Hey everyone, i have been a lurker here for a month or two, and really found a lot of the information on this forum extremely helpful!
I have just bought an 05 shinka AT (wish it was MT) but still love the car. I have an absolute blast driving it around. I just upgraded from a 2000 grand am, so the difference feels amazing!

I am having some issues with my car sadly... I just got my engine rebuilt with new seals, rotors, and better seals. New starter n1z3 i believe? (the 2kw upgraded starter) and I have a strong battery in it. I keep having hot start issues though and have to sit 20-30 minutes after turning it on. I know that many rx8's have this issue, but I cant seem to figure it out!

anyways, im not very mechanically inclined yet, and im starting out on the basics trying to learn more and more about my car as each day goes on. I have personally replaced my starter, coils, and plugs, but thats as far as I have gotten. plus the thing uses roughly 3-4 quarts of oil for a 140 mile trip!! its getting pretty expensive lol.

Hope to meet some cool people from here, and learn more about this really fun car! happy driving everyone, and be safe out there

 

If new engine + hot start issues = Check compression to see if not blown. That much oil consumption sounds like it's blown again.

 

Sounds like you need to do a compression test....doesn't sound good. Like CG said...that is a lot of oil to be burning as well.....so if it's leaking fix it...otherwise you have oil control seal issues...and that's not go either.

If you hAve a recent rebuild then talk to the builder....

 

I would talk to the person who "just rebuilt" it. How long ago was that rebuild (mile/km). Sounds like they maybe didn't do what they said they did as those are symptoms of a motor that needs to be rebuilt.

 

Thanks for all the replies, and sorry for the delay in response from me. Been busy at work, but the engine has less than 5k miles on the rebuild. I am taking it in for a compression test today, and I'm praying that it isn't blown already. I have treated it nice and have kept up with all maintenance. I contacted the person who did the rebuild, but I'm not sure I want him touching my cars engine again... might go to rotaryressurection instead!

 

Get in line, lol!

 

So I found where the leak is, one of the bolts on the bottom of my oil pan is missing... i got a new bolt for it but the thread inside seems to be stripped. My mazda dealer wants 290$ for a compression test, and don't really have the extra cash to throw at it for another week or two.

I tried cranking the car today after not driving it for a week, and low and behold, it wouldnt turn.I pulled the plugs and my Lead and trail on the rotor (closest to driver seat) were packed full of carbon buildup. I did my best to clean them up with the tools I had, threw them back in and it started up with a nice cloud of white smoke from the exhaust. After driving it to get food from a drive thru, it stalled out on me and I ended up having to push it through to a parking spot. My 2nd set of plugs were still very clean!
Is this looking more and more like low compression on that rotor, or possibly something else?

RR does have a very long line, might end up sending it back to LA for my guy to "fix" it up ahaha.

 

Compression Test should be $150 at most. Don't forget you've also got Banzai, Pineapple, and BHR that can all do rebuilds. Because leaking oil = no lubrication = dried out seals = you know the rest. Sucks, but sounds like it's dead and you need to rip it's heart out and rebuild it with Viking fury.

 

If you are close or in Ohio and want to make the drive I won't charge you for a compression test. I have a rotary compression tester and would be willing to help you get the car sorted out. Any pictures of the car to share?

 

I keep throwing oil into it just to make sure it the seals dont blow out of it, but currently it is just sitting in my driveway looking pretty haha. Thank you mazdaverx7, but I live in northern california currently, thank you so much for the offer though! means a lot . I will offer the dealer 150 for it and see what they say, it seems like its only a thirty minute ordeal, since I can pull plugs and clean them in around 10 minutes tops. Pictures will come once I get my new phone. I got one of my plugs that had insane carbon buildup that I will throw in asap!

 

It's relatively easy to retap the hole for a slightly bigger bolt. Or to drain out the oil and clean up the hole....and put a bunch of RTV on the bolt for it to seal. It's not like the oil pan bolts are pressurized at all.....

 

If by "2nd set" you mean those in the front rotor, that sounds to me like you're getting water into the front rotor. That'll get things nice and clean, but not exactly normal. The rear plugs are just old.

 

Rotor 1, plug is two weeks old
Rotor 2, two week old plugHope this clears it up a bit. What would cause this much carbon? Is it just running super super rich?

 

I would retap it but I currently don't have the tool for it. Thank you though!

 

I just got my first rotor motor car! It's cool as hell but I'm having a rough idol and it kinda spudders on take off.. shakes alot when standing still.. it's a bit hard to put in gear but it's smooth on the highway .. second gear on is great.. really confused. Any ideas?

 

Read the new and potential owners thread in the new member section. Replace ignition coils, wires and spark plugs if those are over 30k miles. Clean the MAF sensor. Check the engine mounts, they may need replacement.

Also start your own thread in the new member section.

 

Update on my rx8, I just got a compression test done (stole 225$ from me) and my compression is all 7+ in both rotors, at ~200 rpm. The mechanic took out my plug in rotor 2, and a good quart or two of oil came running out. I am guessing my oil injectors are stuck open, and possibly need a good cleaning or need to be replaced. Going to try and replace them myself and since its a rebuilt engine, fresh from my guys shop, I am just going to get new ones just for the peace of mind. Will update as soon as I get this new task finished!

 

I think you have an oil seal issue not an injector issue. There is no way that the oil pump would pump that much oil into the rotor housing. The pump is a fixed volume pump that is varied by the PCM...but even at full output it would take hours to pump that much oil. The nozzles can be fully open and it makes no difference in the oil output

 

Oh so its a fresh rebuild? Well I'd say it was botched. And who puts old plugs in a fresh rebuild. :/

 

I am going to have the mazda tech check it out, if he determines it needs to be rebuilt again, then my guy who previously rebuilt it has no choice but to try again.
This will sound stupid, but would the oil seals be the apex seals? i don't really know too much about the rotary yet, still learning as much as I can.
About the plugs, He said he put new plugs in it when he rebuilt it, but I had to replace them within 1 month of me getting it back because the plugs were getting "wet" from the oil, and wouldn't crank after it had been running. (hot star/hard start). The plugs in the photo above are roughly two or three weeks old, fresh from rock auto. The man who did the rebuild also stated that no rebuild ever has involved injectors or anything of that sort. I mean if he just took it apart, put other rotors in it and new apex seals, is it truly a rebuild?

 

STOP. You better call your guy 1st. If someone else opens it up to look at it you might void his warranty. Then you are screwed.

 

Apex seals leak compression and make the car hard to start when warm. Oil seals leak oil. So there are at least 2 things wrong with this engine.

Injectors are not usually part of a rebuild, but they're​ probably not your problem anyway. They don't flow nearly enough oil to wet the plugs. A proper rebuild uses all new seals, and reuses big parts only if they're​ still in spec. No point in putting new seals against a flaking rotor housing, for example.

 

Here are my compression test results. They look pretty decent by my basic understanding. I have notified my builder about the oil seals as it seems that is the only feasable problem with the engine.

 

Normalized to 250 rpm, those are all above 8. In fact the 7.8 becomes a 9.24, which is above nominal? :o
I still find it weird that there is 0.9 kg/cm2 of difference between faces on the same rotor, on a fresh rebuild.

Hold on, if this engine is oil drenched, of course you'll get crazy compression, the extra oil plugs gaps between side and apex seals. In that case, it might be strong with the oil, and as soon as that problem is solved, real compression may be lower. What did Mazda have to say about that?

You may also want to invest in the upgraded 2.0kw starter model that spins at 300rpm. Once you have it running...

 

With all that oil in there, id say the compression test is likley to be distorted anyway.
Hope you can get this sorted
I once rebuilt a rx4 type 13b bridgeport, put the oil control ring springs in upside down, which caused monumental oil consupotion and blocked out my streets sunlight for a while. Pulled it back down flipped them over and it ran great for years