Hopefully I avoid as much flaming as possible and have found the right forum to place this question in. I've read for hours on this site and have found it invaluable so far. However, I haven't found a thread that exactly matches my situation, so I was hoping for some input.

I've always been a huge fan of the RX8, and am really close to buying a 2006 RX-8 6MT with 80,800 miles. I have drove it on a couple occasions and it has started without a problem after 30 minutes on the highway (warm start), has good power (as far as i can tell) and doesn't really show any signs of being a weak motor. It sounds and feels silky smooth. Handles like a dream. It has passed safety tests and emissions standards.

I took it to a local mazda dealership for a compression test and the numbers were not great. I live in an area that is approximately 350ft above sea level, these are the numbers I was given:

Rotor 1: 6.7/6.5/6/3 @ 295 RPM
Rotor 2: 6.7/6.6/6.7 @ 298 RPM

This is where I am right now. I love the drive and feel of the car, but these numbers are scaring me, A LOT!

I guess I am wondering if anyone has some valuable insight or comments to make on this situation. I appreciate in advance. thanks

 

it seems to me like you're out of spec on both rotors.
Cars with low compression can be deceiving, often times they drive and run great despite being low on compression they even sometimes make great power on the top end. I know that' what mine did when the rear rotor was low. I never had any issues with it starting, running while hot, and consistently made 200-210 hp at the wheels on a dyno. Despite that though, the engine did need to be replaced and I chose to do it while still in warranty so as to not risk being left on the side of the road some day.

Sounds like you haven't bought it and despite how much you love it, I'd advise you do not purchase that particular vehicle unless you're prepared to spend the time and /or money to replace the motor as it seems it is also out of warranty. (8 yrs / 100,000 miles)

 

I would advise you to look for another car as those numbers are slightly low. It may be in 2k miles or 20k miles but you will need a new engine soon

 

No good, keep looking.

 

Things always seam to run their best just before they fail catastrophically.

 

Ahh those are the answers I was expecting. It is priced affordably at $6,000 (Canadian $), so it leaves room for some future spending.

I looked at one with 30k miles that ran very similarly to this one, but he was asking (and eventually got) $12,000. From scanning the local classifieds, 8's in the 60,000 mile range are asking $9-10k up here.

I know I shouldn't...but, the price is alluring. I only drive 8-9k a year... sorry, this is me trying to justify it.

 

If you are this set on buying it you just need to make sure you have 5k (could be less) set aside, even if you drive just 8-9k a year the engine could become to problematic to drive anywhere within that mileage. Just wait a bit of time because another one will pop up in the near future.

 

I can speak on the heart break of engine failure. I'm the original owner of a beautiful, yellow 2006 RX8. My engine just failed at 91000 miles. I've done all the required maintenance and had no idea this would be my fate.

My dilemma is whether to spend $7,000 on a new engine and catalytic converter on a car that Blue Book says is worth tops $6000. I love the car but it's 10 years old. Any thoughts on this?

 

Littutor. Try getting it rebuilt. If you have taken good care of your engine then chances are your rotors and roter housings may be in good condition and a rebuild may not cost you too much. Get rid of the CAT and get a midpipe i guess..

 

Can a rebuild be done without removing the engine? Will the car pass a Ca smog test without the cat? Thank you for responding!

 

By "Ca" do you mean California or Canada? Since you said miles and not km, I'd guess California. No, it won't pass CA emissions without a working OEM cat.

Engine needs to come out to be rebuilt. It disassembles fore and aft. It's not like a piston engine where you can pull the head from the top and the pan/crank from the bottom with the block in place.

Ken

 

Thank you for this help. I did mean California. Where would I find someone who rebuilds these engines? My Mazda Dealer has only suggested replacement.