I have a 2004 RX-8 6spd with 61,000 miles on it. I've been wondering how long the rotary engines usually hold up. Should I start to consider trading it in? A few months ago my check engine light started coming on. I switched places that I get gas and this seems to have fixed it. The spark plugs definately need changed, but don't want to invest the $ if I'm going to trade it in. It has had to be towed to the dealer once when my husband didn't know to let the engine run. The a/c condenser got a hole in it about 1 1/2 yrs. ago, but my husband just put some stop leak stuff in & it has held. Today my visor cracked open. I'm getting worried that this may be a sign that this car is fixing to start falling apart on me.

 

a NA rotary engine has very few moving parts and if well maintained, can last as over 200,000 miles without issue.

The problem is that the rx-8 engine is new, it has a few changes that the older rotary engines didn't have, so it's anyone's guess right now.

I personally have no reason to think it's going to be a short lived motor.

 

Rotaries aren't like they used to be, where you had to be worried they wouldn't last long, but the RENESIS was built well in my opinion.... I think it should last you until 100K or more if you take care of it, such as the essentials like making sure there is enough oil, not shutting the engine off cold, and letting it idle before shutting it off..... I'm sure these little problems like the the visor are just part of owning a car... I'm sure you'll be fine, just do what you've always been doing and you'll be fine...Good Luck

 

Sorry to say but it sounds like you dont really care much about your Auto afterall.

I guess for people like you, its "better" to trade it in because, I think you pretty much fudged your 8 up already.

My father's now 11 yrs old Quest, it looks pretty old outside, paint faint and some scratches, but inside, most of the stuff still works except for the Cup holder.

 

Yes, get it tune up and should last until at least 150K before you have to look at replacing things like the battery.

 

you are doomed, doomed, doomed.

beers

 

(hmmmm, Gomez files this little tidbit away for future reference)........

 

excatly, thats why I said shes not a "caring" person anyway, so no matter what car she owns, the results would be the same.

So just trade it in, and you'll get a brand new car for you to abuse ...... drive again.

 

I don't understand why you say I don't care. My husband is a heating and air conditioning contractor, so if he is able to add something to the a/c and it works why replace the condeser. I care about my car, but I don't need to throw $ away to Mazda. This is my first time to post at this board & I can't believe how hateful some people are. I didn't say that I don't take care of my car or don't like it. I just know that I put a lot of miles on a car. I just haven't heard anything about the longevity of these cars. If the motors don't last long, I don't want to get too many miles on it to get a decent trade in. If the motors last a long time I'll keep it. I haven't had many problems with mine, but I have heard of a lot of people that have. It seems like a lot of people either got good 2004's or lemons. I was lucky enough to get a good one. I just wondered what the average lifespan was.

 

How can that be answered on a car and motor that has been around only three years? You are only going to get the basic " if you take care of it it sould last just as long as other well taken care of non-turbo RX's " There just isn't enough high mileage RX-8's on the road. I happen to have 65,000 on my first batch (5/2003) 8 and it has been a great car, mine is also well maintained.

 

If your worried about the condition of the engine and the possibility of incurring major repairs to same in the near future, the best way to make an objective assessment that I know of is a compression test. You should read some other threads on this subject before having the test done as there have been a wide variety of experiences posted on this site from different folks having the test done by different shops. As with most things, there is a right way to do it and then there is everything else. The test itself should not run you more than a couple of hours of shop labor; the key is to have the shop quote how they will do the work and how they will document the results.

With a valid compression test you have established a benchmark which you can use to compare to factory specs (which a good shop will also do for you as part of the documentation of the results) and against which you can also compare future tests to see how the motor is aging over time/mileage.

 

The fact that you're asking about longevity probably means you've heard stories about them breaking. The early 70's rotaries were failing in large numbers after 20-30K miles. By the time the 79 RX-7 came out they fixed most of the problems. 1980 and newer rotaries can easily run 200-300K miles. Although the RX-8 engine is a new design there doesn't seem to be any evidence that there are widespread problems. I plan on holding on to mine for a long time. The six rotary cars I've owned have been very reliable.

 

Are they still the original spark plugs? If so, you are WAY past due for a new set. You might be surprised at the difference they make. If you can DIY, sparkplugs.com has a decent price.

If the "stop leak stuff" fixed the AC leak, I can't criticize. But if I was buying your used car I'd like to know about it, and I'd like to know about the check engine lights. If I were you I'd take it in and have them pull up the diagnostic codes to find out what really happened. Might be as simple as a loose gas cap. If not, you should really know what's going on. I'd replace the plugs first though.

 

My FD had 85K miles on original motor and turbos when I lost it to a flood...a literal flood...Tropical Storm Allison. N/A rotaries are pretty stout--there are plenty of 1st and 2nd gens running around with 200K on them. My RX8 has been trouble free save for the visor breaking and I'm at 50,600 miles now--I wouldn't have any worries if I was you.

 

It's probably not the engine you should worry about, but rather the rest of the car falling apart around the engine, as you are obviously experiencing already. I have serious doubts about the RX-8's reliability myself given all the problems I myself have experienced. They're all small stuff but I'm just lucky I'm in a job that allows me the time to go and deal with all this small stuff that crops up one after another. First it was squealing brakes which I've gone in 3 times for and has never been fixed to this day. Then it was hard starts which took me 4-5 trips to fix. Now it's the motor mount vibration that I've gone in twice for. I don't even want to mention my next problem to the dealer now, which is my coolant just seems to be disappearing into thin air, so there's likely a leak somewhere. It's getting pretty ridiculous having to keep up with all this. I mean I love the rotary to death and the RX-8 is ridiculously fun to drive but co'mon.

 

sounds like you have an AT. They have those problems.

 

I have experienced the brake issue (fixed first time in then shop), and the motor mount was repaired last week.

I have a current whinning/whistling sound (I have a thread on that) issue, but other than that, I love this car.

I have the extended warranty coverage and I DO plan on keeping this car for awhile.

I'm not terribly worried about long-term reliability though (fingers' crossed).

Ed

 

I am at 43.5K miles right now and am aiming to see how many miles I can go. I am doing the Castrol change every 3K and am religious about checking the oil level. With my car, I honestly believe that I will be purchasing things like the front bumper (rock chips) or the exhaust before the engine dies.

 

The new rotaries are very reliable if you watch temperature and oil.

Do you know that they even use the rotary in planes(smaller 2 seaters), the 13B because of its good power to weight ratio.
If a plane dies its a bigger problem, so I am pretty sure the renesis will last long, very long.
Change oil regularly is a must.

For that cel I think its the spark plugs that are gone if its the originals, that cause it not to burn right giving problems at the o2 sensors, they might pick up a bad combustion.

enjoy the 8 !!

Philip

 

I have had two 04 rx8's. Mty first was not problematic at all (maintained well). My second has been a nightmare because it wasn't taken care of from the first owner. Luckily it is under warranty and is getting a new eng due to this. I highly recommened that you change those plugs and make sure the oil is changed 3k or 5k miles. This type of engine can't be left w/out any maint. You don't want engine problems w/this car outside of warranty. Get an extebded warranty and maintain it or trade it in.
Good luck

 

If the car is paid for, just get a tune up and drive it 'til the wheels fall off! Those little things happen with most cars.

My mom has an 02 Toyota Camry, a supposed hallmark of quality and reliability. Anyhow, she has had to replace two of the power window motors and broken a passenger door handle. Go figure...

 

the weather in NC has been below 30 degrees for 2 months ,very cold ,my 2004 RX8 don't want to crank at 14 degrees ,started it sat am let warm up for 10 min when I went into gear it shut off //OMG from that point would not crank back ,the next day It started but black smoke rolled out the tailpipes /and a funny noise and no power ,thought I smell wires burning ,Had it towed to Mazda Dealer they said coils need replacing and plugs and wires and a new battery //plus clean out built up of fuel 1100.00 cost of all is this normal ,I bought this car 2 years ago at 47,000 miles it now has 59,000 not sure if its ever been tuned up or not, it has been a great car until now, will replacing the coils and wires stopped that smoke and no power ,it was fine a week ago //First time owner of RX8 ,thanks if anyone knows if this is normal////

 

First off, you posted on a thread created in 2006.

Second, the stock coils were crap. In fact, the coils have been revised like 18 times by mazda. Spark plugs, on a rotary, need to be changed every 20-25k miles. They foul due to the fact that oil is injected into the engine.

The stock battery was also pretty weak. Mine failed in mid summer at about the same mileage as yours. It was leaking acid enough to eat through the restraining bar.

Not sure what you're talking about clean out built up fuel.. The RX-8 builds up a bit of sludge over time. Seafoam cleaner or mazda engine cleaner can clear that out pretty well, but the best remedy is to rev the engine.

The reason why you had issues is most likely because your plugs were fouled, your coils were weak (old) and it was cold. The combination will lead to hard starts and stalling if things are really bad. Sometimes you notice and sometimes you don't. When I replaced my coils at 80k, my leading coil was barely alive. I was still getting 20mpg and it was driving fine.