Based on my experience of 24 years with 4 rotaries, I claim that an FB (12A or 13B) engine oughta last 300k miles with moderate (not neglectful and not fanatical) care and upkeep. The main care being

1-don't overheat, PM is change heater hoses every 80k
2-clean sump oil, change oil or filter no later than 5000 miles
3-add 2-cycle, 8-10 oz., to every fillup

In addition, while driving the car:

1-warmup in morning for 1 minute before driving off
2-redline entering freeway only if at operating temp
3-never over-rev

 

Agreed, however I like to change my oil evey 3k. Along with maintinance, flush and change the coolant and thermostat every 2-3 years and if the low coolant buzzer goes off, shut it down and address it imediately. If on the highway, stop, dont try to drive to the nearest service area to find out what's wrong, it's often too late by then. Same for temperature gauge.

 

That's a good list. Really good, actually.

One thing I'd like to state is since a rotary is easier to rebuild than a piston engine, a quickie rebuild shouldn't be out of the question. At 150,000, a simple gasket set, oil o-rings, apex seals and whatever rotor springs and seals that are looking a little less than perfect should be changed. Total cost if you do it yourself should be around $500.

I only mention this because many engines have experienced broken apex seals worn beyond the 7mm spec simply because they were maintained well but not changed in time. I'm talking mainly about GSL-SE and automatic 12As. They live the longest due to the superior oiling of the GSL-SE and the low revs of automatics. Apex seals don't go much beyond 5.5mm height. The quickie rebuild is like an insurance policy which should allow the engine to live another 100,000 to 150,000 assuming the rotor housing chrome hasn't flaked beyond Mazda's spec.

My two examples had pristine chrome. The GSL-SE broke an apex seal at 5.3mm on the front rotor from a failed oil injector (the rear rotor's set were 5.5mm so it failed within the last few years). Too bad too because the apex tips in both rotors were not sloppy at all. At least one good rotor and housing came out of it. No idea on the mileage but you can guess.

The automatic 12A's apex tips were terrible requiring another set of rotors. Apex seals worn down to 5.4mm on both. At least both rotor housings survived. Mileage was 168,000. Smoked too; oil o-rings were dead but oil seal wear was still in spec, thus reuseable. They're not smoking in their new home.

 

Plus driving habits of the owner.

Young ones (like me of course ) = very aggressive drivers who cant drive within the posted speed limit.


Young Once (I wont mention no names ) = ****, it better last since they tend to drive at least 10mph less than the posted limit...thats driving on the fast lane also.

 

Back to the longevity of the motor.
I agree with Trochoid. 3k is the limit on an oil change. What most people con't realize is the additives that are in oil start to breakdown around 1500-2000 miles. Also make sure that you are using a quality oil fiter like fram(NOT). Either an Oem Mazda or Napa's Gold or equivalent.
Change the Air filter before the car can't breath anymore or is dumping tons of contaminents into the engine.
Always make sure that the car is taken out onto the Highway and driven up to full operating temp atleast once a week to keep all of the condensation that forms in the oil pan burnt out.
Last tip. Do not under any circumstances let Wacky drive your car.

 

use quality fluids, wires and plugs, and if you do drive it hard let it idle and cool like a turbo for a few minutes.

I use Amsoil throughout and with thier 7500 miles oil change have had no issues whatsoever, I also premix 2 stroke and eliminated the OMP. Last 15000 miles haven't used any oil from the pan at all.

 

I am thinking of shipping my 83GS to Europe for use there, it has 130k and runs so smooth I can't tell it's idling (this is the smoothest car by far that I've ever owned. I think the 83s were the peak of manufacturing skill). I'm the only one who's driven it in 24 yrs. I figure I don't need to rebuild it since I'll only use it a month or two every year, so maybe I'll only put on 20-30k before I croak and leave it to a grandchild.

In fact, I'd hate to do an unnecessary rebuild because it's already broken-in so well.

But I have nagging doubts!

 

Take that car if you can afford it, is yours a late 83 with the larger axles/bearings. I also plan to have my 2 FBs for life, if I was you I woulld get another 12a engine and have both it and the parts ready to do a rebuild in the workshop, ready for a rebuild when it gets imminent..my 12as run like they are new and both have 155 and 185K on them.

How many FDs can claim that....lol

 

ive got a 251,000mile gsl-se in my driveway, it gets minimal mainanence, and runs like a top.

these cars are tradiational mazdas, if you treat em like sean connery treats women, they love you, and will run forever. treat em too nice, and they will walk all over you.... =)

 

300k is not uncommon, if the body lasts and doesn't get wrecked.

The main reason IMO that you do not see many high mileage cars is that for most people these were second cars or sunny-weekend cars.

- Pete (207k, 60k of that done in 2 1/2 years of drving...)

 

I agree on this. I let my car warm up for like 3 minutes though.

 

I let mine warm up for 5 minutes (when I can) and use Royal Purple oil with a K&N Gold Oil Filter. Usually do oil changes every 3,000 miles but right now, don't have the money to afford a $45 oil tune up (I do it myself), so I'll be hitting the 5,000 mile mark before changing.

My engine is currently at 194 something miles.

 

I change my oil every 2,500 miles. I like to be early. I too let my car warm up for a couple minutes, and let it cool down if I give it a real spirited run around.

 

Oh, forgot... I drive straight off with no warmup as long as the windshield can stay clear, and I generally change oil every 3k. Or 5k. Sometimes 10k, or whenever I get around to it. It leaks about a quart every 1k-2k so actual oil changes aren't all that important. Hell, NSU did not recommend oil changes at all, just change the filter every so often.

But driving off with no warmup is generally not bad, and actually better for the engine. Assuming that you're smart and push in the choke when you're not at a traffic light, that is. Running overrich like that causes faster wear and faster oil dilution.

 

You can safely go 6k-7.5k using the Royal Purple and a good oil filter.
Back in the day, "Us old farts like to say this". A buddy of mine had a Gsl-Se that he used Amsoil and changed every 7.5k. At 200k the engine was still running strong with very high compression numbers.

 

On this very BBS I've seen guys say things like "drive it like you stole it", and "drive it like you hate it". But they've disappeared. Haven't seen them in months, years. I suppose their cars blew up and now they curse Mazdas for being frail.

 

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it.

 

So I understand that the rotary is designed to burn oil, but is the 2-cycle oil needed? Hey, if it helps keep my '84 SE purrrring, I will definitely do it. I would just like to hear a testimonial or two. Thanks

 

The idea behind adding 2-cycle is it's fresh, not used oil, and is designed to burn cleaner/ashless. Carbon build up from dino oils is a problem with the rotary. Any time you can reduce/eliminate the carbon buildup, the better it is for the engine.

 

But, isn't that only for when you remove the OMP?

 

So I took Trochoid's advice and got some 2-cycle oil today...Now, how much do I use w/ a fill up. Also, is there any problem with using an additive to help clean your fuel injectors? I get a rythmic RPM drop while idling at operating temp...like at a stop light. Potentially a dirty injector?? Oh, finally, I picked up some Lucas oil treatment that I plan to add with my next change. Has anyone tried this to help with a slight dowl pin leak? I have a buddy that swears by the stuff, but I have my doubts!!

 

i also start my car and take off i dont see it as a problem...

tho i did blow my engine but thats cause i did all the wrong things lol
driving it like i stole it is one..
doing way to many donuts at 8rpm
omp bein disconected
carb bein shittyly rich
in the end my bearings were toast...

but hay i went to 8k at least 4 times a day for 5-6months so it did pretty good how many engines can hadle constint abuse... no i sould think so..

 

I too fire it up and drive away. I keep the revs low and drive it carefully until it warms a bit.

 

If you keep the mop intact and working, no more than 1/2 oz/gal. For the injectors, try Seafoam or BK44. Some have had success with Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer if the dowel pin leak is minor. If nothing else, it should reduce it somewhat, but don't expect miracles.

 

I am one of those peoplel that have used Lucas Oil Stabilizer. I have put this stuff in my past 2 oil changes and it almost completely made the dowel pin leak dissapear!! You will like it...IT WORKS!! it really worked the second time around.