RX-8 Owners, How Are Your Engines Holding Up?

CGLockRacer wrote: Now you all are telling me this after I got my '09 R3! J/K. I researched and knew what I was jumping into. Here's to hoping I got a good one :)

I'm sure you got a very good deal on it. They're good cars for the money, as long as no unrealistic expectations are had. Don't race any v6 Camries.

Snrub wrote: My RX-8 is a '06 at ~59kms or ~37k miles. From a reliability perspective a lot of stuff has broken that shouldn't have (off the top of my head): catalytic converter, rear shock, ignition coils, clutch cylinder, clutch bracket, fogged tail light lens and there has been rust. I've had it for exactly 3 years today and bought it when it had ~22kms or ~14k miles. I really like my RX-8. It has great handling, feel, shifter, steering, brakes, etc. There are few cars out there at any reasonably price range that deliver these attributes like the RX-8. However, I believe the cheap used car value has a lot to do with higher maintenance costs. Other modern cars barely require maintenance and repairs until they're rather old. Fuel economy is not a great incentive either, but I don't think spending say 15% more on gas over competitors like a Z car is the end of the world.

Ignition coils start to go bad which leads to fouling the catalytic converter. The cat dies and can cause all sorts of fun problems. The clutch bracket is covered under a recall. I think it's pretty common for shocks to only last 50-75k miles, right?

I can't hear you naysayers... La la la...

I got a good enough to deal on mine I will just send the engine off to Pineapple Racing for a rebuild if and when it goes south in 40,000 miles. The previous owner just did the coils, plugs and cat right before I got it. My starter is getting weak, but it still starts fine even with the slow cranking. Fingers crossed!

bgkast wrote: I can't hear you naysayers... La la la... I got a good enough to deal on mine I will just send the engine off to Pineapple Racing for a rebuild if and when it goes south in 40,000 miles. The previous owner just did the coils, plugs and cat right before I got it. My starter is getting weak, but it still starts fine even with the slow cranking. Fingers crossed!

Get a compression test. Slow cranking is one of the first signs.

I did, and it was in spec. That's actually how I knew the cranking rpms were so low, the test results listed them. The 2004 starters were crappy but they upgraded them in later years. I believe that hard starting is a sign the engine is going to out, not slow cranking.

i think he's right, they crank real fast with no compression

JohnyHachi6 wrote: Here's a related question that I've been wondering about. Apparently in all non-North American markets Mazda specified that RX8 owners use 10W30 oil, while in the US and Canada they specify 5W20. Apparently this is to reduce emissions for the tighter requirements here, but may (?) lead to accelerated engine wear. I'm curious if anyone here has heard about this and what your thoughts are. I'm tempted to switch to the thicker oil when the engine warranty runs out. Thoughts?

I run 10W30 and add a couple of ounces of 2 stroke oil to the fuel.

My car took longer and longer to start before the compression test confirmed my suspicions.

Besides, your starter and battery should have been upgraded by mazda....

rotard wrote:

CGLockRacer wrote: Now you all are telling me this after I got my '09 R3! J/K. I researched and knew what I was jumping into. Here's to hoping I got a good one :)

I'm sure you got a very good deal on it. They're good cars for the money, as long as no unrealistic expectations are had. Don't race any v6 Camries.

I got a fantastic deal on my R3, and I got it new! They seemed to be more than willing to get the thing out of their showroom and make room for another miata or something. That plus the great mazda rebates meant I could barely get a base miata for the price I paid for my R3. Of course, the miata would probobly have lasted longer...

I'm not selling mine so resale is irrelevant. I'm sure there's a way to make the engine reliable. Like replace it with a V8. That'd do the trick.

I think we should bump this thread every few months to see how the cars are doing.

Rotard - I remember when you were on the wankel band wagon and then had your engine fail, regardless of everything you did to keep that from happening. I for one appreciate your honesty (along with others real world experience) and it really benefits those of us who have looked at these cars and debated purchasing.

rotard wrote: Besides, your starter and battery should have been upgraded by mazda....

Mine must have slipped through the cracks.

belteshazzar wrote: i think he's right, they crank real fast with no compression

I snorted.

rotard wrote:

Snrub wrote: My RX-8 is a '06 at ~59kms or ~37k miles. From a reliability perspective a lot of stuff has broken that shouldn't have (off the top of my head): catalytic converter, rear shock, ignition coils, clutch cylinder, clutch bracket, fogged tail light lens and there has been rust. I've had it for exactly 3 years today and bought it when it had ~22kms or ~14k miles. I really like my RX-8. It has great handling, feel, shifter, steering, brakes, etc. There are few cars out there at any reasonably price range that deliver these attributes like the RX-8. However, I believe the cheap used car value has a lot to do with higher maintenance costs. Other modern cars barely require maintenance and repairs until they're rather old. Fuel economy is not a great incentive either, but I don't think spending say 15% more on gas over competitors like a Z car is the end of the world.

Ignition coils start to go bad which leads to fouling the catalytic converter. The cat dies and can cause all sorts of fun problems. The clutch bracket is covered under a recall. I think it's pretty common for shocks to only last 50-75k miles, right?

Just remove the cats?

93EXCivic wrote:

rotard wrote:

Snrub wrote: My RX-8 is a '06 at ~59kms or ~37k miles. From a reliability perspective a lot of stuff has broken that shouldn't have (off the top of my head): catalytic converter, rear shock, ignition coils, clutch cylinder, clutch bracket, fogged tail light lens and there has been rust. I've had it for exactly 3 years today and bought it when it had ~22kms or ~14k miles. I really like my RX-8. It has great handling, feel, shifter, steering, brakes, etc. There are few cars out there at any reasonably price range that deliver these attributes like the RX-8. However, I believe the cheap used car value has a lot to do with higher maintenance costs. Other modern cars barely require maintenance and repairs until they're rather old. Fuel economy is not a great incentive either, but I don't think spending say 15% more on gas over competitors like a Z car is the end of the world.

Ignition coils start to go bad which leads to fouling the catalytic converter. The cat dies and can cause all sorts of fun problems. The clutch bracket is covered under a recall. I think it's pretty common for shocks to only last 50-75k miles, right?

Just remove the cats?

Generally, the coils go bad around 30k miles and should be replaced with something better. Destroying the cat is bad, but they also cause other driveability issues. Removing the cat is the only "cheap" way to gain power, but sounds like sloppy ass without a decent resonator.

Cat failure often has something to do with coils, but the coils shouldn't fail so readily. Most other cars never need to replace coils. Shocks shouldn't leak so readily, I've never had one fail on any other car I've owned. A 4-5 year old car should not have rust issues (when they started happening).

Do you drive it in the winter? Do you wash it off after every drive? I'd say that rust is pretty normal for a 4-5 year old car in the great white north.

Loooots of cars don't rust in 4-5 years or more even in the north. Look at a Volvo 850 some time, mine doesn't have a spot of rust on it and it has definitely NOT been washed after every drive and has been driven every winter for 16 years.

rotard wrote:

JohnyHachi6 wrote: Here's a related question that I've been wondering about. Apparently in all non-North American markets Mazda specified that RX8 owners use 10W30 oil, while in the US and Canada they specify 5W20. Apparently this is to reduce emissions for the tighter requirements here, but may (?) lead to accelerated engine wear. I'm curious if anyone here has heard about this and what your thoughts are. I'm tempted to switch to the thicker oil when the engine warranty runs out. Thoughts?

I heard this on RX-8 Club. I used 10W30 oil. I didn't use synthetic because I changed it every 3000 miles. I also didn't have any issues with the engine warranty; John Finger Mazda is good to work with. The RX-8 is also pretty much maxed out from the factory. I used to drink the koolaid, but there's really no way to reliably make it backup its looks. I'm not trying to hate on the RX-8; it gave me 4 years of reliability. I have a feeling that I would miss it if I hadn't bought a car that's simply better in nearly every way.

From what i'm reading they wake up a bit with standard breathing stuff and a Cobb AP...

I still want one despite this thread. With a 4.7 rear end and some bolts ons or something.

A car should not rust in 4/5 years. My 02 protege5 did lots. My brothers 02 elantra still hasn't rusted at all and they have led very similar lives. If I bought a newer Mazda, if would be oil sprayed yearly.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

rotard wrote:

JohnyHachi6 wrote: Here's a related question that I've been wondering about. Apparently in all non-North American markets Mazda specified that RX8 owners use 10W30 oil, while in the US and Canada they specify 5W20. Apparently this is to reduce emissions for the tighter requirements here, but may (?) lead to accelerated engine wear. I'm curious if anyone here has heard about this and what your thoughts are. I'm tempted to switch to the thicker oil when the engine warranty runs out. Thoughts?

I heard this on RX-8 Club. I used 10W30 oil. I didn't use synthetic because I changed it every 3000 miles. I also didn't have any issues with the engine warranty; John Finger Mazda is good to work with. The RX-8 is also pretty much maxed out from the factory. I used to drink the koolaid, but there's really no way to reliably make it backup its looks. I'm not trying to hate on the RX-8; it gave me 4 years of reliability. I have a feeling that I would miss it if I hadn't bought a car that's simply better in nearly every way.

From what i'm reading they wake up a bit with standard breathing stuff and a Cobb AP... I still want one despite this thread. With a 4.7 rear end and some bolts ons or something.

Intakes are a waste of money. The Cobb AP is worth it, but the guy that sells and tunes them isn't the best person to deal with. The AP's are pretty worthless without a good custom tune.

dculberson wrote: Loooots of cars don't rust in 4-5 years or more even in the north. Look at a Volvo 850 some time, mine doesn't have a spot of rust on it and it has definitely NOT been washed after every drive and has been driven every winter for 16 years.

I'm sure it's there, heh.

The rust problems at that age are not normal here. For the record I both oil spray and drive in the winter. I do maintain my car. The manner in which the rust forms is odd too. IMO the body metal is simply low quality. My other half has an '03 Malibu where metal exposed for years didn't rust as badly as spots on the RX-8 did in a short period of time. Rust removal has sequentially occurred and POR-15 applied. :)

They are selling below $10k here in Alberta with 85,000kms or less on them Matt Johnston made around 300whp in one he used in Global Rallycross, it moved!

Personally, I want one with a blown engine to put a LSX in. Ultimate track car if you had about 600hp I reckon...

you buttholes.

now i have half a dozen RX-8's on my ebay watchlist

…I’m north of 175,000 miles now so I’ve got more miles on my rebuilt engine than my original one. I replaced the coils, plugs, and wires around Christmas and I just replaced the radiator a few weeks ago which likely got messed up during the engine swap. Other than that, everything has been fine and the engine runs great.

Does anyone else have a Renesis update to share???