileage for a 2004. 10,700 or so.

DOMINION

I have hear of oil in the TB.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

how can you *tell* if theres gas in oil ?

This engine designed to inject 4 stroke motor oil, yes. but sometimes it really depends on your driving habits. if its really full you might not notice drop even after 2-3 K miles. Unless theres a blockage in the OMP lines.

I wouldnt worry too much. I check my oil every month or so.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

Gas should be evaporated, if the oil is hot enough for long enough.

Do you do mostly short trips?

Short runs would be considered 'harsh service' for oil and could halve your time between oil changes.

S

eurodaytona

My wife primarly drives the car to work which is about 6 miles one way. On the weekends we drive it around a little more and i usually get the rpm's up to red line each weekend. Ive had it up to 94 mph in 3rd gear on the highway but backed off because Va cops are strict.

DOMINION

Dam every month?! I check mine every week when I chack my tires.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Well what Im thinking is that, Unless I have a leak somewhere or my car has serious problem. Dont really need to check it every other fillups or every week. Its kinda over kill.

I drive maybe about 1 K miles(usually more) a month. and I top my oil level up for every oil change. and I premix.

So I dont worry that much about my oil level being low.

bxb40

Are you sure you have so much gas in the oil? The Renesis engine evaporates oil, just like any engine (maybe a bit more, because it runs hotter), plus, injects part of the oil in the combustion chambers. To make up for all the consumed oil with gasoline is plain dangerous - if somehow those vapors catch fire, your car is gone. Also, the oil should smell like gasoline when you have 1qt of gas mixed with 4qt of oil (normally, I can drain 4 quarts only, but at 1500 miles I need to add 1qt of oil to replenish). Plus, the oil would be so thin, you will ruin the engine due to wear. Due to design, Renesis does get more gasoline in the oil than piston engines, but that never passes 5%, while you claim to have 25%...
Ask the dealer to analyze that used oil for fuel amount - this is a safety issue, not just a "strange fact"...

eurodaytona

Yea, i see what your saying. They told me they didn't know why gas had mixed with the oil and that they changed it again......and to keep an eye on it. These dealerships don't really care, they just want your money. They didn't charge me for the oil change. Im glad i took the car to them. 1800 miles driven and not one drop of oil had been added to the motor, i knew something was not right. When i took the car up there the guy looked at me like i was stupid. "you want your car to use oil"? he said to me. I said well not really, but that's what this car does! oh well, its under full warrenty!

waterproofone

I have an 05' rx-8. I have only owned it for 3k miles now. I have owned 4 rx-7 and none of them acted this crazy. I have been checking my oil lately and it run thin onto the paper towel when checking it and smell no different than raw gas. I have had freinds smell it too and they think something is wrong. I am very familiar with rotary engines but this one is just plain frustrating. I do not know what is wrong and the dealership already charged me to change the oil. I had them put in new NGK spark plugs which I had to pay for and after the oil change at the same time, I am smelling gas on the oil dipstick and on the cloth when checking it. It has not had anything wrong and it runs fine..it's an automatic and I try to run it hard when I can to clear everything out but the oil doesn't smell or look like it's clean enough to protect the engine.

Go48

Send a sample to Blackstonelabs (www.blackstone-labs.com) and indicate your concern re: fuel in the oil. Had the same concerns when my car was new and did just that. Fuel contamination was within limits even though the oil had a strong gas smell.

Keep in mind that when you change oil and filter in this car you are only replacing 70% of the oil under the best draining procedures. Figure on 60% for normal draining techniques. That's because the oil in the oil cooler and lines is not drained out through the oil pan drain. So the oil will almost immediately turn a dark color. That doesn't mean the oil is "bad", but be sure to change the oil frequently and you will be OK.

waterproofone

Thanks man! I appreciate it...it still has the gas smell although some of it has gone but it's still heavy. Only thing dealership said was to drive it harder and rev it up more. I try but live in Atlanta so sitting in traffic a lot except on weekends when I get the RPM's up there. I used chevron so trying to keep the engine clean/ not sure what the previous owner used..but I use only Castrol GTX oil and Chevron or Shell gasoline because of the added cleansers that are not in the cheaper stuff..and now GM, Toyota, Honda and Ford are requiring these TOP TIER gasonlines as well because they keep the engine cleaner. I love my RX-8 but man in the city it sucks the gas down..but on the highway it's so good. I have mixed feelings about keeping it, I love it when the needle doesn't move much but those days when I have to keep putting money into it to keep it running smooth and topping the gas off at 3.65 a gallon just makes me sick!!! I think at the end of the year I will trade again unless I can pay off some more debt.
Thanks for the help though.