Airtruck

Friend of my daughters shows up one day with this rx8. And 4 months later it wont run. She hates it now and just wants it gone. So 400$ cash and i drag it away. Well so off for compression test comes back 4.9 to 5.0 . ok so motor is done..
has front bumper wrecked rim damaged and needs tires but still like the looks of the car. Never have i drove a rotary before and hope i like. Reman Engine from mazda on the way w/12hr to install.
found a bunch of front-end parts from wrecker this one seemed to be missing parts. So thats all back to original . still need to paint to color match.
Had new coils sent to me waiting for engine to arrive.
So now where the hell is the spare tire??
And where should it be??
Ps: will premix hurt cat or throw codes?

clevernamewithRX8init

Nice, $400 is a steal, you could strip off a couple parts and sell them for that much. Sorry, no spare tire. There are several threads around here for premix, a lot of guys do it. The reason would be to block off the oil metering pump (OMP) so you're not burning dirty engine oil but the extra lubrication won't hurt it. I installed a Sohn adapter that attaches to the OMP and feeds it 2-stroke oil.

wcs

iTrader: (2)

Well yes and no.
Most of the people I know will premix but still have a fully functional OMP

Just wanted to make it clear that you don't have to block off the OMP to premix.

Personally on a NA engine .. meh whatever floats your boat. I'm neither here nor there on it.

As Clever mentioned there is a lot of threads on the topic all with a crazy amount of "Synth vs Dino Oil" threads.

You're just going to have to read them and figure it out what suits yourself ... kind of like a soul searching religious quest.

Welcome to the club.
Looks like a fun project.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

I think it was a great buy at $400, though I would have bought the engine and installed it myself. Premix is a good idea at 1/2 ounce of premix per gallon of gas.

There is no spare tire. It was an option on these cars and Mazda instead supplies a tire inflator kit that's mounted on the right wheel arch in the trunk.

These cars are exceptional to drive. The handling and steering is first class. You will love this car. Be sure to break the engine in properly and make sure you keep up with the maintenance. I change the engine oil on my 8's every 3000 miles, coolant flush every two years, air and cabin filters every 15k miles, plugs every 12k miles or two years, trans and diff oil every 30k miles etc. That's just how I maintain my 8's. Find what works best for you.

Will look forward to more pics of this beauty!!

Airtruck

long thought struggle on having dealer put motor in for 1500$ but comes with warranty and the mech who is doing it was part of the mazda rx8 race team and i figure that he would know whats good and not good as they transfer all the stuff from old motor over. Will be getting second car to build if i like this one or at least a parts car/motor to rebuild as it seems these go thru motors. Will try and catch up on what omb ssv goop and all the slang that goes with the rx8. Now if it was a small block chevy i could show ya a 900hp 9000rpm chevy2 😀

gwilliams6

Tip, while the old engine is out would be a good time to inspect and replace the clutch if there is heavy wear. Not much extra labor, as all is apart already down there for the engine swap. I replaced my clutch while my RX8 was apart for its reman engine. Even though I didnt do the labor myself (my reman was covered by Mazda warranty) , my dealer charged no extra labor to do the clutch, I just paid for the parts. You will never have a better and easier time to replace a worn clutch as now.

Just a suggestion.

Cheers

Airtruck

New tires and brakes 😀

Airtruck

Had to adjust some camber but all squared up

Airtruck

Got a good deal on tires

Airtruck

Set the clock and presets on radio and 20 km on new engine . drives like a go cart 😀

Airtruck

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

When the tech removes the engine, make sure when the lower intake manifold is removed, its cleaned properly and make sure the 5th and 6th port tumblers are carbon free and have been greased per the FSM. This I learned the hard way, is very important. Mazda warrantied one of my engines and they allowed me to hot tank my lower manifold and prep everything for reassembly. The car ran like new with no codes.

Airtruck

So just checked gas mileage after tank full with new engine and car gets 23 mpg or 8.15km per ltr
sounds about right?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

8.15km/L is about 19.5mpg... so that sounds right. 23mpg is on the high end, but achievable

gwilliams6

Just keep up with your oil changes, plus other maintenance (see below) and properly break in that reman engine and you will be ok. Yes you do need to properly break in a reman. Mazda remans now have mostly new parts (as was shown in a recent reman teardown by Paul of MazMart) so proper break in over first 2000 miles is important for longevity of engine. I prefer Racing Beat's break in schedule. That is what I followed with my reman and the engine remains super strong.

http://www.racingbeat.com/mazda/perf...rocedures.html

RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30,000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.

Airtruck

23mpg in british/canadian gal 😀
I had already done the math but is not corrected for hwy/city this was average overall