While at the dealership kicking the tires on my soon-to-be new RX-8 (Lightning Yellow :D ), I overheard a sales guy telling someone that there was a special shutdown procedure for the engine. I had never read that anywhere before and assumed that he was full of it.

Then last night I was looking through the "Mazda RX-8 Quick Tips" booklet and there it was:

"Short Trip Driving Procedure"
Any trip that is too short for the
engine to reach normal operating
temperature; needle in middle
of temperature gauge indicates
normal temperature
The following procedure should
be followed when moving vehicle
a short distance**
1. Start engine
2. Move vehicle
3. Warm engine for 5-minutes
at idle
4. Raise engine speed to 3000
RPM for 10-seconds
5. Return to idle
6. Turn off engine
Tip: Warming up engine
improves engine life
** Moving vehicle at a car wash or moving vehicle to access another vehicle would be considered a short distance

This procedure is not listed in the manual as far as I can tell. Is the procedure above important? I don't think I'll remember to do it every time!

This is primarily to avoid flooding the engine, I think. When the older rotaries flooded it was difficult to clear them. I don't think this is as much a problem as it used to be. I've never had a problem with my 91 rotary, but my 89 rotary did it once, and when the engine finally revived there was a cloud of smoke the size of my garage. I thought I had rooned the engine, but the smoke apparently was just for dramatic effect. Just keep a copy of your description in the glove box and it'll soon be committed to memory.

The main thing is always start the car and bring it as close to full operating temp as possible. It can be a pain to just back it out of a garage to wash it but it's best to take it around the block or let it idle first. Because the 8 is not turbocharged there is no cool-down procedure or turbo timer required.

You don't need to warm up the engine all the way. Just let it warm up half way from C and normal op. temp. Start driving slowly and take it easy. Once it's at normal operating temp, you're ready.

yesterday when I was test driving one they told me to do it this way.

1. start car
2. let it idle for a few seconds
3. rev and hold at 4K rpm for 10 sec
4. Rev up to redline for a split second
5. ready to move.

Common sense is the best policy...
Start the engine and let in run for 1 minute or so whilst you buckle up. Drive sensible, DO NOT accelerate hard, (more than 1/4 throttle) until temp settles into normal position.

If you are iontrested in engine longevity, THERE IS NO WAY that you should ever REV a cold engine to redline.

yesterday when I was test driving one they told me to do it this way.

1. start car
2. let it idle for a few seconds
3. rev and hold at 4K rpm for 10 sec (NO, No)
4. Rev up to redline for a split second (NO, NO, NO= NEVER, NEVER)
5. ready to move.

ok, I knew there was something fuked up about that

its not in the manual with its in the little "quick tips" booklet.

btw since this is southern ca. and its always hot, do i still need to warm up the engine when its blazing hot outside?

Originally posted by tribal azn2
btw since this is southern ca. and its always hot, do i still need to warm up the engine when its blazing hot outside?

That depends - is it about 170F outside these days in SoCal? If not, then the engine is not at operating temperature right after you start it. ;)

"Engine warmup" means to get the engine components and fluids (coolant and oil) to their operating temperature. The coolant gains heat more quickly, so even when the coolant temperature reaches the normal range the engine is not fully warmed up yet. On vehicles with oil temperature or real oil pressure gauges, you can tell when the oil is at operating temperature (Note that the RX-8 oil pressure gauge is an idiot gauge - it shows 'some pressure' or 'no pressure', but not how much pressure). This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes longer than the coolant - so even when the coolant gauge shows the engine is warm, it's not warm enough.

The oil temperature is a better indication that the engine is warmed up, and that all the metal components are at their designed operating temperature. This is crucial because the tolerances in the engine (crank to bearings, rotors to crank, housings, etc) are all specified when at operating temperature, and since different metals expand at different rates, tolerances will NOT be acceptable when the engine is cold (and yes, anything under 170F oil temperature should be considered cold). Running the engine hard when cold is pretty much guaranteed to result in rapid premature wear, due to incorrect tolerances between components.

Regards,
Gordon

Follow the procedures in plasmar's post. It is correct.

The reason for the procedure is to help prevent the fouling of the plugs which will happen over time if you don't follow the procedure. Besides, it's no big deal to do it.

Also, for all New "Rotorehads"; if you've not owned a rotary engine car before, you are probably not used to checking your oil and just leaving it between changes. As the rotary is designed to use a Z"little" oil, it is a good idea to get into the habit of checking your oil evry second or third fillup or so. Again, the rotary is different and requires a couple of extra procedures that you may not be used to but, what the hell, isn't it worth it?
:p

Originally posted by plasmar
Short Trip Driving Procedure"
.......I don't think I'll remember to do it every time!

I know I won't either. I backed it out this morning to wash it and forgot all about the procedure although I'd read it.

It didn't seem to hurt anything, but I don't want to foul the plugs so I'll try to remember next time.

This was an ALL important procedure in my 87 GXL. It would flood at the drop of a hat if not allowed to warm up properly. I finally installed a part sold by Mazdatrix that helps alleviate some of the problem.

Originally posted by ProToolsKid
yesterday when I was test driving one they told me to do it this way.

1. start car
2. let it idle for a few seconds
3. rev and hold at 4K rpm for 10 sec
4. Rev up to redline for a split second
5. ready to move.

WHAT THE F***? Are they on crack?

Originally posted by RotorBoy
This was an ALL important procedure in my 87 GXL. It would flood at the drop of a hat if not allowed to warm up properly. I finally installed a part sold by Mazdatrix that helps alleviate some of the problem.

Wierd thing is, I have never had my FD flood while cold. When I was diagnosing my coolant leak, I would turn on the car for maybe a minute at a time, so the coolant wouldn't get super hot.

Originally posted by boowana


Also, for all New "Rotorehads"; if you've not owned a rotary engine car before, you are probably not used to checking your oil and just leaving it between changes. As the rotary is designed to use a Z"little" oil, it is a good idea to get into the habit of checking your oil evry second or third fillup or so. Again, the rotary is different and requires a couple of extra procedures that you may not be used to but, what the hell, isn't it worth it?
:p

Has anyone found a simple way to access the dipstick to check the engine oil? The only way I can seem to get at it is by removing the engine cover with the rotary emblem. And the car stays hot for so long (especially the engine compartment) that it's very difficult to put your hand on anything.

if you cant even touch the panel how are you supposed to check and top off your oil every 2 fillups?

this car is starting to bother me again.......
________
Blowjob Brunette (http://www.fucktube.com/categories/334/brunette/videos/1)

I think I asked this before, but didn't get a reply. I'm planning on installing a remote engine starter so that I can have the car almost warm before I get in it. I don't always have the time to follow a lenghty procedure like you guys have posted. These seem to work well on piston engines, but is there anything I shoud be aware of, or any ineherent problems with installing a remote engine starter on a rotary?? Thanks...:)

Originally posted by mantisflie
I think I asked this before, but didn't get a reply. I'm planning on installing a remote engine starter so that I can have the car almost warm before I get in it. I don't always have the time to follow a lenghty procedure like you guys have posted. These seem to work well on piston engines, but is there anything I shoud be aware of, or any ineherent problems with installing a remote engine starter on a rotary?? Thanks...:)

mantisflie,

I wouldn't think that there would be a problem getting a remote starter to work with a rotary. It works through the ignition and shouldn't be specific on whether an engine is piston, rotary, or diesel.

I'm not a rotary expert, so I may be missing something specific about rotaries that this would NOT be feasible. If I'm wrong, somebody correct me.

Did you post this question in THE TECH GARAGE (http://www.rx8forum.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=22) section? You might also want to post the question on the ROTARY NEWS (http://www.rotarynews.com/) forum. Definatley should get a definative answer over there.

Thanks Zoomster. Will do..:D

mantisfile,

Here is a thread on the RX7club forum. CLICK HERE (http://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=126042&highlight=remote+starter). There are people there that are using one with their RX-7's. If it works on the "7", it would most likely work well with the "8".

Originally posted by P00Man
if you cant even touch the panel how are you supposed to check and top off your oil every 2 fillups?

this car is starting to bother me again.......

So far, I'm investing in some heavy work gloves that I'll keep in my trunk. But I'm still not going to check oil at the gas station; the car attracts enough attention as it is, if I start pulling off the engine cover at the gas station....

it is a good idea to get into the habit of checking your oil evry second or third fillup or so.


I always thought you didn't get accurate readings if you checked while the engine was running/still warm. Seems to hold true in my car, I get the full line when I check before I leave, with the engine cold, and if I do it running/just after running, it shows up over full.


this car is starting to bother me again.......


eassssy, every little nit-picky issue is getting to you. Just take a deep breath :)

Not only is there a special procrdure for short trips (moving car), but there is a procedure for checking the oil. Let it warm up, turn it off, wait five minutes and check the oil. Any other procedure and it will appear to over filled.

My 6MT requires the clutch to be in before it will turn over, even if its in nuetral, will this affect your remote start up idea, or do you have an auto?

My 6MT requires the clutch to be in before it will turn over, even if its in nuetral, will this affect your remote start up idea, or do you have an auto?


I would think there would be a clutch position switch that tells the car the clutch is fully depressed. Typically remote start on manual cars will call for the bypass of this switch.

I agree, that procedure will be hard to remember to do at first. But hopefully it will become habit over time.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

this car is starting to bother me again.......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


POOMan, I think the oil useage will be a non-issue for you. I found that the oil changes on my 93 RX-7 came long before I needed to add oil. Of course this will be dependant on your driving style but the RX-8 is reported to used only 1 qt per 10,000 miles so they've been able to really reduce the oil consumption.

After you've checked it a few times I think you'll see that you don't have to check it any more often than you would check with a conventional engine, maybe even less often.

Originally posted by jtimbck2
I agree, that procedure will be hard to remember to do at first. But hopefully it will become habit over time.

Is it really so hard?? Never run the engine for less than 5 minutes, and blip to 3000 RPM before shutting off....

Perhaps a turbo timer to let it run on for 5 minutes if it's not warm or somthing would do good...

Originally posted by RX-8 Zoomster
I wouldn't think that there would be a problem getting a remote starter to work with a rotary. It works through the ignition and shouldn't be specific on whether an engine is piston, rotary, or diesel... The fact that the engine is a rotary will not cause a problem with remote starting.

There are ways around the clutch switch. Also, there is a good chance that this manual tranny has an indicator to indicate whether the tranny is in neutral or not.

The problem that you will have with remote starting on this car is that the key has a chip in it that the ignition needs to read before it will allow the car to start. There are ways around this, but to do so, you will defeat that feature, and make it so that one could hot-wire your car.

---jps

Originally posted by RotorBoy
This was an ALL important procedure in my 87 GXL. It would flood at the drop of a hat if not allowed to warm up properly. I finally installed a part sold by Mazdatrix that helps alleviate some of the problem.

My 86 GXL does it too, especially when it's not warmed up. But I came up with a way to shut off the car if it's not warmed up:

After starting and moving the car... while the car is still running, put it in first gear, and set the handbrake. Release the clutch slowly until the rpms drop to idle, then turn off the car.

Originally posted by FredB
POOMan, I think the oil useage will be a non-issue for you. I found that the oil changes on my 93 RX-7 came long before I needed to add oil. Of course this will be dependant on your driving style but the RX-8 is reported to used only 1 qt per 10,000 miles so they've been able to really reduce the oil consumption.

I had heard that the oil injectors were bigger :confused:

Also, I believe the engine is designed with large amounts of oil loss in mind. I use as evidence the 1.5, or thereabouts, quart difference between full and low on the dipstick.

Originally posted by daedelgt
I believe the engine is designed with large amounts of oil loss in mind. I use as evidence the 1.5, or thereabouts, quart difference between full and low on the dipstick.

yup, the sump is pretty big for such a small engine.

Originally posted by plasmar
While at the dealership kicking the tires on my soon-to-be new RX-8 (Lightning Yellow :D ), I overheard a sales guy telling someone that there was a special shutdown procedure for the engine. I had never read that anywhere before and assumed that he was full of it.

Then last night I was looking through the "Mazda RX-8 Quick Tips" booklet and there it was:

"Short Trip Driving Procedure"
Any trip that is too short for the
engine to reach normal operating
temperature; needle in middle
of temperature gauge indicates
normal temperature
The following procedure should
be followed when moving vehicle
a short distance**
1. Start engine
2. Move vehicle
3. Warm engine for 5-minutes
at idle

** Moving vehicle at a car wash or moving vehicle to access another vehicle would be considered a short distance


I have to run it for five minutes every time I move the car??!!!

All that means is that you should allow it to get up to operating temperature. It usually takes much less time than 5 minutes. I usually wait until the temp guage is above the C lines.

Originally posted by daedelgt
All that means is that you should allow it to get up to operating temperature. It usually takes much less time than 5 minutes. I usually wait until the temp guage is above the C lines.

My driveway only holds two cars + my garage so I with the RX-8, I will be shuffling a bit. This will make it awkward.

I'm still not sure this is that big a deal, ie it may not be that important if done infrequently. I think there was a similar procedure for my 2d gen 7, but I didn't find out about it until the car's 11th year. If yer gonna do it every day it may be a different matter, but if it's once in a while/week, I think it's OK. O'course this is based on my experience with the older rotary, so things today may be different. (or to put it another way, I barely know what I'm talking about)

I really think we are blowing these things up out of proportion.

As for oil burning -- there is not way it burns more than an old first gen RX-7 and I certainly didn't have to top off every 2 tanks. Maybe every couple months -- no big deal -- usually no problems until the 3 month oild change anyway.

As for engine warm up -- this is not unique to the rotary -- my Volvo doesn't like short starts sometimes either -- many cars will get a little flooded without proper warm-up. We just don;t really notice, care, or make a big deal about it.

Originally posted by DonG35Miata


My driveway only holds two cars + my garage so I with the RX-8, I will be shuffling a bit. This will make it awkward.

Well, I don't know how bad the flooding is with the REN, but I do a ton short little jigs with my 7 all the time from driveway to driveway. I have yet to flood once. Just do it as you normally would for now, and if the engine ever has problems turning over afterward, you'll have to follow the proper warmup procedure.

Originally posted by daedelgt


Well, I don't know how bad the flooding is with the REN, but I do a ton short little jigs with my 7 all the time from driveway to driveway. I have yet to flood once. Just do it as you normally would for now, and if the engine ever has problems turning over afterward, you'll have to follow the proper warmup procedure.

I thought it was a wear issue, like the engine would have problems or something if you don't run it five minutes whenever you start it.

I'm confident with fuel injection, floods will be rare.

I can't see it giving any more wear and tear than starting the engine, letting it get up to operating temps, and shutting it down.

The reason flooding is an issue, is because the rotary eats a lot more fuel at idle in each combustion chamber than a piston engine. At least I think so :rolleyes:

Humm...I think you all are blowing this "procedure" out of proportion as well.

Piston engines don't like short trips either, they just tolerate them better; but it's still not a great idea to constantly shut an engine off when it's cold.

I've taken plenty of short trips giving my friends quick rides around the block, I've started the car about 5 times today, each time letting it run for about a minute or two and then going a quick round about the block. The engine gets up to temp pretty quick if you drive it, mine came up to the center line around a quarter mile down the road driving it normally, I waited another half mile or so before taking it anywhere near 5k. I don't think this is that bad.

So, if you really don't want to wait for it to come up to temp in your driveway, let it idle for a tad (20 seconds, maybe less - I noticed my initial revs this morning were a bit high and then dropped down where they should be in about 20 seconds, then I started driving...no different than my g/f's piston engine (Camaro never did this...but). Then, like I said, a quarter mile and it was up to water temp, a tad later and up to operating temp I'm sure. So enjoy it around the block before washing it up...what the hell it's not that big of a deal :D.

edit: oh and if you really find it a pain...the car's light as hell, put it in neutral (if you have stick) and push it out of the garage to wash it up :D.

With all due respect, I believe most of you are blowing this way out of proportion.

The rotary engine injects tiny amounts of oil into the combustion chamber. Combine that oil with fuel and there can be quite a bit of "moisture" within the combustion chamber at a cold startup.

If you start the engine and then immediately turn it off (less than a minute) then you leave all that moisture (oil and unburned fuel) inside an engine that probably isn't even above ambient temperature.

The "moisture" will run down the sides of the combustion chambers and will pool at the bottom of the rotor housings.

Next startup and more oil and fuel is injected and more than likely the engine will flood or will be very hard to start.

This is an undue strain on the engine and is completely unnecessary.

It is not required to get the coolant hot, it isn't even required to sit in the car for any extended period of time. All that you really need to do is let the combustion chambers produce some heat to burn off all the residual oil and fuel from the cold start.

I would estimate that with modern technology in the Rx8 that 2 minutes of running would probably be enough. In older rotary engines it was very important to let it run until warm, but that simply cannot be the case now.

Oh and the one guy said that the new engine is designed to burn larger amounts of oil. I also can't imagine that is the case. Oil burning is one of the big problems with passing emission tests so I would imagine that the Renesis burns the absolute minimum and burns it more cleanly than prior versions of the engine.

It just sounds like an over zealous salesman flouting his apparent knowledge.

For what it's worth, any combustion engine should be treated in the same way. It is just that the problem has a chance to be worse on a rotary engine due to the deliberate injection of oil.

Chicane, I agree. The RX-8 was designed for minimum oil consumption. The Mazda data suggests 1 qt per 10,000 miles. When they did that they found that they could also move the exhaust ports to the side. Early attempts at this failed because of excess oil needed at that time caused carbon build up in the exhaust ports if they were side located. I was at the dealer when a factory rep was training the sales people and I recall him saying about the same thing you said. They wanted the engine to always be warmed up to burn off any oil that might pool from just a cold start.

I also think that the RX-8 holds a lot of oil primarily for cooling purposes. They can remove a lot of heat through the oil and oil coolers in addition to what's removed by the normal coolant system. And the longer distance before you have to add oil as marked on the dipstick just means they have a wide margin of safety before a low oil condition will begin to be detrimental. I'm sure most will be changing their oil before they have to add a quart. It was even that way with my 93 RX-7 and the RX-8 has even lower oil consumption.

I'm sceptical... if it's injection and designed well there should be no flooding problems whatsoever, and so this engine should not have a problem here,...

The problem isn't really rotary specific, it's just that most engine wear happens when an engine is cold, piston, rotary or otherwise... so you shouldn't work a cold engine if you can help it as this will accelerate that wear..

These are the practices of fanatics who plan to get the engine to 300,000 miles if they can... so concider this as good advice if you want to baby any car a bit... rotary or not... just like changing the oil every 30 minutes or whatever... Not to say that you shouldn't follow the instructions for changing oil, I knew somone who worked for one of the motor oil people and he said that their testing showed that changing oil more often than recommended improved the life of an engine conciderably.... he changed his oil every 3000 miles and I expect I will also.

Originally posted by DreamWarrior
Humm...I think you all are blowing this "procedure" out of proportion as well.

Piston engines don't like short trips either, they just tolerate them better;

but it's still not a great idea to constantly shut an engine off when it's cold.

I've taken plenty of short trips giving my friends quick rides around the block, I've started the car about 5 times today, each time letting it run for about a minute or two and then going a quick round about the block. The engine gets up to temp pretty quick if you drive it, mine came up to the center line around a quarter mile down the road driving it normally, I waited another half mile or so before taking it anywhere near 5k. I don't think this is that bad.

So, if you really don't want to wait for it to come up to temp in your driveway, let it idle for a tad (20 seconds, maybe less - I noticed my initial revs this morning were a bit high and then dropped down where they should be in about 20 seconds, then I started driving...no different than my g/f's piston engine (Camaro never did this...but). Then, like I said, a quarter mile and it was up to water temp, a tad later and up to operating temp I'm sure. So enjoy it around the block before washing it up...what the hell it's not that big of a deal :D.

edit: oh and if you really find it a pain...the car's light as hell, put it in neutral (if you have stick) and push it out of the garage to wash it up :D.

Originally posted by FredB

I also think that the RX-8 holds a lot of oil primarily for cooling purposes. They can remove a lot of heat through the oil and oil coolers in addition to what's removed by the normal coolant system. And the longer distance before you have to add oil as marked on the dipstick just means they have a wide margin of safety before a low oil condition will begin to be detrimental. I'm sure most will be changing their oil before they have to add a quart. It was even that way with my 93 RX-7 and the RX-8 has even lower oil consumption.

In a rotary some 30% of the cooling is achieved via the oil as it's impossible to route water via the rotors etc... so it's VERY important to have oil coolers.

It's nice that there is a good margin of error in the sump, but that is definitely NOT an indication of high oil consumption... even though the oil is pretty thin... 5w20 !

5W20? Wow! I'm running 20W50 right now.

Originally posted by daedelgt
5W20? Wow! I'm running 20W50 right now.

In what?

My FD. Royal Purple Synthetic 20W50.

It actually seems to run a bit better from when I was running Mobil 1 10W30.

No more oil leaks for one ;) Mileage may be a bit up too.

I have always been a fan of synthetic oil and frequent oil/filter changes, but I have heard (somewhere in this forum?) that Mazda specifically says don't use synthetics. I don't mind burning off a little oil and adding when necessary, but is there any reason synthetics are actually bad for rotaries?

Originally posted by bobm
I have always been a fan of synthetic oil and frequent oil/filter changes, but I have heard (somewhere in this forum?) that Mazda specifically says don't use synthetics. I don't mind burning off a little oil and adding when necessary, but is there any reason synthetics are actually bad for rotaries?

The theory is basically that synthetics don't burn well... so hence they could cause a probem... perhaps with carbon buildup in the side exhaust ports...

Just want to let you know that they are not kidding with the advice not to just back it out of the garage. I did this to wash it. Several hours later pulled it back in. The next day pulled it out again to clean the garage. Went to pull it back in several hours later. It started, but stalled as soon as I let the clutch out. After this it would not start. I tried the procedure in the manual to start it which involves holding down the gas pedal - no go. Let it sit over night and charged the battery. It would not start this morning either. I tried to get at the spark plugs but I cant get my arm in through the tangle of hoses so i gave up and called the road side assistence number. This was a 7AM and I was told that the truck would be there in 2 hours. After 3 hours I called again and was told the truck was called by the police to clear an accident, but another would be there in 1 hour. 4 hours later the truck showed up and took my car to the dealer. The dealer was very good and performed the "unflooding" procedure, and even had time to change the oil, in 2 hours. They didn't even laugh at me, though I was quit embarassed to have had to have a car towed for flooding. By the way it was all warranty work except for the oil change.

The car wash was the only success out of the whole weekend. The Zaino kit worked well and the car again turns heads. Zaino has to be the nicest wax I have ever used. There is no white residue in the creases, and no white streaks on the black parts.

Forgot the picture for those who need to see a washed car:D

I think it's great to give the car a minute or five to warm up. Go ahead and listen to it, check the tires, and look at it when you have to move to wash your wife's car....take a bit of time to check out the car....just don't walk away and leave it running all day, you old fart! :eek:

Originally posted by LL7
Just want to let you know that they are not kidding with the advice not to just back it out of the garage. I did this to wash it. Several hours later pulled it back in. The next day pulled it out again to clean the garage. Went to pull it back in several hours later. It started, but stalled as soon as I let the clutch out. After this it would not start.
Does anyone else think this is absurd in a modern car? Surely there is some kind of fix that Mazda could have come up with for this?

I guess I can now forget about using the car valetting guys who visit where I work. How am I going to get them to follow "the procedure"?

Originally posted by ChrisW

Does anyone else think this is absurd in a modern car? Surely there is some kind of fix that Mazda could have come up with for this?While an explicit procedure is not listed in the manual, it is well known that Audis also do not like to be driven a very short distance nor do Porsches...

Originally posted by ProToolsKid
yesterday when I was test driving one they told me to do it this way.

1. start car
2. let it idle for a few seconds
3. rev and hold at 4K rpm for 10 sec
4. Rev up to redline for a split second
5. ready to move.

OK, why so many myths?!?!?
The ECU & the engine know what to do of each other.
Do the following little test:

1. Start the engine in the morning, or after a long period of being parked.
2. Release the clutch (DUH!)
3. Look at the Tach..
a. The rpms stay put on 2K for a couple seconds
b. Then they drop to 1K & quickly climb up to 2K.
c. After what seems to be 20 seconds of idle time, the rpms finally go down to 1.3K
d. Once the engine rpms are normalized you are MORE than alright to start driving.

4. Whats the temperature? it hasn't even moved from the far left (COLD AS ICE) area; however, the engine 'knows' that its ready to go. Once you drive a mile the engine will be at operating temperature (colder weathers than TX might have to adjust to ambient temperature.)

Just as a side note for you guys who don't like having to check your oil constantly... Be happy you don't drive a VTEC!

Hondas VTEC engines, especially the 2.2L in the Prelude, is an oil hog! It's a known characteristic of the engine and just a fact of life for us. My car will drink 3 quarts in 3000 miles easy! Of course, it's directly related to how often you drive the car on the top end, when the VTEC is engaged.. and I'm up there rather often :)

So.. it aint so bad :)

Every RX-7 I've had was very sensitive to this (I've had 4). The result of not warming it up for at least a couple minutes is usually hard starting, smoking, etc. My '86 would flood out but this was more of an issue with sticking injectors common to the 2nd gen RX-7. My '93 does not like it as well (hard starting, some smoke). Same with my '79 and an '84 which I had. Yes, annoying in a modern auto but one of the quirks you have to live with when you have a rotary engine. Just warm it up for at least a minute or more and you won't have any issues...

I've actually started my car up, pulled it out of the garage to wash it and tunred it off 30 sec later... done this several times already and didn't even have a hint of a problem < shrug >

> I've actually started my car up, pulled it out of the garage to wash it and
> tunred it off 30 sec later... done this several times already and didn't even
> have a hint of a problem < shrug >

The first 'hint' you'll have is that the engine will spin and spin and spin and not start. ;> Or it may start but run impossibly rough (If it's carbon fouled).

Rotaries just do this.. Keep the ATF on hand. ;>

Seriously, though, it's just like comparing the idiosyncrasies of a turboprop with a piston. 'But.. but.. we haven't had to pull the props through with a piston for years!'...

While engineering has advanced a great deal in the past hundred years, the rotary engine is still teething compared to the 'venerable' piston- And it hasn't had the usage base of the turbine to refine it as much.

Still, it's a fantastic engine and in my opinion a better inherent design than a boinger. Reciprocating mass is an engineering disaster. Give it time and we WILL see the rotary refined even more. For now, enjoy the benefits it DOES provide as all of us rotorheads (automotive and aeromotive) have, and respect its quirks.

-Kysh

sorry that happened
you car looks great
I will keep this in mind to let it run