Advice?
 

Greetings fellow rotorphiles!

I'm ITS_LA-LA, I'm new here..

I will be buying a 2006 234 Rx8, however from what I can gather (the owners description of what he can see) I think that one of the apex seals on the rear rotor have failed, as you all know causing scoring to the housing and rotor..

Other than that the car is pretty much immaculate, still need to check for accident damage..

It has really clean interior (red/black setup) with a Bose sound system, are the sound systems in these cars any good?

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I have done my research about rebuilding theses engines, the tools I'll need and the processes that will need to be done..

But the problem comes in with my family members, all I get is grief from them saying that I'm buying a piece of shxt, that I'm clueless and wasting my money and they don't want junk around the house blah blah blah..

I will be paying £380 for the car, motor and all the plastics that came off the car..
I also anticipate spending another £1500 for the new rotor+housing (I know about rotor weights) and also I'm hoping this figure will cover the tools needed too..

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So yeah I'm really just looking for advice and guidance, not for people to try and talk me out of it because I have had more than my fair share of that..

I'm 20 years old, I work hard as a binman from 5am-3pm.. I feel like I have nothing to look forward too except for this car..

I keep getting thrown at me 'why don't you just buy a working car? Something like a corsa?'

I don't want something that runs, I want a project.. I want something that I can say I built!

I guess if you're not a car guy you won't get it, I'm definitely done trying to convince them.. So hopefully I can do this because I will be a smug little prick and rub their noses in it!

I've always had men around me tinkering with cars and bikes, I looked upto them but sadly none of them are around anymore to help me with this..

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I appreciate any input I may receive..

Kind regards
Lala

Welcome.
Good luck with your project.
Doing your research first is always a good idea, and members here are more willing to help people who search for answers beforehand.

There are plenty of DIY threads here to help you along.
There is one member currently rebuilding his, redlinenvy.
He's doing a good job posting pics of his progress.
That may help you.

There's also a good engine removal DIY by Rotary Resurrection, a reputable professional rebuilder.
Plenty of experienced members here to help you along.
Don't hesitate to ask questions if you need to.
Have fun!

Thank you for taking the time out to reply to me Big Cajun, I appreciate it!

Do you know if the Bose sound system is any good?

I will be sure to check out the references you've given me!

Again thank you!

Enjoy the rest of your day :)

Welcome to the club! :)

Straight to it then, how does the previous owner know it's blown an apex seal? Have they already removed and torn down the engine? Does the engine turn over? Did they get a compression test?

Or will it just not start and they have assumed it's an apex seal?

And yeah, as far as I am concerned the bose system is pretty darn good! as long as no speakers are blown!

I like my Bose stereo also.
They do have a common problem that I recently started having though.
The door speakers have their own amps and the amp relays can go bad.
Other than that, no complaints.

Try to avoid asking opinions on things like sound quality, looks, etc. Everyone has a different opinion on what is "nice".
Instead, offer your tastes or what you're looking for, and we will answer as best we can.

Good luck with your build

The current owner has no idea what has gone wrong..

From what he's told me about the engine (how it just stopped working, when he looked inside through a hole he saw scrapes on the rotor and housing) but he says its only in one of the housings..

So I've sort of taken an educated guess that the apex seals have gone..

As far as I know the engine is out of the car but he has not torn it down because he doesn't have a clue about how the engine works..

I didn't know that!

More worried about this now than tearing the engine down and rebuilding it haha!

I guess you have a point, I appreciate other people's opinions though..

Not here to start a flame war over the sound system, just looking for the opinion of someone who actually has heard it before..

I like deep bass and clear treble, no distortion... Hate hearing speakers that sound like a tomato can!

I also would prefer to build my own engine than buy a fully functional 2nd hand RX8, because knowing how temperamental rotory engine are when they are not treated properly by clueless owners, I'd just rather not risk it..

I don't wanna risk going from a car worth £2000 to £200 and then have to spend £2000 to fix it again

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...075cc2014.jpeg

Can't get a shot from further back because it's quite cramped


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...74b76e668.jpeg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...5f9352e0c.jpeg

So he scoped it? what "hole" is he referring to? (Edit: I see you say he has removed the engine, so it could be one of many different holes/ports and is more believable that the scoring exists) ...anyways 280 pounds is probably about as good a deal as you can get on the car. even if it didn't have an engine so, I know what I would do if I was in the market for a project car...

How is it for rust along the rear wheel arches and trunk??

Oh, and is it a manual or automatic?

Checked for rust, nothing that I could see! All though there are 2 tiny dents on the left rear arch and a small deformation on the rear bumper but I mean it's really small it's hardly noticeable..

The car is also a manual ;)

What would you do with the car if you were me?

For 280 i'd buy it and if worse came to worst (IE: engine was completely unsalvageable) I'd buy a *new* engine for it and put it in.

Do you know if the tranny has any issues or is it in good repair?

Has it been sitting for a long time?


Excellent on it being the 6 speed! :)

I think you have a good plan if you are confident you can do it.
Get the engine apart and see if you need new housings and rotors.
Get the engine fixed, and then think about other things.
Good coils, cables, and plugs are essential, and be sure your catalytic converter is too.
Any of those failing can cascade into killing your engine.

New engines cost a pretty penny!

Not sure if the transgender is damaged at all, I will have to ask ;)

I could easily go out and get a fully functional RX8 or God forbid a piston driven car..

But the whole reason I want to start from scratch is I am fascinated by rotarys, I want to learn about them inside and out.. I understand how they work, have a basic understanding of how they are stripped and assembled.. The only thing I'm lacking is hands on experience and the tools oh and the car it self but should be getting it tomorrow!!!

Oh and my guess is it's been sat for about 5 months, again this is a very good question!

Thank you

yes they are severely damaged

I've wanted to do this for more than a year now, slowly accumulating knowledge for even longer! But I've been told no on several occasions, I'm at the point where I'm going to do it Anyways..

Pretty much everyone in my family has been constantly been knocking my confidence if I'm honest.. I've had a whole range of things thrown at me from 'You're not a mechanic' to 'You're wasting your money buying a piece of shxt'

But as soon as I start talking specs and technical terms nobody wants to talk anymore lol..

On the way to work this morning my mum said 'I was looking on the internet last night, the engine is really unreliable as people have had to have their engines replaced every 12,000 miles and the rx8 eats through tires like crazy'

I just said 'Mum, they probably did have to have their power plants replaced at 12k miles, but I can promise you they knew nothing about their car! Absolutely clueless!'

Then she carried on to say that in her opinion I'm making a big mistake, I should buy a corsa instead hahaha..

there are plenty of bad stories about rotaries but many good ones too, you dont hear about the good ones tho. my buddy riwwp (hes a mod here) has driven his cross country more than once. he says its the most reliable car hes ever owned

IMO most people who have problems with this car are:

A). Unaware on how much effort and time you need to put into this car..
B). Treat the rx8 like any other conventional car..
C). Don't check the oil regularly/use the wrong oil
D). Lend their car to someone who doesn't have a clue..
E). They are just unlucky!

The amount of things that can destroy your engine (as you know) is astronomical..

But with the right care and know how it can be a good little engine :D

the only major issue i ever had with mine was hitting a deer at 80+mph which totalled my car lol

God damn rotary engines!
Propelling you into dear at a high rate of speed!

Nah for real though you're lucky to be alive!

Piss on the naysayers, you do what you want to and if it ends up blowing up in your face, you can at least be satisfied that it was YOUR choice to have it blow up in your face.

Look at it this way, you are only spending 280 pounds (sorry should I be saying "quid") and you get first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of a renesis.

I'd just be happy sat behind the wheel of my engineless RX8 making braaaaaap braaaaap sounds!