New S2 Owner and Compression Test Results (And Other Questions)
12-05-2016, 07:35 AM
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New S2 Owner and Compression Test Results (And Other Questions)
Hi guys, first I wanted to say thank you for the informative forum. This is the first time I got my hands on a rotary engine and while not mechanically inclined (extremely motivated though and willing to learn) I decided to take the plunge. And so far the forum has been of great help and I've been learning a lot. 
I got a 2009 RX8 GT (automatic... No, don't judge me.... the car is not for me. It's actually for the girlfriend and she's very thrilled about it. I drive a Speed6 but that's another story for another day I guess) with a little bit over 60K miles (I went for the S2 since it seemed like the S1s were plagued with too many issues). The car is beautiful and definitely a joy to drive despite the fact that it's not a manual. I checked the Carfax and also talked with Mazda to double check and the car only had 2 owners (therefore making me and the GF the 3rd) and was a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle by Mazda.
When I bought it, it still had some of the powertrain warranty left (just a few days, it expired last week). So I rushed to the dealer and got a compression test done literally a day before the warranty was over. The results were the following:
I ask because the service manager said that the results were "good" and never gave anything regarding hints or suggestions pointing towards a reman engine. He did suggest getting an extended warranty on the car through an underwriter that the dealer works with (Fidelity Warranty Services) and given the nature of the car, I have been considering getting one even before he had brought up the subject. If I remember correctly they were offering 4yrs/60K mi. for $3500 for the platinum protection.
Which brings up the following question:
Is this a good warranty? Is the price decent? Does anyone have any experience with this company? What are your thoughts about them? Any recommendations regarding providers?
I understand that these questions can be relative/subjective but I'm just interested in what people think. I read the warranty terms (I will provide a link to the documents below for those that are interested) and it appears that they don't cover issues with carbonation, overheating, oil sludge, coolant problems (which seems to be the RX8s executioner) which is one of the main things I am concerned about.
https://1drv.ms/b/s!Av8JYdVcL5YZgR7FzLNblJaKapMM
When I took the car to get the compression test done, the service tech showed me the spark plugs and they had some carbon build up on them. He told me chances were that they had never been changed. The fact that the car was still running decently with them baffles me.
Nonetheless I decided to be proactive about things. Per the forums recommendations, I bought new ignition coils, wires and spark plugs from Mazmart (thanks for the help Paul!) along with a new air filter, an oil change (I decided to go for 5w20 since I haven't made up my mind on what oil to go for yet) and just added its first quart after passing the 1K mi. mark (Castrol GTX 5w20).
When I took out the old spark plugs (besides the fact that they had some carbon build up) they were covered with some oil sludge. I figured that was just happening due to the fact that the plugs weren't giving proper spark, seeing how old they were and all. So now the engine seems to start without having to be cranked for so long/often and seems to run a little bit smoother (I'm still keeping my eyes on it though). In the oncoming weeks, I plan to clean the MAF and TB, perform a radiator flush, checkout the cat, possibly do more research to see how I can clean the oil lines (still reading on that) and follow everything on the 30K, 60K, 90K maintenance guidelines given here.
Apologies for the long post and I welcome everyone's suggestions and recommendations.
Thanks.
RW
I got a 2009 RX8 GT (automatic... No, don't judge me.... the car is not for me. It's actually for the girlfriend and she's very thrilled about it. I drive a Speed6 but that's another story for another day I guess) with a little bit over 60K miles (I went for the S2 since it seemed like the S1s were plagued with too many issues). The car is beautiful and definitely a joy to drive despite the fact that it's not a manual. I checked the Carfax and also talked with Mazda to double check and the car only had 2 owners (therefore making me and the GF the 3rd) and was a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle by Mazda.
When I bought it, it still had some of the powertrain warranty left (just a few days, it expired last week). So I rushed to the dealer and got a compression test done literally a day before the warranty was over. The results were the following:
Rotor 1: 6.8, 6.9, 6.8
Rotor 2: 6.8, 6.7, 6.9
I know I'm supposed to provide the starter data, rpm and whether it was normalized or not but the service manager did not provide that information for me (I could always ask if needed). So for sake of argument, I'm going to assume for now that the results adhere to what the forum considers good testing protocol. I also understand that on the articles for new members/owners these results are considered as officially failing.
So my question is... Would I be able to go to Mazda (or dealer) and ask for a reman engine with these given results?
I know I'm supposed to provide the starter data, rpm and whether it was normalized or not but the service manager did not provide that information for me (I could always ask if needed). So for sake of argument, I'm going to assume for now that the results adhere to what the forum considers good testing protocol. I also understand that on the articles for new members/owners these results are considered as officially failing.
Or a better question.... What does Mazda consider to be a failing compression test result and under what conditions/parameters does one get an engine replacement?
I ask because the service manager said that the results were "good" and never gave anything regarding hints or suggestions pointing towards a reman engine. He did suggest getting an extended warranty on the car through an underwriter that the dealer works with (Fidelity Warranty Services) and given the nature of the car, I have been considering getting one even before he had brought up the subject. If I remember correctly they were offering 4yrs/60K mi. for $3500 for the platinum protection.
Which brings up the following question:
Is this a good warranty? Is the price decent? Does anyone have any experience with this company? What are your thoughts about them? Any recommendations regarding providers?
I understand that these questions can be relative/subjective but I'm just interested in what people think. I read the warranty terms (I will provide a link to the documents below for those that are interested) and it appears that they don't cover issues with carbonation, overheating, oil sludge, coolant problems (which seems to be the RX8s executioner) which is one of the main things I am concerned about.
https://1drv.ms/b/s!Av8JYdVcL5YZgR7FzLNblJaKapMM
When I took the car to get the compression test done, the service tech showed me the spark plugs and they had some carbon build up on them. He told me chances were that they had never been changed. The fact that the car was still running decently with them baffles me.
Nonetheless I decided to be proactive about things. Per the forums recommendations, I bought new ignition coils, wires and spark plugs from Mazmart (thanks for the help Paul!) along with a new air filter, an oil change (I decided to go for 5w20 since I haven't made up my mind on what oil to go for yet) and just added its first quart after passing the 1K mi. mark (Castrol GTX 5w20).
When I took out the old spark plugs (besides the fact that they had some carbon build up) they were covered with some oil sludge. I figured that was just happening due to the fact that the plugs weren't giving proper spark, seeing how old they were and all. So now the engine seems to start without having to be cranked for so long/often and seems to run a little bit smoother (I'm still keeping my eyes on it though). In the oncoming weeks, I plan to clean the MAF and TB, perform a radiator flush, checkout the cat, possibly do more research to see how I can clean the oil lines (still reading on that) and follow everything on the 30K, 60K, 90K maintenance guidelines given here.
Apologies for the long post and I welcome everyone's suggestions and recommendations.
Thanks.
RW
12-05-2016, 07:48 AM
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It sounds like you're doing everything correctly to save the car, but get us some of the altitude numbers and such. When I did the testing on my car, I thought I had an engine failing. Theeeeennn I realized I'd totally ******* forgot to normalize for the fact I was at 6,034 feet above sea level. Turns out I've got 9+ across the board. Not saying this is going to make a difference, but, something to look into. As far as oil goes, it's oil. The holy wars are over, just make sure it's got oil in it. I premix, but, that's a me thing. Just remember that these cars LIVE at high revs. Automatics have a higher rate of failure thanks to rev capping... I'm sure there's a way to trick or reprogram the transmission. Keep us updated once you've got new coils and such, a healthy ignition system keeps these cars alive.