Engine swap or Rebuild I need help!!
 

Hey there Rx-8 lovers!
A couple of months ago i bought a 05 manual black cherry sinka edition, I fell in love with car as soon as i saw it plus it was my dream car when i was a kid haha
The car has aroun 125k miles, as soon as i bought it i realized it had cold start problems, and then i found out it has low compression, the previous owner did not take car of such a beautiful car and that makes me mad...
I found a mechanic tahts willing to work on the car but my question is should i get the 1000$ rebuild pack(how many miles you guys think this will give me) or should I swap the engine for a used one with no more than 20k-30k miles? If thats the case can any of you give me a list of engines that will fit with no problem?
Thank you guys!:naughty::ylsuper:

uhh normally hot start are the issues related to low compression.

since you're new here read the new owners thread and then re-read it about ten times New and Potential Owners START HERE!

and any engine will fit if you have a big enough wallet, the cheapest is to get a reman

Thanks for the info sonic!, I'll definitely read that thread...
I do have some money for the engine but I wanna keep an Rx8 engine so my question is can i swap the 05 for a 07 or something like that? is there any kind of list that says which original engines fit?, i understand your point of view of that any engine will fit

rebuild is the way to go
rebuilds there are a few guys that are very good at it
Pineapple Racing
Rotary Resurrection
Petit Racing etc etc ........
check on the forum and you will good quality work. also check the for sale section as some members sell engines ready to install at reasonable prices. My buddy bought one on her from a member about 3 years ago and the engine is still going strong on his car. Like Sonic said though, READ READ READ A lot of information on here, Trust me reading saved me tons of many

Don't let some random mechanic rebuild your engine. Get one already rebuilt by a professional like Pineapple and others listed above. I wouldn't recommend used, unless the seller can prove it's in good condition (with a compression test). Mileage is not an indicator of health.

What are your compression numbers exactly?

Don't expect a rebuilt engine <$3k to be worth shit. The hot start/hot idle issues should go away but you'll still be down on power and it will wear out faster than a proper rebuild.

A proper rebuild should cost more than $4500 though they can easily run $5500+ if you want a really good one from a reputable builder.

I was wondering the same thing. I picked up an '05 with 60psi on one rotor and 30 on the other. Not good at all. I spent a whole day driving to JDM shops all over Queens and New Jersey until I found one that had 105psi. I checked 6 motors at 4 different shops and none were over 55psi until I found this one. Be weary of ordering motors off these shops, if you're near one, just go and check it out for yourself. They will usually pull it and let you compression test it provided you have money in your pocket.

I asked my close friend (a mechanic I trust) if I should rebuild or buy a used motor and he responded: Unless you know exactly what you're doing, just buy one that runs.

I'm technically minded and I have a whole other '05 parts car, so I may try my hand at a rebuild over the winter. Hopefully, I can get one good rebuild out of 2 bad motors.

Good luck!

I don't think anyone can rebuild the engine for a grand.

See, you have to use a rotary specific compression tester on the engines.

Using a piston compression tester doesn't give you any good info. Each rotor face(there is 3 on each rotor) is different, so you could have a face that's failing. A piston compression tester won't be able to detect it.

Also, what your friend said about used engine is true about piston engines. For rotaries, you want to get a properly rebuilt one to get the most out of your money. Used rotary engines are gambles. If he doesn't know about Renesis, I wouldn't take his words.

Check out this thread, there is some good information in there, and links with good discussions on the topic.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...ilders-265177/

I think based on info in the Mazmart reman teardown thread and the compression results on Mr. Pockets' mazda reman (read: better than what I got from OJ Imports), people would be stupid to not just go with a reman.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...azmart-265994/

A basic rebuild to get you a running engine is going to cost $2000-$2500, not including freight. This will get you almost everything re-used and you'll probably end up with compression in mid-90's psi.

Or, you could get a Mazda reman which will get you compression >110psi for $2875.
https://www.gossettparts.com/oem-par...e-n3h302200rv0

I know which direction I wish I'd gone now.

Any LSx engine will fit just fine with minor modifications!

Save the silly comments for your own thread .

~$9k plus the car will get you close to 400 hp LS+T56 with dash, OBD-II port, ABS and AC working. Just gotta cart it down to a guy in Phoenix (that advertises on FaceSpace) and wait a few months for him to do the work.

You'd be better off installing a reman Renny yourself but it's your car, do what you want.

Well, did the swap, she's running amazing! Just a bad knock sensor (reused mine) and a rear o2 (was probably bad before). Very interesting experience, this was my first motor swap. I used to have an '05 back in 2007 and I forgot how much fun these cars are to drive.

I have a whole bunch of extra parts (from parts car and the motor pull) if anyone needs, just PM me to see if I have what you want and I'll give you a price with shipping.

Hey, I know this is an existing thread but for some reason I'm unable to start my own threads. (Help with that would be appreciated too) Anyway, I have an 05 Rx-8 with the 4sp auto. She recently overheated and I'm being told it fried the motor. I'm trying to decide if I should replace the motor or do a rebuild. The issue is I'm not sure exactly what is damaged by overheating in a rotory (this is my first) so I don't know what all I'll need to do the rebuild. Does anyone know what TYPICALLY needs to be done to rebuild a motor that overheated?