murphhprum

Hey this has probably been talked about a lot on here but I'm having trouble finding the answer. I just need to know what is the best oil and what kind to put in my 94 fd. Im still new to the whole rotary thing so it would helP me out.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Your right, it has.
I just used the exact terms of "kind of oil" and did a search in the 3rd Gen section under titles only. I got 15 pages of threads. Searching on this forum is requisite.
IIRC there are also some links in the stickys in that section too.

I understand your new and we were all there once. But what "Kind of oil" is an eternal debate. The traditional "mineral" oil vs. synthetic. Each have their following and there will probably be some individual responses with those preferences. But I recommend a search under those terms and make your own call. Whatever you choose, use the proper viscosity rating for the climate where you live and a decent filter. And keep the intervals a little closer than a piston engine.
Congrats on your car and good luck.

94rxtt

iTrader: (1)

Hey what's up, I'm kinda in the same position as you bro just bought a 94 FD touring edition and oil was my biggest concern. I did my search so many times and those threads just ended up in a argument,so I understand where your comin from when you say your having trouble finding the ans. So I got in contact with a guy that knows rotary and have been racing rotaries for years now and he recommend me to use Castrol gtx as of now and if I ever disable the oil metering pump go with Mobil 1 synthetic.when it comes to what grade of oil,it all depends on your climate. But keep doin research!!

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

The reason there are arguments is because there is no universal answer. Every car is different and they have different uses, modifications, turbos, owner driver's styles, climates etc.
If you searched for someone else to give you THEE answer and make up your mind for you, your lazy... and probably bought the wrong car. Your friend likes Castrol GTX. Terrific. That's only ONE vote.
Indeed. And afterward make your own choice.

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

I'm always amazed at how obsessed people can become with what type of oil to use. It's really not that big of a deal. Here's what the 2nd gen FAQ has to say: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...05#post5131205.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Pick an oil that is affordable to change frequently and then change it frequently. Given the amount of fuel dilution on many FD's I think that's the only thing oil related that can hurt your car and changing often is the best approach. Factory spec is 10w-30.

I happen to use Mobil1 15w-50. I don't drive the car much and when I do the weather is pretty good and I do track and autocross events. If it were more mileage and all-around use I'd use Mobil1 10w-30 or to save money, GTX 10w-30. I don't buy much into the "don't use synthetic" or "only use synthetic" points of view.

Really though the fuel system and cooling system are much more critical on these cars than oil. Change those more often than you think you need to and use only distilled water when mixing or flushing your coolant. Just MHO but based on reasonable evidence.

One point worth mentioning: if you want to be super-safe with your engine internals, add premix to your fuel tank. Premix oils do a better job lubricating the rotors and housings than the OMP. But that's just icing on the cake - it will not make up for anything lacking in your maintenance schedule.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

+1 on both counts.

snivley whiplash

iTrader: (4)

nicely stated......the oil debate will continue forever, use what you feel is best. change your oil often and change it hot.

bmeyer

iTrader: (5)

Yes I agree. Use your judgment because what works for me is subjective to what works for others. Oil is on of the most debated topics, with little facts to back up one's argument versus another's. I personally use Kendall 10-40 and a Wix filter every 5K miles, but i have an FB and its worked for me.

Only advice I can give is to not use Fram oil filters.

theadrock13

What "dgeesaman" said. ^^

Frequent oil changes are more important to the TT rotary than brand of oil (turbos are hard on oil). Use any name-brand oil and change it every 1-2 thousand miles -- use a viscosity that suits your climate.

Add Protec-R to the fuel with every fillup, without fail. I would never fillup without adding some lubricant to the fuel, even if its a dab of motor oil in a pinch. Premix is THAT helpful.

murphhprum

Ok guys thats great thanks a lot for the help.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Pick a good quality oil and stick with it.
Since you are gonna change it often,think about quality and price.I get stuff on sale.I don't drive my car as often as I should.
..(I like Johnson Baby oil,,gives ya a Slick Ride!>.lol..haha!)

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Ah, the old Fram myth.

Just like the synthetic myth, I wonder how long it will last?

Guess who makes oil filters for Honda? It starts with "Fr" and ends with "am".

snivley whiplash

iTrader: (4)

hahahahaha,

mazda filters all the way for me. rx8 filters on the 13b, hell ya baby......

Greasemonkey686

this was helpful finally a straight up answer.

bmeyer

iTrader: (5)

I know Fram makes Honda filters. They make good filters for them, but not for the normal public. Search on all the car forums about Fram filters and hear what people think. When you're done, cut open an orange Fram and see for yourself, then tell me how good they are.

moon fc3s

can royal purple be used on these cars? more specific 86-91 fc's

snivley whiplash

iTrader: (4)

royal purple is excellent oil just a little spendy for me. with the fb i do changes often at 3k miles=every month and a half on my dd

midnightbluefc

iTrader: (19)

read this:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/synthetc.htm

088

iTrader: (9)

An incomplete and unsatisfactory answer. Idemitsu was the only oil specifically manufactured for rotary engine use, but what makes it special is unclear. Their product sheet specifies "special molybdenum agents", but many synthetic oils include molybdenum in their additive package. On the other hand, as they point out, no one has taken the time to perform a 100K mile competitive analysis, so what reigns supreme is personal opinion, experience, and consensus (if any).

Here are two threads/links I've found interesting:

general:
http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00105.html

engine, gear, tranny lubes:
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...23#post8744923

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Pretty much this. Just keep in mind the vast majority of experience qualifies as anecdotal. Very few can speak about long-term results of a particular oil with an actual sample size. There are very few opinions based on experience I've read on the forum that I felt added real value to the lubricant selection discussions. And there are many. All the rest qualify as a "I use this, my engine hasn't blown up yet" anecdote. My story included.

FYI, Racing Beat and Royal Purple worked together and since then RB has used RP in their race engines. Of course a racing engine has a different stress and life cycle than a street engine but it's a data point for synthetic.

And if you ever want a good case why Royal Purple is good for your daily driven rotary, David Canitz at RP will tell a good story.

Overall I don't think there is such as thing as a "bad" oil for your rotary as long as you're at the OEM viscosity.

David

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

The only bad oil for the rotary is one that's been in too long, has too much fuel dilution or doesn't have the proper viscosity rating for the climate.

My personal criteria for a filter is one that has an anti-drain-back valve, a decent gasket, sufficient filtering media, easily available and priced sanely. When they go on sale I'll buy two or three at a time.

mar3

iTrader: (8)

I used to be straight synthetic 10w-50 with the long interval change to take advantage of that property until I first saw the above observation on fuel dilution. If you've ever flooded the engine and even if you just change the plugs, you can smell the fuel in the oil. Now, its' the cheaper half-synthetic Castrol 10w-30 and the 3000 mile oil change.

In fact, I'm thinking it was dgeesaman whose post I first saw somewhere else making that observation.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

I've cut open many an orange Fram filter as I open my filters after every oil change. And since I just buy whatever filter is on sale when I need it, I generally end up with Fram.

What I have to wonder is how much of this anti-Fram stuff is based on actual failure in the field, and not just some random guy who published a website and complained about the cardboard end caps. And considering Fram OEMs for many manufacturers and it is safe to say that they have millions (if not approaching billions) of filters out there, why aren't we seeing loads of failures?

I'll say it now, and I've said it before: my RX-7 just gets whatever oil is on sale, as well as whatever filter is on sale, when it comes time for an oil change.

Zero10

I agree with you, I don't think cardboard end caps alone are enough of a reason to discredit an oil filter. My golf tdi (and many other engines) have cartridge oil filters and they all have glued on cardboard end caps, just like fram does.

I also agree that fram is probably the most popular (by total number sold) oil filter out there and if they really were absolute crap we would be seeing filter related engine failures all over the place.

On the contrary, I have also seen scattered comparisons between fram filters and other brands and almost consistently the orange fram filters have the least filtration media of all the filters compared. I am saying this without being able to provide links at the moment so I know it is a bit of a straw man argument, but in my own experience I have cut open a couple of different filters for the same car (Orange Fram vs Fram extra guard vs Wix vs Mann vs OEM) and I also found orange fram to have the least filtration media (although fram extra guard has quite a bit more filter media).

My personal stance on this issue is to buy OEM oil filters. The slight extra expense ($1-$5 per oil change) is worth the peace of mind to me.

As for oil choice I just filled my rx-7 with Mobil Super 1000 10W30, so far the oil pressure has been acceptable and nothing bad has happened (over a whole 25.5km) so I suppose I am happy with it so far, but I think on my next oil change I am going to switch to something that I know handles fuel dilution well, such as rotella t 5W40, just for peace of mind as I do plan to take the car to a few auto-x events. As long as you aren't buying the cheapest house brand possibly uncertified oils you can find, and you are selecting the correct viscosity for your climate you probably can't go wrong for most street driven rx7's.