There's a pretty good deal that I'm considering on a 2004 rx8 w/50k miles.

Owner claims that it's a starter issue but I don't buy it. White residue under oil cap seems like coolant leak, broken dipstick w/2 deep gouges scared the heck out of me, and a big puddle of oil after someone tried running it after using jumper cables kind of told me engine was a goner.

Any ideas of rx8 longevity on engines, or what would cause it not to fire up? (starter seems sluggish, but dunno if this was battery issue or not (someone was jumping juice to it after all)).

Same old apex seal issue on these mills I reckon?

 

It is normal under the oil cap to get some yellow colored emulsified oil and water as water from the combustion process finds its way into the oil in both piston and rotary engines but long drives will sort of cook it out of there.


I don't think it could have been damaged by flying engine seals as the oil sump is not open to the rotating parts of the rotary engine, unlike a piston engine. But definitely strange, I would want a plausible explanation.


Major oil leak of course is never good and thee is a risk the owner could have run it low on oil.


Mazda did increase the warranty on the engines at one point because of failures but many of these were probably as usual from lack of care and maintanance. The warranty change could have been just for marketing purposes.

I'm sure if it was something simple the owner would have fixed it but he's telling you it could be just a simple problem. Many buyers have heard such claims and it rarely turns out to be true.

You could pull a spark plug from a rotor, disable the spark and fuel (not sure of the procedure on Rx-8 but on 7s you usually pull certain relays) turn the engine over and listen for good, strong, and equal pulses from each rotor face. Repeat for other rotor. Modify a piston compression tester and test compression would be better if sellerr will let you. Testing and tester modification are documented on this site so search.

Good luck!

 

there was an issue with the starters on the early cars. i believe it warranted a part change. so if the battery and charge system haven't failed, then the starter is a likely culprit. i have no idea what could have done that to the dipstick under normal use/operation.

as for the oil leak, you'd need to specifically locate it. it could be something inane or something major. there's no way of knowing until you find it. for reference, i developed a major leak about a year and a half after buying mine and it turned out to be my front main seal.

the series 1 Renesis engines are notorious for failing at relatively low mileage. i've seen theories and testimonies on the Rx-8 board. my opinion? when i read between the lines, i don't find Mazda blameless. i think they cut quite a few corners on this gem of an engine (and on the Rx-8 as a car, as a whole). i think they had many good ideas that needed to be fleshed out before production occurred and they should have used better parts on some things. for example, two of my biggest peeves are the oil system on the Series 1 engines and the fact that the car does NOT have an oil pressure gauge - i mean, come on .... really?????

that said, i think the majority (just maybe not an overwhelming majority) of the failures were owner-based though. people seem to hear the words 9000 RPM and think that everyday is a 24-hours of Le Mans kinda day, you know? thin oils and no common sense? it leads to one ominous conclusion most of the time. my car has had issues, but (knock on wood) my engine is now north of 85,000 miles and it still seems to be pretty strong.

it would be wise to factor a rebuild budget if you decide to get the car. i look for engines every so often (because i want a spare to blueprint and build) and they still seem to hover around $1500 - give or take a few hundred. however, there's no guarantee that they won't need a rebuild either.