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How unreliable really are rotaries? I've got my eyes on a 2nd gen RX8. How often do you need to rebuild and how hard is it to do yourself? If too hard, how much does it cost for someone else to do it?
Alternatively, will the RX vision ever actually get released?
The RX-8 is kinda crap mate, even hardcore fans of the dorito say that. That engine is the retarded cousin that the 12A and 13B keep locked in the attic.
>>15319888
much like anything if the previous owner was on top of it then it wont cost as much $$ but like any car, it will cost $$ if you aren't doing the labor yourself. hopefully he was on top of rebuilding it along with all the adjustments. you can read more on rx8 forums, of some good things to replace while your under the hood anyway like the fuel hard lines and probably more.
1. technically a rebuild is supposed to be about every 120k, ive never owned one but i have a friend who had and he had to do it only once when he owned it but it was at the 90k mark which i think is ok? dont know too much
2. he had a shop do it for 1200'ish and i think that was just labor, although im sure some places might be more expensive or less expensive. theres not much to break in the engine but its almost always the apex seals from what i can read/gather and those r cheap af compared to labor
3. no idea how hard it is but it would require some time for sure and my bud didnt have a garage or land (we're poor) and couldnt really do it in the street cause fuck that
gl senpai
>>15319905
alright it just changed f a m to senpai
GG triggered
>>15319895
Alternatively there's some quite clean FC's in my area. They're all just pushing 100k miles so I feel like I'd want a rebuild.
>>15319888
>ITT
>>15319913
>100k miles so I feel like I'd want a rebuild.
Youre a retard.
My FC had over 200k when i sold it still running on good compression.
Many RX8s go well over 200k as well.
Stop falling for memes and shitposters.
>>15319910
Hello newfriend
>>15319934
It seems like more than just memes when there's plenty of posts on RX forums discussing it.
>>15319934
Rx8 is shit mate. That is fact. Nobody cares about your lawn mower engine NA FC
>>15319988
Dont trust the fan bois. That said early non turbo rx7s do last. Rx8 is utter rubbish and nobody who isnt full of shit can deny that. As you said, just check the forums. Some guy on here is on engine three in 140k. Its not a meme
the rotary is for the special snowflake enthusiest who not only like being different but thrives on the intense hardship that always follows owning a car that requires the owner to cater their life to it
>>15320087
t. never owned a rotary
you're acting as if the seals blow every 100 miles
if you maintain it properly, there is no problem.
>>15320107
how often do they blow then?
Worst thing IMO about the RX8 "community" on the web is that I was unable to find even a rough outline of what it takes to rebuild the engine. The forums are full of dickwads going "This is a serious job and should be left to the pros :^]" while simultaneously offering to rebuild your engine "at a really fair price" and not actually being mechanics. I'm sure the information is out there (otherwise you can probably just buy a book to learn about it) somewhere but that anti-DIY cancer attitude really grinds my gears and turned me off the RX8 completely - not that I was ever seriously considering one.
>>15320113
if you maintain it properly and are driving properly, they should never "blow", the seals will just be worn to the point of the engine flooding. however, a rebuild is recommended in the 100k-150k range.
>>15320087
That sounds pretty fun desu
the>>15320087
>inu
you are a faggot with a leased autotragic frs, your opinion is invalid
rebuilding isn't too hard, if you plan on turboing, its better than you rebuild it anyway, the seals on the renesis are more fragile, and in general it needs a lot more lubrication
Here is how to make an RX8 good (for retards)
>Aftermarket ignition coils
>Aftermarket apex seals
>Premix
>Aftermarket exhaust
That fixes the flooding, compression, detonation and overheating problems.
Anybody who thinks that a renesis isn't easily fixable is stupid.
>>15320198
add an oil cooler and you're golden
i seen a rx8 once
>>15320067
RX8s were garbo because they removed some oil passages in the engine block and e-shaft and shit. If he keeps buying the shit engines from before they readded them he deserves the explosions.
>>15320182
Renesis seals are fine.
>>15320123
Seals blow under boost. Buy some top-end hard seals if you want high boost. Rotary Aviation or pineapple or someone else.
>>15320117
It has three moving parts. Were you really that scared?
>>15320117
As somebody who's taken apart a 13B-DEI with no previous experience in tearing down engines, really not that complicated to figure out.
PDF scans of manufacture/dealership service guides are available online alongside other sources and explain all the steps.
Step 1 buy compression test tool
Step 2 go look at car you want to buy
Step 3 do compression test
Step 4 if it's good buy if it's not do a 360 and walk away
wow that was hard
>>15320334
Don't rotaries need a special compression tool?
>>15320360
Kind of. I think you can use a regular one and just make sure the needle doesnt vary that much as you're doing the test, but I don't really know how they work, and I havent ever had to do one since I don't own a rotary lol.
>>15320386
Remove the check valve from a normal one so it won't stay at the PSI bounce. One compression cycle will get you three bounces and the needle should drop to 0 fast after each one. Every bounce on the tester should be at least 110 PSI.
>>15320334
You mean do a 180?
A 360 would put you back in the direction of the piece of shit.
>>15320505
Holy shit how new are you
>>15320505
*540
>>15320505
hello newfriend
I always love when people respond to 360 and walk away
>>15319913
If it has good compression and bits of metal aren't falling onto the road when I drive then I don't rebuild. Doesn't matter how many miles.
>>15320515
As new as you are faggot.
>>15320505
You know I'm started to believe that shit people say about summer attracting hordes of newfags.
>>15320555
Pretty new then. Trips of truth confirm.
>getting barely 19mpg on highway from a 1.3 liter engine
>having literally no torque
>only option for added power is running boost
>high price to replace apex seals unless you do all the work yourself
>rx8 leaks like a faucet at slightest hint of rain
B-but muh revs
So a Google search OP. All the rotards on this board are easily triggered, and you'd be better off reading RX specific message boards. They aren't as delusional
I'm bout to get an FB soon.
I think people are mostly scared of the sequential turbo system in the FD; then other people hear that and think it has anything at all to do with the rotary engine, and they stay the fuck away from them.
Rotaries need more frequent oil changes. If you ignore that, then you will need a rebuild pretty soon. Particles in the oil is what destroys the seals.
Hell, the FB gets decent fuel economy for a late 70's early 80's car. 19/29 is not fucking awful, and most of them are carburetored for fuck's sake
I just recently purchased this 2009 RX with 50,000 miles on it. I make sure to premix and everything, anything else I should particularly keep an eye on?
>>15320674
Make sure to redline it daily to get rid of carbon deposits
>>15320686
I do that pretty often, I'm pretty sure I've got everything down. I always let it warm up before I drive it and rev it to 3k when I shut it off as well.
>>15320793
What's the point in revving to 3k before shutting of?
>>15320854
It creates backpressure in the system. When you shut off the key at those revs, the key actually gets sucked into the steering column and into the engine where it immediately melts from the high heat and pressure, forming an apex seal. It was in the last page of the RX7 SA handbook for only one year, and not a lot of people know about it. You're supposed to cut a new key every time you drive the car, it's just part of rotary upkeep.
>>15320107
no one ever takes care of an RX7 they all beat on them and speed in them and there arnt very many mechanics that specialize in rebuilding these things
believe it or not when you go to most mechanics with a specialized car they wont even look at it they just say no
>>15320130
i dont own nor have i personally ever owned or leased an frs you retard
>>15320674
Fuck off Austin with your shitty auto RX8 Shoulda got a fucking Chevy like that TRUCK that fucking WALKED you last night, call me when you make more than ten torques
>>15320940
Fuck off cunt, ya trash ass K1500.
>>15321021
It's a C1500 you uneducated fuck. That's why I'm laying in ya bed jacking off right now
>>15321080
Austin are you gonna let him fuckin' do that
you get in there and you fucking blow him before he can finish to assert dominance
>>15321095
I'm gonna look him right in the eye as I nut down his throat and whisper
No homo
>>15321080
Yeah call me when ya get some pussy on ya dick lil' nigga.
>>15321158
Call me when you ain't a broke bitch lil nigga lil niggaaaaa
>>15319910
Changing it to senpai was the best thing jap moot did. The posting was fucking awful with that meme.
>>15320087
Sounds like a girlfriend that can't break up with you or get pregnant.
>>15320505
>all these newfags falling for this bait
>>15320198
>spend just shy of two grand fixing a relatively new car
>or you could just buy an FB
>>15321233
>Buying the slowest 13b
>>15319888
they're good on reliability
just don't overheat them
>>15321241
>being this triggered about having a slow, unreliable, dorito
Kek
>>15321239
>not buying the even slower 12a and only having 100 hp when it was new
>not telling pretty girls it's not actually a fast car when they ask if your sports car goes quick
Early RX7s were practically the Ninja 250 of cars. And that's awesome.
why do these thread devolve into that one mad rotard hating on bmw?
>>15321397
>>15319910
gg senpai
Guys I just made this thread to ask about how hard it would be to rebuild a rotary personally and ask about rotary repair and maintenance in general not to shitpost about how BMW's a shit :^) we all knew that already.
>>15321566
A rotary isn't much different from other ICE engines. You simply need to teach yourself the intricacies of the engine. Start with an older RX model, if you want to avoid the complexity of newer cars.
https://www.youtube.com/user/aaroncake
Is a guy who knows a lot about rotaries. He's been around the internet for a long time, posting about them. He's got a lot of good tutorials out.
>>15321694
maintenance on these is insanely easy I don't understand why people think they are unreliable
>>15321694
Wow rotaries actually look pretty simple. There's like 30 different seals but like a whole 3 moving parts. Thanks for that youtube link, that's actually probably the most helpful thing I've learned about rotaries from /o/ ever.
Makes me want to just find a cheap rx7 to have around as a project.
>>15325656
>Makes me want to just find a cheap rx7 to have around as a project.
It's all about how cheap are you ready to go.
>>15325777
is that turbo
>>15325796
Yes, 181 hp.
>>15325802
want
Don't fall for memes, from personal experience the Rx-8 isn't a bad car at all, it does like to drink gas, but I am at 130k with no rebuilds.
>>15325818
>with no rebuilds.
or compression kek
>>15325777
Looks like the owner did the metalwork already, it just needs to be painted to not look so junky.
>>15325777
Please tell me that someone brought that poor thing to fucking maaco by now.
>>15325930
Nah, it's sold for 3000$ (feels like a lot, but I guess they're very rare).
I want to sell my Miata for an FC before the Miata hype dies and i get less money for it. Would it be a bad idea for someone that daily drives it alongside using it to drive to clients for work?
>>15326414
No, as long as you get a good condition one and know how to maintain it.
>captcha is stanced PT Cruiser
>>15320581
I've never heard of rx8's leaking
>>15320890
Topkek
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/5649684963.html
help me /o/. should i get it? are FC's good DD's, especially in the winter?
>>15326848
the vert is not the best FC, but it'll be fun regardless. it just won't be fast.
>>15319888
Test senpai
>>15319888
Alright, listen up. I bought a rusted out dented RX7 FC for $1200. You'd be expecting all sorts of horror stories and disasters, and blown apex seals, right?
Wrong. I got it with 180k kilometers on engine and body, owned it for 3 years, and put another 40k on it myself. N/A engines that have been topped up with oil will last well over 200km between rebuilds, and honestly remembering to do oil changes every 5k is not exactly difficult. Frankly, you shouldn't own a car if you can't remember to do basic maintenance. I sold mine because the coolant seals went at 220k, and I didn't have the time to rebuild it personally.
Rotaries are much easier to rebuild than any other automobile engine. They have much fewer parts, and everything sort of just fits together naturally. A rebuild is pricey though, if you buy one with a blown engine you'll probably have to pay whatever you paid for the car again just to have it professionally rebuilt.
Also, avoid the RX8 like the plague. Those RENESIS 13b engines are balls compared to the older, more reliable 13b. Find yourself an FC, you will absolutely not regret it.
>>15319905
>every 120k
TOP KEK M8
Meanwhile glorious American v8 350. drive to 250-350k miles, throw away, buy new crate motor for $1499 free shipping, drive another 250-350k miles.
>>15319910
wait, what? senpai
>>15328257
shit, it works
>>15320117
Just get a haynes manual for your car, or even just watch a tutorial on youtube. Rotaries are literally the easiest engines to DIY rebuild.
>>15321259
>buying a carbed 12a instead of the more reliable, more powerful, and easier to unflood injected 13b
>>15326848
I DD'd my FC for 5 years, and it was a shitty thousand dollar beater. You'll be fine. In fact, you'll probably enjoy your daily drive a lot more than you used to.
>>15328235
>crate motor
>1499
You forgot a zero
>>15320087
As someone who actually owns an FD, that's about right. My entire life and decisions revolve around the FD.
>>15319888
I almost bought one.
They're awesome, awesome cars. You need to stay on top of replacing a few key parts, like the ignition and spark plugs, since you don't want your engine to flood. Doing your own work isn't any harder than a regular car imo. If you have the time to occasionally work on it, and the willpower, go for it.
>>15328565
It's the best isn't it?I threw out my bp on my miata and put in a 13b with a single turbo. I think I have automotive stockholm syndrome
>>15320087
Sometimes I think I'm the only dorito guy on earth who's never had any major issues with my car, and doesn't dedicate their whole existence to it.
Seriously, just use a bit of common sense if you own one. It's not some civic shitbox that'll run with no oil, fueled by dead cows.
Does anyone have the triangles! rotary pic?
My Googlefu is weak.
>>15330192
>>15328595
Im with you anon. I never had an issue with my rotary for the 7 years i daily drove it.
>>15319888
Mines been fine for the two years I've had it. Just passed its tenth birthday on the original engine. The RX8 is fine if you keep on top of the things that kill it, because most of them you can see coming and stop.
1: Use 10W40 oil. Otherwise the main bearing goes. Mazda spec'dto thin an oil to get the economy up and it eats rear stationary bearings because of it. Regularly changes help aswell - the oil is worked hard and you only get half out with each change. (Unless you're the retard who ran his engine with an empty sump to suck the last three litres up from the coolers)
2: Change your ignition coils regularly. Stock units are crap. Upgrade to D585's for better performance, especially with a remap. Bad coils, or bad spark will affect power, starting and quickly kill the catalytic converter.
3: If the catalyst dies it kills the engine in short order. A clogged catalytic converter will warp the corner seal springs, pop the seal out of it's groove and kill the engine.
4: Occasionally the fuel pump shits the bed without warning and kills the engine with a sudden, massive, lean-spike. A faulty secondary, or tertiary, injector will also do it. There is no warning. Running everywhere on the dregs of a tank will do it - as will high-speed left- turns with the fuel light on.
5: Oil jets clog. Any shit in the engine oil will go up into the oil jets, clog them and leave the engine grinding itself. Or, lots of low RPM will will foul them with carbon. The result is aways the same..... the seals grind down and eventually the engine stops starting.
6: Anecdotally, premix in the petrol helps.
7: Drive it like you stole it once the engine's over 80C
8: If the engine temperature ever goes over 104 the water seals pop.
>>15330737
I've driven mine through some shit - even using it as a 'work truck' for a while carrying tools and junk. It's got over icy mountain passes, around racetracks and on long holidays. It's cooked alive in cities. It's carried myself and friends in the back on weekends away.
It's run, and run, and run and never failed to get home. Even with a popped ignition coil.
The problems I've had in two years of ownership are the same as you can have with any ten year old car.
I broke a suspension drop-link. The rear brakes starting binding. And I blew an ignition coil which killed the catalytic converter.
A new coil-set and a gutted cat have the car happy again.
>>15328235
Wrong. You get your miles then scrap it out and buy another car/truck.
787B at Goodwood...
I need a rotary
>>15319888
Comprehensive list of unreliable Mazda rotaries:
>Turbo FC
>late production FD
>early production RX-8
that's it
To anyone who knows, how much more complex are rx7/rx8's than rx5's? Really want something that I could fix up myself.
>>15331517
Any N/A RX7 isn't complicated at all. Even the Turbo 2 is fairly straightforward for a fuel injected turbo.
Senpai
>>15330229
Thanks
>>15319910
DESU senpai
>>15332889
fuck it works
desu baka senpai
>>15319888
cant hate on the R X 8
http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/motorsports/stories/1331802594918/mad-mike-whiddett-goodwood-festival-of-speed-2016-video
>>15319888
I'm a little late, but I have an R3 that I have had for four years and have about a dozen hours of track time on and it's still going strong. I only have about 30k miles on the car but aside from the diff breaking it has been fairly bulletproof.
However, I am fairly meticulous with it and don't recommend the car to anyone not willing to spend a decent amount of time browsing the forums and worrying about if I warmed it up enough before shutting it off when I move it in my driveway. Just choosing which oil type and weight was a fucking chore.
But don't buy first gens, they have quite a few problems with them that were ironed out with the second gens. So if you decide to buy it, a second gen is the right choice. And don't worry about blowing up the engine. Unless you are blatantly retarded you won't have an issue, not to mention Mazda has an 8 year 100,000 mile warranty on them if the seals go.
I feel like this thread is the best source of info to read before buying, but seems to try to scare away new owners. If you enjoy maintaining a vehicle and don't mind an oil change every 3000 miles it's a wonderful car that I would have bought over again.
http://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/
>>15328595
>>15330233
But at the end of the day, that's pretty much it. Just don't be stupid
Here's my car
>>15321388
Well can't argue with that
>>15333079
i prefer first gen front end desu
>>15333132
>>15333132
I'm planning on buying a series 1 RX8 as my first car. Labor is covered because family is mechanics and they'll work on my car as long as I help them.
I want to buy one, take care of it, and see how long I can make the engine last.
I'll replace it with one from a T2 or an FD or a 20B if it goes on me. I also don't really need a reliable daily, since I live with parents lol. I just want something to have fun and drift in. I may even try to turbo the renesis because I'm a retard
>>15333162
Something tells me you're 16...
>>15333162
nice fantasy you got going there.
>>15333162
Here we have a rotard in his natural habitat.
>>15328595
People who complain about engines being unreliable are lazy office slaves who can't muster up the energy to take care of their possessions.
>>15333314
Agreed. My dad has an unrestored '73 MGBGT he drove from wisconsin to arizona and takes on fishing trips all over the place all the time. If you do the basics and understand your car (and most importantly pay attention it) it will be reliable no matter how much of an unreliable piece of shit its known to be.
>>15321239
>not buying the lightest RX7 and making it fast with less power required
>>15321233
>buy an FB
>recirculating ball steering rack
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOPE
>>15319888
This car has less than 1000 miles on its engine, and found itself on 4 towtrucks in as many days.
>>15334618
how?
>>15319934
I've never seen an RX8 on Autotrader with anything like 200,000 miles. Most of them are sold with around 70,000 miles in fact, because people can't be bothered with the rebuild.
>>15335666
I've seen a few around with 100,000mi+ on them on original engines. Looked at one with 150,000mi on it not too long ago with a friend, the compression was so low I was surprised it was driveable. All chambers on both rotors were under 90psi.
>>15333162
lmao you're just casually going to throw a 20b in? Do some homework boy
>>15335880
brb senpai, getting a 787B for my fd ;^)
>>15335593
The engine stopped running 100% correctly, this cause the catalytic converter to eat itself, and the car's ECU got scared and it kept running in limp mode.
>>15336360
So if you're driving a rotary why bother with a cat at all? Why not just test pipe it, as long as you don't like in a cuck state, no problem right?
>>15336063
Surprisingly enough, that's a thing you can actually do, and it's one of the reasons I love rotaries. You obviously aren't gonna get a race engine used, but you can easily build a 4 rotor engine with not a stupid amount of money and make retarded power reliably.
Always remember this about doritos.
>>15336649
>tfw no cats
https://yakima.craigslist.org/cto/5649304736.html
should i jump the gun? and what electrical problem could he be talkin about?
>>15342020
Holy shit dude look at that thing.
You can't seriously be thinking about buying it?
>>15342043
would be a project car, and for 500 bucks, what can i lose? i could even jew him down on the price.
>>15319888
cheap for a reason
>>15342059
I mean I guess if you really want it an internet stranger can't talk you out of it.
That being said for like another $500-$1000 you can find an infinitely better rx7 to start with.
What's the difference between first and second gen RX8's? All I can find is people saying "they fixed the problem areas", well which ones dammit.
>>15344272
>initial/first production run RX-8's OMP system not injecting enough oil, causing premature apex seal wear. (fixed with ecu flash)
>catalytic converter clogging failure causing all sorts of issues like failing side seals, warped housings, cooked oil, etc.
>fuel pump starvation at high lateral G turns, creating a lean spike detonation that shatters the apex seals.
>weak low quality ignition coils not burning fuel efficiently, resulting in excessive carbon buildup.
>bad apples from factory with overall poor quality control and generally blowing up.
>>15342020
lol
>>15319910
Senpai
You lyin.
>>15334618
>/o/ in a picture
>>15344408
So if I was to buy an old one, keep the tank at least half full, get a sohn adapter, ls2 ignition coils, and test pipe/drill out cat.
>>15344799
If you're buying a running first gen RX-8, try to make sure the owner fixed the issues and if he knew his shit. If it has a rebuilt or replaced engine then take that as a good sign too.
The fuel pump starvation issue can be fixed by swapping for a second gen fuel pump. I'd also recommend you install a larger aftermarket radiator since overheating is the rotary engines worst enemy.
>>15344891
Yeah the biggest things I planned on working on were lubrication and cooling.
