Oil level question
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oil level question
Does the 8 have an electronic oil level gage/indicator? If not, do you guys just check it constantly? From everything I've heard the rotary burns oil very fast.
#2
Anatomy of a corner...
it doesn't burn very fast... however, i've only had my 8 for a week. i do have plenty of experience with rx7s as i own 3 of em. the 8 has a warning light that will come on when it's low. just check every 300 miles (is this what the manual says? i can't remember) or so and you'll be fine.
FS
FS
#3
Trolling since 2004
I check mine every week and that's babying my car too. In 12,000 mi. and two oil changes I've only added 4 quarts. The needle for oil pressure is a dummy gauge. However my understanding is that Mazda recommends you checking the oil level every other tank of gas. Each car burns different amounts of oil as well as gas. To each their own; hope this helps.
9G
9G
#4
Lubricious
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: SF Bay Area, California
Posts: 3,425
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes
on
4 Posts
No on-dash indicator (would be nice); just a low-oil light. It is recommended to check "constantly" if you call every 500 miles or so "constantly". Up to 1 quart per 600 miles is considered within normal for normal service, though most owners report significantly lower consumption than this. Difference between high and low on the dipstick is about 1.8 quarts. Under extreme service (track) oil consumption can be higher; it's based on rpm.
Really not a problem. Regular oil checks are good practice for any car. We just have to add a little more often than most.
Really not a problem. Regular oil checks are good practice for any car. We just have to add a little more often than most.
#8
Follower of CHRIST!!!!!!!
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 3,241
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have had my 8 for 1,350 miles now and I can tell you that for at least my car the oil consumption is no major deal at all. It drinks very little from what I have experienced but I too check it once a week just in case.
Like they said, Mazda recommends you check it ever-other gas stop.
Since I go 10-12 days between fill up's I just check it weekly.
Like they said, Mazda recommends you check it ever-other gas stop.
Since I go 10-12 days between fill up's I just check it weekly.
#10
Insanely Yellow
My cars and I have a date every Friday afternoon around 4:30 PM. If the weather is warm, out comes the car washing stuff and a few beers. Both cars get their oil checked - valuable on the RX-8, useless on my wife's Honda, but makes me feel better, their tires checked, washed and the gas tanks filled. If it's cold out, we make a trip to the carwash instead of hand washing in the driveway. Can't wait for warm weather to return! But it's just part of a weekly routine, that's all.
Make a date with your -8 for a little "love time" with it - do it every week - wash it, vaccuum it, just drive it, whatever, but then check your oil while you're at it.
As someone else stated, there is an idiot light in case you forget - but it only tells you when you're much too low.
Also, my RX-8 burns a quart every 3000-4000 miles - I'd hardly say thats "burns oil very fast".
Make a date with your -8 for a little "love time" with it - do it every week - wash it, vaccuum it, just drive it, whatever, but then check your oil while you're at it.
As someone else stated, there is an idiot light in case you forget - but it only tells you when you're much too low.
Also, my RX-8 burns a quart every 3000-4000 miles - I'd hardly say thats "burns oil very fast".
#11
Registered
Originally Posted by jenkins-crew
1 quart every 1000 miles, about 2 quarts in between oil changes and you should never have any problems, If you see the oil light come on I would check and add oil immediately...
#13
Insanely Yellow
Oil consumption is directly related to driving habits. If you drive very hard with lots of wide-open throttle and high-rpm running, you will see faster consumption than if you baby it.
I can see the oil level drop noticably after a day at the track, versus, it takes weeks for the oil level to drop in my normal driving habits.
I can see the oil level drop noticably after a day at the track, versus, it takes weeks for the oil level to drop in my normal driving habits.
#16
Originally Posted by Moc247
Does the 8 have an electronic oil level gage/indicator? If not, do you guys just check it constantly? From everything I've heard the rotary burns oil very fast.
Just my $0.02 on the subject,
Bill
#19
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've had my 8 since Dec. '04, and over the 18k miles or so I've put on her, I've averaged adding probably 1qt between each oil change. (Done regularly at 3k mile intervals).
#21
Originally Posted by Kain
well let me just say that when the light comes on your car is VERY low on oil, so don't make it practice I suppose
#23
Insanely Yellow
By design. It feeds oil through crankshaft channels into the rotors for cooling and that oil flows thorugh the rotors out to the side and apex seals where it constantly "paints" a coating of oil on the seals and rotor housings.
At high RPM running, it pumps more oil. If more of your miles are spent at high RPM than average, you will burn more oil than average - that simple. If you spend a lot of time driving aggressively and covering fewer miles, you will have a higher oil use rate per 1000 miles than a guy who is cruising that 1000 miles in 6th gear at 65 mph (and a steady 3000 rpm).
Mazda will not consider your car "out of spec" until it is consuming more than a quart every 500 miles (or was it 700). Your owners manual has the common oil consumption rate listed.
If you call your dealer for 1000/miles a quart consumption they are only going to tell you it is normal.
FYI
Theres been a thousand threads on oil consumption Jenkins. Please read a few of them.
Stew
At high RPM running, it pumps more oil. If more of your miles are spent at high RPM than average, you will burn more oil than average - that simple. If you spend a lot of time driving aggressively and covering fewer miles, you will have a higher oil use rate per 1000 miles than a guy who is cruising that 1000 miles in 6th gear at 65 mph (and a steady 3000 rpm).
Mazda will not consider your car "out of spec" until it is consuming more than a quart every 500 miles (or was it 700). Your owners manual has the common oil consumption rate listed.
If you call your dealer for 1000/miles a quart consumption they are only going to tell you it is normal.
FYI
Theres been a thousand threads on oil consumption Jenkins. Please read a few of them.
Stew
#25
I just searched the forum and think I might have to get my oil pan changed on my new '04. I'm gonna top off the oil and see if the light still comes on periodically, but I will probably have them replace the pan since there was TSB on it. I need to get a list of all the TSB's that were needed for the '04s.