I’m moving back to Ohio soon 1145 miles drive is it possible to make it that far with 100k miles on the motor?

Here’s a video of the engine bay and me reving it if anyone cant point something out to me until i can see it again. Ignore my friend at the end🤣.

 

Does it have a healthy engine, transmission, rear end, etc?

 

As far as I know yes the car is coming from a dealer, I was able to turn it on and what not, seemed to start with ease, but I didn’t drive it because I had left my license at home that day.

 

Do not buy an old rotary without a compression test. Starting doesn't matter, see if it restarts when warmed up.

1000 miles isn't a problem for a healthy RX8, and 1000 miles of pain for a sick one. Total mileage is irrelevant, engine health is what matters.

 

Are there rotary specific units or I can use any?

 

Yes there are rotary specific testers. You can get one from rotarycompressiontester.com for like $300 if you truly plan on getting an Rx8. Although someone in a different thread recently said that they might be on backorder. I'd recommend the kit to anyone who has an Rx8. The kit also includes instructions that also tell you what numbers you are looking for.

The other option is to see if the seller would bring the car to a mazda dealer to compression test the engine.....Then it is up to you how much you want to trust what the dealership reports. Personally for me up in New England I wouldn't trust the dealer. I've seen a couple dealers give really high numbers on old engines before.
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Tests/ Bad signs to look for:

• On a cold start after a minute of idleing shut the engine off then immediately try to start it again (This can point towards a flooding engine>>many potential issues) If an engine is flooding, on the restart it may seem to struggle for the first few seconds while the starter is engaged...due to the starter having to deflood the combustion chamber of whatever is flooding it.
• On a cold start does any blue(oil) smoke or white(coolant/water) smoke plume from the exhaust? This indicates inner engine seals could be gone>>engine rebuild. Running an engine with these issues long term can destroy bearings or catastrophic failure. Main thing to worry about is if the seller/owner has run the engine in this condition. Typically around 100k or 110k miles these issues appear due to the coolant seals just getting old or an oil seal failure. If it is burning coolant, the exhaust may smell sweet and burn your eyes. Once the engine gets up to temp it will be impossible to see a coolant seal leak since a broken seal may have expanded enough to reseal the leak. Check inside the radiator cap to make sure there there is no signs of stop leak (generally has a smell and will make a crusty mess all inside the coolant fill spot.
• Engine has trouble or fails to hot start 90% of the time means low compression from worn down seals+housings>> engine rebuild. NOTE: get the car to idle or drive at normal running temp for about 10 mins before testing the hot start. The temp gauge really only indicates either cold, running temp, or overheating.
• Issues Idling hot, although generally hot start issues appear first. May indicate very low compression or intake/vacuum/sensor issues
• Issues smoothly going up to redline or above ~6500 rpm generally points to a bad fuel pump or issues with the intake valves(usually they get coated in carbon and seize up)
• If you go for a drive with the car and test cold/ hot starts a couple of times that should be enough for any deleted engine codes to hopefully show....don't get fooled by a salesman after he knows you are going to attempt to drive it 1000 miles.
• If It still has the factory catalytic converter you may be able to see if it is glowing red after driving by looking for the O2 sensor. This will indicate not only if the cat is failing, but your coolant seals and rotor side seals may have been cooked a bit since a failing cat will cause the exhaust side of the engine to build up excess heat. The cat failing will also be a sign of poor combustion >> ignition system issues. The stock ignition coils generally start to fail around 30k miles

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Not trying to scare you off, but might as well give you the things that I check for.

 

Thanks man definitely going to look out for these things when I go to test drive again.

 

Where in Ohio are you moving to?

 

Lorain/Cleveland

 

I added a video of the engine bay and me reving it if someone can point anything out for me that might help. Until I can go see it again. Ignore my friend at the end lol.

 

 

Too many mods for my taste. Prefer to get them bone stock. That intake mod is terrible. Hard to tell much from a picture and 5 seconds of exhaust revving.

 

I figured as much, just a thought since I had it saved. Thought posting wouldn’t hurt.

 

Not a problem! You already got some good pre purchase advice. If you can get it relatively cheap it could be a score. You really want to go through it as well as possible before purchase otherwise you may be buying something hardly worth fixing. This car is a lot more than just the engine. You want to make sure everything is intact front to back and bottom to top. Even little interior bits can cost a lot.

 

From what I can tell only wrong interior wise is the dash is starting to crack. Its 4k for the car. But I wouldn’t be able to get it compression tested till after I get since its from a mom and pop dealer.

 

A bit concerning. You really want the test done before purchase to be safe. Ensuring that it can start again once hot is a good way to know compression isn't yet an issue. Only thing is you don't know how long it could last without numbers. I've seen failing engines hot start with no issues due to a good ignition system. $4k isn't outrageous but its pretty high and assumes the car is at least in decent shape. Cracked passenger dash is pretty normal so at least you know you are buying a genuine RX8 .

 

Shooting flames out of the exhaust like that points to the catalytic converter either missing, or destroyed. Or the car is running rich for some reason, which means the cat will be destroyed soon if it isn't already. I hope they weren't revving it out cold.

FWIW the intake is AEM, one of the good ones. The quickest quick health check is if it restarts easily after it is fully warmed up and doesn't die at red lights and stops. Not stalling is not proof of health, but stalling and not restarting is definitely proof of needing to look elsewhere.

Why is the plastic around the exhaust tip missing? This car is giving a lot of losing cues: missing trim, maybe missing engine covers, played out mods... it's not tragic, but if someone can't be bothered to keep the plastic bits on the car, how much are they really paying attention to the engine?

What do you want to do with it once you get to Ohio? There's a version of this where you buy the car cheap and drop in a rebuilt engine and enjoy years of happy ownership/racing/cruising (and replacing the missing random bits). If you just need an A-B car without too many needs, this probably isn't it on the best of days.

 

I was planning on getting a parts car once I got there, just incase. I want to make it a fun daily driver. The car is exactly how the dealer received it so im not exactly sure why those pieces are missing. I know the cat was taken out. In Florida we don’t have e-checks. I’ll definitely ask for a test drive and stall once to see. Hopefully I don’t get any weird looks from the guy💀.

 

I'm of the opinion when I buy a used RX8 that isn't stock, I assume the owner is a bone head and has probably thoroughly trashed the car before wanting to sell it. Previous owner probably ran the crap out of it and now mom and pop are looking for a sucker willing to invest $4k in it. My personal opinion...