RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

you're thinking about it backwards, the GSL-SE engine is fine with the exception of the 3mm apex seals, which can be supplemented with later series 2mm parts.

the renesis actually could be improved upon by using the GSL-SE rotor housings instead of the other way around. when i asked jon at Goopy about the modified renesis housings he referred me to GSL-SE housings, so to me that sais the modified renesis housings aren't worth the effort for the previous reasons given. why spend $1000 plus $1500 for new housings to rework some housings that will hardly make it another 100k miles when you could find some good used GSL-SE housings with another 200k miles left in them for $300? or buy brand new GSL-SE housings for still less.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

I bet people think we are the same person when they read our posts, lol.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

it wouldn't be the first time someone has said your shop name in replies, or mine in reference to yours.

which i don't really get, because the only thing they have in common in name is the first word.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

We both have names that start with Rotary- and end in -tion, we usually post in succession on this forum, we both have small shops that offer probably the lowest prices in the US, we both give good and free tech info constantly and do not sugar coat things while doing so, we're both pessimists with respect to the rotary community/owners/cars, and we've both been accused of being ******** online before.

We're like twin brothers separated at birth as far as these people are concerned.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

weird. i do agree that there are a LOT of warning lights in the Rx8 and it takes a while to get em all off, but i've had 3 Rx8's in the last year, and they've been fine, once fixed.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

that is true.


well granted we've only bought this one and it was obviously abused but it seems to like the abuse. being a base model lightning yellow there isn't much else to do with it aside from push the "go fast pedal". possibly related to the flooding and subsequent sitting for god knows how long with no compression it eats oil at a rate of about 1 quart every 500 miles so the oil light comes on between fuel ups.

the power steering is a joke, i've cleaned and retensioned all the connections multiple times and cannot ever seem to keep it happy. i know the battery is on its way out so perhaps that is part of it.

the tire pressure monitors work but with the amount of nails we pick up on the roads it seems like the light is always on with a tire losing pressure at slow rates.

then there is the phantom check engine light on for a crank position code, which i have checked everything and it should be working fine, but it randomly hiccups and throws the code. resetting the KAM didn't do much but probably was needed. i will probably chalk this up to the agency power underdrive pulley throwing off the air gap(which of course is not adjustable...). i was going to nab a new pulley off a core engine before sending it back, but forgot and have procrastinated on getting a replacement, since i hate the underdrive as it makes the car run hotter and the A/C lag.

the SSV works intermittently and probably needs a new solenoid, sounds like someone is chucking rocks into the engine.. the noise gives me goosebumps, not in a good way.

i've got a stack of RX8 fuel pumps with cracked housings, fortunately ours has been problem free so far *knock on wood*.'

every single one of the prosport gauges took a **** for whatever reason, rewiring them properly didn't do anything to help matters. faulty sensors? most likely, these gauges are cheap **** from china and i would never recommend them even to a person i didn't like. they might as well crap in a box and send that to you, at least then you know what you bought.

aside from that, original engine with 92k miles on it now it does the job every day and can be restarted even if you shut it off stone cold. so we were lucky and i don't mind the little inconveniences but it just always has something going on.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

We should change our avatars and locations to match and just screw with people on the forum, it would be epic lulz.

Tui

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like you are saving rotary engines one at a time.

Customisbetter

If you guys change avatars my brain will explode

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

considering we already refer people closer by it probably wouldn't change much.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

LOL. I know what my April Fool's Day prank for 2014 will be. I am sitting here giggling like a schoolgirl with the very thought of it.

Exitist7

Haha you guys are ridiculous. Just curious what do you mean when you say you're both pessimists when it comes to rotary/owners/etc? I'm fairly new to the forums

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

I'm so glad I didn't pick that name I was gonna use.
....RotaryErection.....WTF?.it's taken too!!!!!

Spirit-RE

iTrader: (25)

Lets throw a hint of optimism in this.

Ford Mustang, the Ford Probe was set to be the new mustang, ford changed their decision when they received a bunch of letters from enthusiasts.

BMW M3 E36. BMW was not planning on selling the M3 in America after the slow sales of the E30 M3. Enthusiasts sent a bunch of letters to BMW, and of course, we got the M3(in a slightly watered down version).



Not saying doing this for the rotary will work, but it at least stands a chance. Mazda is very passionate about the rotary and building driver's cars with a soul, I think it'd be a touch ignorant to think that something like this would not encourage at least some high up at mazda.



However it would be very difficult to make the rotary competitive by today's standards. Really isn't a smart financial move, but then again, neither was the FD, and look at the legacy that gave to Mazda even to this day.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Mazda is a corporation and corporations prize cash over legacies.
The Porsche Cayanne proves the point.

Exitist7

This. (And Panamera too. Ugh. Don't get me started on that)

Nate has a point though. And let's not forget this isn't the first time Mazda has come out and said "bye bye rotary" We will have to wait and see what happens. A rotary powered generator powering an electric 7 though? I don't think that's the direction any real rotary "enthusiast" wants. Unfortunately rotary R&D is money spent where bullshit like skyactiv is money banked, easy to guess what a corporation is going to pick.

Idiocy of the masses. We live in a world full of sheep. Look at anything: politics, music, automotive, it doesn't matter. It's all ruined by the same basic problem. Sorry to be so cynical...

clokker

iTrader: (2)

You're not cynical, just wrong.

There has never been a time when you could buy so much horsepower for so little money.
Mazda simply can't afford a vanity project like the rotary while still financing the R&D into other, more viable powerplants.

Besides, Mazda spent decades developing the rotary technology and never overcame some of it's basic difficulties, why do you think they would now?
How would you feel if Mazda sold out it's rotary interests to someone like Pagini and the rotary was again available in a $500k supercar?

In fact, why is it that no ultra-lux, boutique manufacturer has tried to adapt rotary power?
You'd think a company like Lamborghini, which has already trained their customers to expect either a complete rebuild every two weeks or an exciting engine bay inferno, could sell the weaknesses of the rotary as Italian quirkiness.

Exitist7

I think you entirely missed the point of what I was saying, and I'm not sure I grasp yours either...

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

I can tell you this. I drove a new (2012) Mazda 2 today. Yuck. The interplay of gas pedal and clutch pedal was awful (drive by wire). There is a noticeable delay like what my brother's RX-8 had (similar computer controlled TB). It only had the torque of a 12A (understandable from its small engine). Oh and the clutch friction point was VERY wide. You think it's done so you relax your leg but nope, it jerks and complains. Not a fun rewarding driving experience.

The brakes were ok, and the steering was decent. Only two good things.

I wouldn't want to drive one of these daily. I don't get how most people would want something like this. Yet for whatever reason, Mazda designed and sells this to the masses as their little car, while the RX8 is (was) their flagship, and both have the crappy die by wire delayed gratification throttle control system. I can only assume the more popular Mazda 3 has the same thing. Is this what skyactiv technology is?

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Short story: the saying goes that "if you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life". That saying is bullshit. It actually goes, "make your hobby your job, and you will learn to hate your hobby".

Well, for me, I have been involved with these cars daily since spring of 1999. I first got into them because of my personal love for them and their quirkiness. most owners were concerned with tasteful, mild mods to make the car look faster, sleeker, and clean. Then I learned enough about them to start working on them and making money at it. It was a great time because I could turn my hobby into a job too.

The cars were just old enough that you could get them cheap, and some were having problems but they were usually easy for me to find and fix. But they were young enough that not all of them were total pieces of ****, people still wanted to buy them and pay decent money for a good one, and many of them you ran across were clean enough to repair and put back on the road. There were plenty of them in junkyards and you could get parts from those cars anytime you wanted. Tons of stuff was coming over from japan, courtesy of that andy guy who used to sell JDM parts cheap.

I legitimately wanted to save every one that I could by some means, and fix it back up and make it a nice driving car again. So I did cheap work and built a name for myself. I worked WAY too hard for WAY too little money and took WAY too much of my time away from my family and put it into this community thinking that it would be worthwhile, and that people would actually care.

This forum started out as a smaller group of guys who became friends and helped each other...I had more friends on this forum who I felt closer to than those in real life, for a few years. Then the forum got bigger, too many retards came in asking and doing dumb things, mods and members who were formerly friends seemed to turn against each other due to politics and trivial issues, and now we have a huge forum full of people who either don't care or aren't smart enough to read and learn the right way to do things.

"I have a non turbo car and want to make it a turbo. Does anyone have any information about this?". "Are JDM engines any good?". "I want to make 325hp, but I only have $140 to spend. What mods should I do for that much?". "What causes rotary engines to blow up, and how can you stop them from blowing up?". WE RECENTLY HAD A THREAD ABOUT USING RTV AS A COOLANT SEAL IN A ROTARY ENGINE FOR GOD'S SAKE.

As time went on, the demands of working on them have become higher and higher. New parts prices have gone WAY up while used part availability has gone way down. All of the cars have a billion miles, have sat for years, have been abused, neglected, rigged up and improperly modified, pieced together from 10 other cars, etc. to the point where it is nearly impossible to have a clean, straight, "normal" rx7. Nobody wants to put the correct engine and drivetrain in their car, everybody wants to convert to this, and swap to that, seemingly just for the sake of saying they have. And it all makes for a nightmare for the guy charged with making it all work...me.

Over time they have all but disappeared from junkyards, and we are now feeling the pain of having all those rare parts crushed or scrapped. Mazda continually anally rapes us with parts cost increases and NLA'ing a few parts per year, so that makes the cars even harder to build and restore. The drift scene has probably taken 10% of the cars that we had and turned them into rolling bondo piles with gutted interiors, straight pipe exhausts, painted flat black with neon wheels sticking out past the fenders 2 inches.

Now if you have a clean stock or lightly modified 7 that is the way it should be, no one wants to give you anything for it. You can have 5 grand in a car that you can't sell for 3 grand, because the buyers are too damn cheap to recognize what is in front of them. BUT of you have a stickerbombed primer monster, as long as it has megan coilovers and a straight pipe exhaust, you'll have no problems selling it to the forum kiddies for 2 grand.

Half of the people who you deal with are flaky and will make deals and then back out or never be heard from again. You'll sell everything that you post for sale at least 12 times before it actually gets paid for. When you call these people out for pulling that ****, they'll make up some excuse about their family, or their dog, or their baby mama or whatever, and make you out to be an ******* for expecting them to follow through on their word. Some are outright shady and will scam you if you let them. Others are bullshit artists who are going to build a 4 rotor show and race car out of their 86 4 lug non turbo with 189k miles, money is no object for them...but for now they want to leave that original stock leaking radiator in place until they build that 4 rotor. A few are retards who can't comprehend the fact that it is possible to drive a rotary at less than 100% applied throttle....they'll break it and bring it back, and blame it on the mechanic or the car for being shitty, and talk about how awesome their B17Q9 swapped honda used to be.

I've been talked bad about on the internet. I've been accused of being a lazy businessman because I do not want to bow to the wishes of others 24/7/365. I've been accused of screwing people who I legitimately tried to help as best I could. I've been sued. I've been threatened to get my *** whipped. I've had to threaten to whip other people's ***. I've been in many a flame war on the internet.

I've been banned for 5 years from this very forum which I spent hours DAILY on dispensing free and accurate tech advice from 1999-2007, this was due to politics of mods who sided with the new forum owners versus their own rotary community friends.

I deal with illiterate people all day. I answer the same email 10 times per day, 6 days per week, because no one can read text printed on a page. If I sell a part that is not what the buyer thought it would be, it's my fault that they didn't read or look at the pictures. If I ship a part and it gets damaged in shipping despite thorough packaging, I am a shitty seller and it is my fault, and my responsibility to cover every last dime that they put into the deal, even if it means a loss to me due to no fault of my own. If I buy a part from them that they misrepresented or did not package well enough and it got damaged in shipping, I am an ******* for calling them out on those facts.

I always see the cars and the engines in their worst possible state. It is so hard to make a good running engine out of all the questionable stuff floating around, yet you are required to try and use that stuff because of the cost or availability issues of new stuff.

You make a mistake and the customer will try to tell 1000 people. You do a good job and no one will ever know.

I've seen people take perfectly nice cars and f*ck them all up, but the ugly ones get left alone for some reason. Of course, you're usually asked to work on the ugly ones, rarely the nice ones.

For the most part I have to deal with every person I come into contact with a little skepticism and guard in order to protect myself from having my time wasted or worse. The community that I put so much work into, has rarely given anything useful back except forum arguments and claims that I must throw together engines from junk parts because of the price I charge.

For whatever reason, it seems like the majority of rotary owners do not speak English as their first language (or at all). Of course they expect that you should be able to give them full tech support in their native language, free of charge, at any hour of day or night that they see fit, and they will call, email, PM, facebook post, etc. repeatedly until you give it to them or chew their *** out. You want to set your own hours, which should be your right as a business owner...but people are rude and don't care, they'll show up at your house on weekends, holidays, late at night, first thing in the morning, totally unannounced, because they want something and you might be able to help them, so that makes it okay.

CLIFFS: Deal with rotary car owners long enough and you will want to live on another planet, by yourself.

slitherz90gxl

Glad I read this before I decided to buy the 04 rx8 I had been looking at. I love rotaries but I'm starting to doubt that they are a reasonable investment for anyone that wants something other than a toy. From personal experience(I'm in no way qualified to work on a car) and being on this forum for years; rotaries have way too many reliability and maintenance issues to ever be in a mass produced car.

That being said, I wish a company that was financially stable would pick up rotary engines. I think there is some promise to the engine design but well-funded research(and a breakthrough) is needed before it is ever produced with the thought of making a profit in the current economy. I won't be a part of this but only because I don't support Mazda anymore. I'm loyal to the rotary, not to the company.

The person I bought my car from said that you helped him out a lot whenever he needed parts/help with his rebuild. Also told me that if I wanted my engine rebuilt that I should contact you. And your old posts have helped me out a lot over the past five years. So, your good jobs are appreciated. haha. Oh that didn't quote right at all. That was directed towards Kevin.

fmzambon

I posted this in another forum, but I think it matters here too.

Everyone says they need more money before a new rotary can be born, but no one actually checks the data.

Year / Net profit or loss (in billions of Yen)

FY1998 38.7
FY1999 26.1
FY2000 -155.2
FY2001 8.8
FY2002 24.1
FY2003 33.9
FY2004 45.8
FY2005 66.7
FY2006 73.7
FY2007 91.8
FY2008 -71.5
FY2009 -6.5
FY2010 -60.0
FY2011 -107.7
FY2012 34.3
FY2013 (100.0) (forecast, recently revised up from 70.0)

They sold the Rx-8 after that giant tumble in 2000 and with much lower income in the following years. Give them at least until mid 2015 (FY2014), then let's see what's the situation like, shall we?

Andrea.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Very eloquent.

You could substitute almost any self-employed profession for rotary car repair and it would all hold true.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i've almost made the FC ->Rx8 switch, and the Rx8 is WAY better in almost every way. its easier to work on, faster, quieter, rides and handles better, gas mileage is the same, the rear seat is super handy.

and if you think the Rx8 is bad, you need to skip the German cars. my dad has a 2009ish BMW 5 series, and it has automatic lights, which it left on, killing the battery. the car has an "intelligent battery sensor", which needs to be reprogrammed when you change the battery, at the dealership. so the labor to install the battery, and reprogram the car, $200. the battery BTW is $500. the Rx8 can use any battery.

the truth is that using the word investment in the same sentence with the word car, is just a bad idea. the word investment implies that there is an upside to owning the thing, when financially this is not possible with a car.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

could be the battery, but it could be something else too, there is more to the system than the connector…

i fixed the tire pressure thing, you need the correct valve stem cap. its french so the valve stem doesn't seal, and you need the correct cap, which has an oring in it to make it work. i do agree that with the TPMS you know about all the s%*t you have in your tires, its kind of amazing.