Im considering an RX8 soon and was wondering if their is any worry of the engine blowing. I have a few friends with RX7's that had to replace their engines a few times. Im hoping this is not the case...

did you friends have engine mods on their rx7's

did they own FD's, and mod them without doing fuel mods? (or the reliability mods)?

Once again........

Rotaries w/ turbos = reliable w/ POTENTIAL problems

Rotaries w/ out turbos = VERY reliable

(this is assuming strict maintenance of course)

yea they definately were modded and driven hard...i guess that has something to do with it but the engines went out fairly quickly. I've heard about the rx7 engine problem from numerous other people also. It's got me wondering about the rx8 rotary. I havent looked into much yet but it seems safe to say that everyone is pretty happy with their rx8's...

so as long as i keep it N/A the rx8 rotary engine is as reliable as any engine?

An NA rotary, if properly cared for, will be more reliable than most piston engines.

Originally posted by Rich150001
yea they definately were modded and driven hard...i guess that has something to do with it but the engines went out fairly quickly...

Any high performance car that is modded and driven hard will not last long. The more power you push out of your engine and abuse will shorten the life of your motor. Pistion engines are no exception. In most cases people that are unfamilar with rotory engines (especially the FD) tend to modify them like pistion cars, which is also incorrect. They are completly diffrent and require more care to run properly.

Any motor you abuse without proper reenforcement will not last. This motor is the same way, you do as intended then it will last a very long time.

well I'm happy
but I dont want to keep it N/A

Do a search on the topic. There are several threads discussing this in depth.

Like it has been said before the rotary engine is extremely reliable N/A and when properly turbo/supercharged. The rotary is inherently more reliable due to its less moving parts. No cams, etc. to worry about. The thing that kills rotaries is heat. Turbo charging puts off tons of heat and is not properly used can be a potential for disaster.

Long story short, a properly cared for and non-abused rotary will last a very long time.

The thing about the last generation RX-7 is that they had fairly weak water o-rings in the engine. If someone made it to 80000 miles (even driving nice) in those cars on one engine, they were doing pretty good. The small turbos on these cars would die really fast as well. Mazda offers stainless steel sleeves that protect the o-rings but you have to rebuild the engine to install them. Aftermrket o-rings are also available made of a different material to combat this issue. The earlier generation RX-7's would seemingly go on forever and it isn't uncommon to find an n/a 1st or 2nd gen RX-7 with 200K miles + on it. The o-rings were different between every generation. Also realize that the 3rd gen RX-7 had a pathetic radiator, lots of heat in the engine bay with no where to vent to, the most cramped engine bay which helped hold heat in, a pathetic intercooler, a two very small and hot turbos. All of this leads to alot of stress on the engine in those cars. As mentioned here already modified rotaries that have been driven hard or tuned improperly may not last long either.

I have a 1988 RX-7 Turbo II with 188,000 miles. Used as an every day driver for 15 years and still running on the same stock engine as the day I bought it. I have lots of appearance mods that i'm in the process of taking off but no engine mods and never raced it or drove it abnormally hard. As far as the rotary turbo engine goes I can vouch that is has outlasted any other car I've owned.

those third gen rx7 turbos had major engine problems, seemed like the rest didnt know about the rx7s. My friend went through like 7 of those engines. i was afraid of getting an rx8 and having to do the same thing. I cant afford doing that. Thanks...

Bottom line is if you're gonna mod, do it right and don't cut corners to save pennies. If you go "cheap" you really can't complain when you blow it later on.

Rotarygod, i agree with gen3 rx7's having no space under the hood, but name a car that does...

my roommate's friend and brother are both looking to get an rx8...can some one compile a list of the bunch of faults and praises for the rx8? i've read that there were many problems with this production model. i've also read, but i may be wrong, that you gotta change the oil very often. can someone verify this?

First production models usually have bunch of small to big issues.
I would wait until another year or two passes before making purchase decision.

Ultimately, people who bought 1st production models are being test mule for the Mazda on owner's expense.

I suppose the first model year of the s2000 was a "test mule" too huh?

You do realize Mazda has been testing this car for three years. The engine is a 13B........roughly 20 years old......tried and true.

the car kicks ass and soundzero is a schmuck

so no problems so far? i need facts of the faults also

oh and is the horsepower ratings now 238 hp?

Originally posted by kikassboy
so no problems so far? i need facts of the faults also

oh and is the horsepower ratings now 238 hp?

yes 238 HP.

he came on here to hear OWNERS reports, not your personal reccomendation.

Best car I ever owned!

3,000+mi, 2mos, no problems or complaints.

I've read all the whining about HP and don't understand it at all; this car's power band is so big that you don't get kicked in the but with low-end torque, but it rockets you to beyond-legal speeds in no time. Plus, it's awesome on the twisties.

This car is the most innovative, best executed design I've seen.

Looked for a long time before buying (Lexus IS300, Saab 9-3, Audi A4 - I need 4 seats) and this car blows them all away.

Either I got lucky with my car, or there are just a lot of whiners out there.

it doesn't burn oil, it utilizes a very small amount to lube the apex seals; injects it.

Yes the 238hp is true, but this is a vehicle that needs to be test driven to appreceiate.

From my first few weeks and reading these boards, I have not come across any inherent faults with the 8. Maybe things ppl would like to have see done differently.

If you are lookin for faults, as in, tech/mech problems with the car, I have seen none of any major value. If you are lookin for faults in the design, then that becomes a matter of personal opinion, in which, the only opinion that matters to me is mine.

Regardless of the power rating, mileage rating, ppls personal quirks about the design, I still love the car and it's a blast to drive.

Other than that, have your friends look and test drive on their own and make their own decisions. A car is a very subjective thing, we can thread this thing for weeks on end about the pros and cons but when it comes right down to it, regardless, of what the rest of us have said they will make their ultimate deceision based on what they've experienced.

Now.....go forth and test!

oosik: excellent advice.

I have the AT and love it - and that's all that really matters - that I love it.

No major problems here- I probably need to get my oil pan replaced, as it's extremely sensitive, but for now I'm using it to make sure I put oil in the car often enough. I've got almost 5k miles on the car so far. It's the most fun vehicle I've ever driven.

And guys, do a search before you post, please. It's pretty sad when I have to merge two threads with almost the EXACT same titles that are all of 5 threads away from each other in the same forum.

I agree with most of the non-turbo comments. I've owned 5 n/a RX-7's and they all went over 120K with zero engine problems. They all were driven hard and I wasn't exactly religious about the oil changes either. One went 150K before I sold it and it ran fine. Don't have an RX-8 yet so can't comment on it but Mazda spent a long time bug testing it before releasing it.

EDIT - WTF is up with this board? How the hell did I post as Superfly84zx????? Superfly84zx, sorry I don't know how this happened.

Last post was mine. Anybody else get logged in as somebody else???

Yea, Last night I got logged in as FLSTREETSCENE. Strange!!!

Originally posted by Rich150001
Im considering an RX8 soon and was wondering if their is any worry of the engine blowing. I have a few friends with RX7's that had to replace their engines a few times. Im hoping this is not the case...


RX8= non-turbo

the turbo caused most of the previous problems that you speak of.

Rich150001: Name a car that does have lots of room under the hood? How about the 1st and 2nd gen RX-7's. On my 2nd gen with merely an electric fan, there was enough space that I could physically fit inside the engine bay with the hood closed! The 1st gen has a little less space than that but the 3rd gen has everything so crammed together you can't even see everything let alone reach it all like youcan on the previous cars. There is no where for air to go. The point was that the 3rd gen had the least underhood airspace of all the RX-7's and ran the hottest.

Another data point - my '88 gen 2 had 120K miles on it when I sold it (just after getting my RX8). No problems with the engine and I tend to shift at high R's. My 8 has 5200 miles on it and has been flawless.

Note that rotaries DO use oil, both my 7 and 8 use about a quart every 3-4000 miles. That's inherent in the lubrication design. The neat thing is checking your dipstick on a 16 year old car with the original engine after 3000 miles and the oil is absolutely clear!

There is one minor issue floating around about the oil light coming on. If you're down about a half quart, it comes on at about 70-80 mph, then goes off. If you top it up, it goes away, so I keep it topped up! Rumor has it there is a replacement oil pan which we will get as a retrofit that makes the sensor happy and the nuisance light goes away. This has nothing to do with reiliability, but thought we should give you all the facts. Hope this doesn't keep you from getting an 8.
Check this out... http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9437

Ok my first post goes like this..I bought my winning blue RX8 on Oct.12 after selling my wife on the fact that indeed our kids (9) and (2) will fit in the back..for now. Anyways I bought a auto (ouch) so we can split the driving as I commute 75 miles a day. The car was great! Turned a lot of heads and even impressed me with it's pick-up. So we go on vacation (Cabo) and when we get back my baby is in the garage just begging me to drive it. So zoom zoom I go. Next morning my wife had left for work in it and I see a small drop of coolent in the garage floor. As I looked closer I began to see more small drops of coolent only they were older and more dried up. Hmmmm so I make a call to my dealer last monday and they can't fit me in until Nov. 10 so I call another dealer and they get me in today (friday). I drive off in my Honda Civic wait for the call. 10:00 am I get "the call" "Um Mr. Campbell I have some bad news." "Ok fire away" I say thinking they need it over night (I wish). Mr.Campbell you are going to need a NEW engine. He said the seals are bad in the engine and the coolent is leaking from there. Car has 1,200 miles. Min 2 weeks to get motor and fix. I will make the first payment on this thing with a freaking Honda in the garage. Bull!! Here's my list of questions and/or thought's. Would appreacite any feedback..
1. Any chance on Mazda stepping up and extending the warranty?
2. Who and How do I get in contact with "the one" who can decide on this issue?
3. I will be the ginnie pig for some tech to install their first RX8 motor.
4. Dealer said the car will be sitting outside the entire time it is there ( 2 weeks).

Thanks for the help!

RX7 w/ turbos ONLY - Old, crappy, fast, but engines blew like crazy. Even if you dont drive it hard, engines seem to blow in FD.

RX7 w/o turbos - Old, quick, reliable.

RX8 - Brand new, quick, reliable, and bunch more. But RX8 wont have no blowing engine problems as FD experienced.

RX GR8T - I understand. Exact same thing happened to my new RX-8. New engine after 920 miles, coolent leak from bad seal. I've been without mine for 3 weeks today. :(
On the good news side - been in touch with the shop all along the process. The new engine came in complete - new clutch, wiring harness and all. It has the modified oil pan as well. My VIN is in the 8000 range, so it can happen to any of these early models. The first engine was also only getting about 16 mpg in mostly city driving, so we'll see if that improves with the new one.
Spoke with the dealer that sold me the car, the one that is servicing the car and with the customer service folks, but a buy-back or new vehicle was not an option they would consider. My only recourse is the state lemon law. It states that if the car is in the dealer's shop for 30 days during the first 12 months after purchase, it qualifies as a lemon. I expect to get it back on Monday - 25 days after it went into the shop. It is now 2 months since I purchased, so if anything else causes it to be in the shop for 5 more days, I have a case. Lemon laws are different in every state, so check yours to see.
Best of luck to you!

damn, that sucks for you two...Did they state any possible reasons for the problem? Was it that you didnt break it in correctly? Be sure to follow up on a post to see how mazda is treating you through all this, thanks and good luck...

My engine was replaced due to coolant leaks in and out in 3 days. I guess there was an engine in stock.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Haris
[B]RX7 w/ turbos ONLY - Old, crappy, fast, but engines blew like crazy. Even if you dont drive it hard, engines seem to blow in FD. QUOTE]
I MOSTLY DRIVE HARD my 10 yr.old 94 FD W/300+RWHP original engine and turbos. I do not know anyone w/ a FD that can NOT drive it hard..:D

KAS - that is good news.

I feel the dealer that is servicing my vehicle is doing a fine job (they gave me a Tribute with 500 miles on it as a loaner, but it doesn't drive like the 8! ;-)) - they've answered all of my questions and explained what they're doing along the way.

I am concerned in general - I love the car and can hardly wait to get it back, but I will be cautious when I do and watch for any signs of trouble.

As for the break-in, I have done everything right. I didn't come close to high speed (I did take it up to 90 mph one time, but I have held back waiting until it had finished the break-in period), I varied speed regularly, I warmed it up and cooled it down before/after driving, I only used 91 octane fuel, I checked oil levels regularly. I just had the bad luck of having a bad seal.

Perhaps it isn't bad luck - maybe since there was an inherent problem it was good for it to happen early before it led to systemic damage. I will now have a completely new (under the hood, anyway) vehicle with all of the refinements that have been made over the last few months.

Overall, I am happy with MazdaUSA - they are replacing everything and giving me a vehicle in the meantime. If I had it to do over again, I might have waited until the '05 model came out. But then again, I'm not a patient guy either - I probably would have broken down after the new year and gotten one anyway!

Well thats what the break-in period is for. The engine is either going to make it or not.

=)

Yep - you're right about that. Guess I get to start over next week. I'll do the same thing and hope for better results. ;)

My break in period went really well I thought. My wife drives like a granny and I make up for it. So we split the driving time and I guess I had it up to 85 or 90 a time or two, but only after the 600 mile marker.
Car felt awesome to me but as I read the messages on this board I did begin to wonder if I was going to have any of the first year issues I have read about.
I've always felt that most people who post messages are the ones that are unhappy and are looking for answers (ex. me) so I took some of the threads with a grain of salt.
I must say though that I have read several interesting items on this forum and think it is a great asset. Thanks to all of your responses and I will keep this board posted with
Mazda's resolution to this issue.