ghost1000

iTrader: (1)

Rx8 problems. An yes I just bought one. It's a 2004 grand touring.

4000rpm at 80mph

Coils fail causing flooding and rough idle

Adding premix is said to extend engine life 30%

Within the next 2 weeks when all my parts arrive I'm installing 4.1 gears because 3.9 cost too much.
Ls2 coils because they last longer.
Mathematically I should get 3 more mpg with the gears.

The only real problem with the rx8 is its size. It's a big car with a small engine. Cool car but needs a diet to be competitive. In the rolex series rx8s used the 20b it is fun to drive

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the FD wasn't any better, it just wasn't under warranty for 8 years, so we don't hear about it as much. how many FD's went more than 80k on an engine? how many FD owners were rebuilding the car from the ground up before the car was 10 years old? your perception of the Rx8 is worse than it really is

and B) the Rx8 actually requires a mechanic. i bought Rx8 #3, because some race shop pulled the dipstick, saw the white goo and told the lady it needed an engine. 4 coils later it runs perfectly.

Rx8 #2 is from vegas, and the quality of workmanship from the dealership is so bad, its probably why it got sold. they didn't adjust the power plant frame, so the engine was sitting on the crossmember. they did none of the updates, like engine mounts, etc, even though the car was there for those complaints... it doesn't help the owner spent $0 on maintenance either.

i find the Rx8 really easy, but its not a corolla.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

The Rx8 really has earned that bad perception. The Rx8 had it worst problems in the hotter climates. They were sold in higher numbers compared to the Fd and had a higher % of engine failure replacements. I actually worked at Mazda for 2yrs and witness 1st hand all the flooding and engine warranty replacements and such. As soon as it started getting really hot outside, the tow trucks started showing up two and three times a day. None of these cars were modified either. Fd never had such a mass problem like that. Stock for stock, Fd was far more reliable compared to the Rx8 (and we all know what happens to the Fd's reliability when it's modified). Also don't forget the modification rate on the Fd was far greater than the 8 and the performance output when modified was FAR greater than the 8. So to say how many Fd made it to 80k isn't a far comparison because we are now comparing stock longevity to modified longevity.

ghost1000

iTrader: (1)

What was the most common point of failure on the rx8

rx7rcer09

the early RX-8's had flooding issues OMP failure clogging cats and so on. mostly in automatic cars, i believe the problem was Mazda put out this new stylish sports car that people loved however knew nothing about the engine or how to take care of it. for example people drove them like grandmas building carbon up causing compression failure, or didnt change the oil when they should of... for example a kid who i went to high school with got a new RX8 i asked how he liked it he said he wished he got the V6 option instead of the 4 banger..... and bragged how his oil changes only had to come every 10K while us Rotary owners can take care of them most people dont understand that its a different engine, now that said i love driving RX8's i almost bought one new but i knew i would be pulling the motor for a REW swap and figured the FD was a better choice since thats what i really wanted.

also i would say a huge problem was Dealerships a lot of techs have no idea what they are doing and charge a stupid amount for basic stuff, for example my current roommate has an 06 they wanted $800 for spark plugs and wires plus Labor and to clean the cat 800$ thats absurd, i did it in our driveway for $150 or when he went for an oil change and shorted him 2 quarts.. we all know a rotary with a lack of oil is bad news... we had to park the car and walk to autozone before something bad happened.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

^You hit the nail right there. Lack of rotary related knowledge is a HUGE problem and it's something Mazda needs to address with the next engine. Now reliabilty wise, the series 2 is far better but not sold in many numbers. Mazda needs to step up and make the next rotary more maintenance friendly. That means a secondary source or reservior for the omp to pull oil from as todays consumers aren't conditioned to checking their oil levels on frequent bases. A large capacity secondary source with a low level warning light will get the customers attention. Also Mazda should implement a cheap carbon cleaning service every other oil change. Just these 2 simple things will relieve a ton of problems.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the mechanic working on it.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i worked for Mazda from 1997-2008, and then for a short period in 2011, and i'm the 18th biggest customer.

the FD failure rate was higher, but i think the point is that Mazdas first task isn't to make some light weight sports car that has 7,000hp, but to deliver something that will start

Montego

iTrader: (1)

me; engine died at 108K miles. Af far as rebulding from the grouns up my car was complete stock for 108K miles. After that it was a DP didn't really tear into until I went single turbo in 2008.

From the forum, that milage is not a rarity either its just that people remember the worst experiences.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

Well you got me beat on time for sure. We both however were their during the hayday of all the warranty claims. I was their form 2006-2008. I don't know what part of the country your from but, down here the constant 90-100 degree weather really enhanced the problems since there are less molecules in the air to help weak compression rotary start. So who knows? Maybe Tim and myself I've seen more bad down here than you have. Oh yea, my stock fd also went 108k before I blew it from over boosting. After pulling it apart, the housings and bearings could have easily gone another 100k (even though the shity 3 piece apex seals wont really last that long under boost as they become far too brittle).

ghost1000

iTrader: (1)

I blame mazda.
I know some Spanish guys who can make 500 reliable hp but mazda engineers are somehow stuck.

With fly by wire u can govern engine warm up times.
Back up resovoir or low oil engine shut off.
Air cool the engine. Just clean up the engine bay.
The rx8 is a big car but its still a tight fit for a 1.3L why?

And I haven't prove it yet but msd on leading compensates for trailing. I do not run trailing on my rx7. I strongly believe trailing misfires cross triggering and bad timing settings cause many failure hurting the rotarys rep

If u have efi without msd ur missing out.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

You don't have to prove anything. Have you not heard about the anti-detonation device? Also your never gonna get a rotary to pass an emission test without the trailing. So passing emissions is what the next rotary will have to do. Lastly, detonation isn't a problem for an Na rotary. NA is what is the direction Mazda wants to go.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i'm in California, and we did 1, single, one, Rx8 engine from 2004 to 2008, it got replaced because it was leaking coolant between the housings. this is better than the Mazda 6 V6's, we were doing one of those a month, at least.

the Rx8 engine didn't start failing here until maybe 2010? its odd that the climate makes such a difference.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

The climate made a Huge difference! Damn near every auto Rx8 engine was replaced in our area. Some on multiple occasions. I was parts manager and having to order engines left and right because they failed compression test. Also your much closer to sea level and have much more oxygen in the air. Not the case here in west Texas.

o5rx8mazda

iTrader: (1)

My Na rx8 coolant temps lingered around 215-217, and 225 with the Ac on in stop and go traffic in Texas heat. Now with a turbo they are 197-203 cruising with AC, and 215 with Ac i stop and go traffic. I am still running the oem cooling system. The biggest failure point in the rx8's are the corner seals. Since the exhaust exits the side housing the corner and side seals get most of the heat eventually one of the corner seals will clip the port and just about trash the housing, and side housing.

ghost1000

iTrader: (1)

The theory 3 sparks from an msd is better than 2sparks 1L+1T. MSD feels better so it might be cleaner.

The msd sparks for 20degrees rotation so its still firing after trailing has done its job, replacing the need for trailing. Sense the leading plugs sit low in the engine unburied fuel in the trailing section will be ignited as it passes the firing leading plug. If I had the proper test equipment I could confirm this.

ghost1000

iTrader: (1)

The automatics are going to make more heat and run at a lower rpm. I wonder if the rx8 week ignition had anything to do with the engine failures. My understanding is the small coils cook on the engine and become week which would cause carbon build up and compression issues.

When I was shopping for my rx8 I noticed most of them had a miss at idle. My friend beat this with ls2 coils so here I am waiting for parts.

whiteweazel21

iTrader: (2)

If you look at current Mazda sale numbers, I honestly doubt they will make a a production supercar/track car. If they can make something light with ~350hp I think that would be their focus.

I haven't driven a BRZ, but it looks nice and they appear to be selling like hotcakes. A 350hp rotary powered 2800lb car would be able to compete at a relative price point for what you get. I just don't see Mazda taking the huge risk trying to appeal to the far edge of the buyer spectrum in their current situation.


Granted, if they made a production version of the Furai, I'd take out a bank loan lol.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

my friend picked up a 1992 Miata the other day, and i had forgotten how much fun that car is. the pedal on the right doesn't do much (and has what feels like 10 feet of travel), but the rest of the car and driving experience is great.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the Rx8 coils do fail, however i don't think temperature really matters. the problem with the coils is that when the spark plugs or wires are bad/fouled/etc, the coil is overworked and it doesn't have any margin for that.

the 90's 626's had the same problem valve cover leaks on the plug wires, and coil fails shortly thereafter

dead coils are bad for the cat, and can't be good for the engine either. the average Rx8 owner might not notice if its running on 2 or 3 coils either.

the LS2 coils won't fail like this, but they don't deliver as much spark at the stock dwell setting https://www.rx7club.com/naturally-as...hread-1035364/

t-von

iTrader: (8)

^ Thx for posting that as I've been having some ignition issues ever since I installed those Ls2 D585 coils.

ghost1000

iTrader: (1)

That's good info. Thanks.
If I have problems with the ls2 coils, ill try a larger gap or the older style plugs.

fmzambon

Hmmm, I did a quick search and it seems that no one posted this already, so here it is: Mazda Rotary To Return In 2016: Report | Reviews | Prices | Australian specifications

The source of that article was also the source of the original article indicating that the 4th gen was scheduled for 2017, so I tend to give them some credit.

Maybe in Mazda they wanted to see the reaction to the possibility of a new Rx-7 and, given the overwhelmingly positive reactions, decided to revise the schedule?

Or maybe they reacted to the several other sports cars scheduled to arrive in 2015?

wstrohm

Even with 300 cc more displacement, it's hard to see how that 16X engine could produce 220 KW (294 hp) without turbocharging.

BLUE TII

iTrader: (9)

300cc/1300cc=23.08% more displacement. 13B-MSP 238hp X 1.23.08= 292.9hp

Plus they have some added efficiency from getting back to more ideal dimensions (12A&13B were derived from ideal 10A design but added rotor width).

Also there would be a gain from direct injection and also leaner WOT AFRs with Nitrogen Oxides scrubbing cats.

If they can't get 294hp they are ******* up.