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Here is the first UOA of new to me 2010 S2. No idea of when previous owner changed oil nor what oil he put in. Car had OEM oil filter so that was good sign.
I did the oil change with 4 quarts(all I could get out) of penzoil platinum and ran it for 500 miles when I did another change before track day with redline 5w-30 when this sample was taken. I also ran 3 bottles of techron FI cleaner during this period and prior to me getting the car it was not driven for about 4 months over the winter.
Looks like previous owner used 40wt oil and wear looks good. Will sample it again next spring. Car will mostly see track use with some occasional weekend driving.
Chrome maybe a little high for just 500 miles on the oil? There will be some metal left in from the previous change though.
1st report on my s2 pineapple rebuild. So far so good...
This is actually a sample from the 4th drain (and filter). I drained it once just after the install and then did a double change at 260 miles to try to remove any residual metal in my oil coolers and lines plus any new metal from break in. I also kept it under 5krpm until this change so that may explain the lack of new break in metal.
Now ramping it up to the 9k limit over the next 1000 miles before heading to the track next month. I was originally going to change it again just before that, but looking at this I might wait until after.
Last edited by blu3dragon; 07-22-2015 at 05:40 PM.
I've thought about 0w40, I actually tried that in my civic back to back with 5w30 and with similar track time on both. Did not see any benefit. If anything, wear was slightly worse with the 0w40 (but not really significant enough to conclude anything)
Are there any good back2back reports between 5w30 and Xw40 here on an RX8 with track time? I looked but did not see. I guess I could run that experiment myself... I actually have some Amsoil 0w30 that I was planning to put in next. Keep in mind I also have an s2 so higher oil pressure, so perhaps less need for heavier oil to keep the bearings intact, but could still benefit the apex and side seals.
Last edited by blu3dragon; 07-24-2015 at 01:23 PM.
BTW, the concluding theory on what happened to my previous engine was the e-shaft stress failed over time due to a motor that was excessively out of balance from the factory. Very rare apparently, but perhaps something to keep an eye out for if you do a lot of track time and have not had your motor rebuilt & balanced.
I've thought about 0w40, I actually tried that in my civic back to back with 5w30 and with similar track time on both. Did not see any benefit. If anything, wear was slightly worse with the 0w40 (but not really significant enough to conclude anything)
Are there any good back2back reports between 5w30 and Xw40 here on an RX8 with track time? I looked but did not see. I guess I could run that experiment myself... I actually have some Amsoil 0w30 that I was planning to put in next. Keep in mind I also have an s2 so higher oil pressure, so perhaps less need for heavier oil to keep the bearings intact, but could still benefit the apex and side seals.
I have ran and tested a bit of everything but I a boosted and don't track. Worth a test though, I have been on Mobil1 0W-40 myself for years but I am going to try Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 next.
BTW, the concluding theory on what happened to my previous engine was the e-shaft stress failed over time due to a motor that was excessively out of balance from the factory. Very rare apparently, but perhaps something to keep an eye out for if you do a lot of track time and have not had your motor rebuilt & balanced.
how do you figure out how well balanced the motor is, beside the obvious: vibrations at high rpm?
It would have to be dissembled and balanced. Ideally you do it with whatever flywheel you are going to run, etc.
Yep, that's how we found out my rotors were so far out of balance.
Having said that, I never got the "rotary is smooth" thing so much until I got my balanced rebuild in. So, if your engine does not rev all that smoothly, or if it becomes noticeably less smooth revving after some time on track, and your engine mounts are fine, then be suspicious... I actually noticed mine seemed to have some wobble in it as much as a year ago, but figured it was some combination of paranoia and aging engine mounts.
Or, just fuggedaboutit and go drive. I think there is like 1 other reported case of an e-shaft failure to date. If it does fail, well then it was probably due a rebuild anyway, and the only extra parts it took out for me were the eshaft and rear stationary gear which did not add that much to a typical rebuild cost.
What I will say, is if you get a rebuild and are planning to run the motor on track, pay the extra to get it balanced. That should give you a longer lasting engine, even if your engine was not so far out as to cause a major issue like I had.
I have ran and tested a bit of everything but I a boosted and don't track. Worth a test though, I have been on Mobil1 0W-40 myself for years but I am going to try Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 next.
Good info. So, I think what I would like to do is try the next 2 changes using Amsoil 0w30 (since I already have that oil and need to establish a baseline), then switch to Amsoil 0w40 for the next change and see if it makes any difference... I guess it will take me at least a year and a half to find out if a 40 weight is better for my engine. In the meantime I reserve the right to change my mind about what oil to use :-P
If it came from the factory or was a reman the balance is most likely fubar. Back when when people were postulating imagined failure resolutions like worn bearings or fawning on about S2 engine mods it was all in complete defference to this issue. It's not something you can see or really know without actual insight from the people who have put them to the balancer more times than they can remember.
The only way to get a well balanced Renesis is just pure luck or getting it rebuilt by a quality builder that has access to multiple new parts in the extremely well balanced case (within fractions of a gram).
One builder who balanced an ACT flywheel & balancer combo said the ACT balancer required more correction than he has seen from a factory Auto balancer ....
I was having and issue where I was running pig rich so the fuel dilution is not surprising but otherwise looks good. I have about 25,000 miles on this engine, boosted from day one.
First proper run on my pineapple rebuild...
Considering this oil change includes the first time I ran this engine over 5k, and then 6hrs of track time, around half of which were run in 100F air temps I'm quite impressed. I guess the only knock you could give it is that I may have diluted the numbers somewhat with all the make up oil added at the track. All the makeup oil is amsoil 0w30 and that is what I used to fill it after draining this one out.
I'm also running a new RB intake (with K&N cone filter), so good to see no issues with sucking in dust or sand at the hot and dry tracks.
blu3dragon, just out of curiosity, why are you running your oil so long? What I took away from reading this thread and some of the oil war threads is that it doesn't much matter what you use as long as you change it every 2K or so for mineral or 3-5K or so for synthetic, and that premium brands do not provide much advantage over good quality regular brands. Yet your strategy seems to be to run a premium oil for extended periods like you would in a piston engine. Care to share your thinking?
I agree - buy SN rated oil like a Wally World 5W30 or 5W20 and change it often (I change between 1000-3000 miles) with a Mazda OEM filter. Heck Valvoline's oil mixing plant bottles their stuff on the same lines as they bottle private label.
OOOOOOOOOH, Thanks for this, I have been trying to find a better filter and they have an alternative to the RU-3130 (EaAU3570). I just switched to a RX-4140 due to a fitment issue I caused but this is great, I hate having to use a filter that doesn't filter well.
I agree - buy SN rated oil like a Wally World 5W30 or 5W20 and change it often (I change between 1000-3000 miles) with a Mazda OEM filter. Heck Valvoline's oil mixing plant bottles their stuff on the same lines as they bottle private label.
I drive about 12k a year and would prefer to run a more expensive oil for longer periods, rather than a cheaper oil for shorter ones. Hence my experiment. I also have concerns about how a lower end oil would hold up on track as I run at high rpm and 220-235F coolant temps for 20-30 min at a time.
What I concluded, based on my oil reports & driving conditions, is that a good synthetic oil does hold up for 10k+ (helped by the amount of makeup oil I add), BUT the filter might not last that long, and also waiting that long between oil samples meant I missed the onset of my engine failure.
As of now I am aiming for 6k changes with a fully synthetic oil and oem filter. So far I like Mobil 1 5w30 and Amsoil 0w30, but I have yet to try a 40 weight oil. This is based on my annual mileage and track time. For lower annual miles, and less extreme running conditions, then I might go with a shorter duration and a cheaper oil (although mobil 1 is actually pretty low cost in the overall scheme of things).
Last edited by blu3dragon; 10-29-2015 at 10:48 AM.
One of the reasons I change my oil frequently is to keep the OMP lines and nozzles clean.
I don't know if my regimen is right or wrong, but I take my car to the dealer for an oil change every 3K miles. I run one track day on the Castrol GTX 5W30 they put in it, then drain and fill it with either Mobil 1 0W40 or Rotella T6 5W40 (I don't have a cat). That (with top-off) lasts 2 or 3 track days until the next trip to the dealer.
The reason I take it to the dealer for regular oil changes is to maintain a paper trail for any eventual warranty replacement that might be required. They also use the OEM filter. With a $20-$25 coupon, I can't do it cheaper than that, and I don't figure one track day on half 30W dino oil and half 40W synthetic oil can really hurt anything.
This is my pinging/detonating reman @ 10k miles. I have been avoiding heavy throttle @ low rpm and feeding it 1/4 tankfuls of 100 octane to suppress it. Still have not gotten to the bottom of the issue, but I strongly suspect a vacuum leak now. I guess the good news is that it does not look like it's self destructing - yet...
Make-up oil was 1qt of Castrol GTX 5W-30 and 1qt of GTX 10W-30.
07-22-2015, 05:26 PM
But I guess you could say I am not a believer 
